Reminiscence and Life Writing
Reminiscence is a technique used with dementia patients and those with Alzheimers, and is also often used with adults with learning difficulties. It also has applications, I feel, with many other target groups.
Reminiscence involves bringing in memorabilia and using it to trigger discussions about the past. For dementia patients and adults with learning difficulties this works to maintain these older memories, works as 'exercise' for the brain, builds self-esteem....There are so many benefits.
There are challenges in combining this with creative writing, but there are also obvious links between reminiscence and, in particular, life-writing.
I am qualified at OCN Level 2 in Reminiscence and have been doing work experience with Age UK running creative writing sessions, including in Norwich Prison.
Here's a great little exercise for Life Writing that works with a big range of ages and abilities. I've so far done this exercise with old-aged pensioners including at Norwich Prison, an adult education group with a range of ages, and with teenagers.
Reminiscence involves bringing in memorabilia and using it to trigger discussions about the past. For dementia patients and adults with learning difficulties this works to maintain these older memories, works as 'exercise' for the brain, builds self-esteem....There are so many benefits.
There are challenges in combining this with creative writing, but there are also obvious links between reminiscence and, in particular, life-writing.
I am qualified at OCN Level 2 in Reminiscence and have been doing work experience with Age UK running creative writing sessions, including in Norwich Prison.
Here's a great little exercise for Life Writing that works with a big range of ages and abilities. I've so far done this exercise with old-aged pensioners including at Norwich Prison, an adult education group with a range of ages, and with teenagers.
Tongue-Twisters - a mini lesson plan.
Just a rough one, still to be tested.
She sells seashells by the seashore.
The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I'm sure she sells seashore shells.
Tongue-twisters can be a lot of fun - getting them wrong is the point; it makes people laugh!
(Rough) lesson plan:
1. Start with the She sells twister - say the first line and see if people can remember it. And can they say it? Do they know a different version? Practise individually then as a group try to say it faster and faster.
As the leader it can be good to (deliberately) get it wrong - if you think this would work.
2. Then move discussion onto other tongue-twisters. What ones can they remember? Write them up (debate the words - although ultimately it doesn't matter) on big pieces of sugar paper and stick them up. Again, try saying them.
3. People could now:
a) Try to create their own tongue-twisters
AND/OR
b) Make pictures (could cut pictures from magazines OR draw them) to illustrate the tongue-twisters then write them on.
She sells seashells by the seashore.
The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells shells on the seashore,
I'm sure she sells seashore shells.
Tongue-twisters can be a lot of fun - getting them wrong is the point; it makes people laugh!
(Rough) lesson plan:
1. Start with the She sells twister - say the first line and see if people can remember it. And can they say it? Do they know a different version? Practise individually then as a group try to say it faster and faster.
As the leader it can be good to (deliberately) get it wrong - if you think this would work.
2. Then move discussion onto other tongue-twisters. What ones can they remember? Write them up (debate the words - although ultimately it doesn't matter) on big pieces of sugar paper and stick them up. Again, try saying them.
3. People could now:
a) Try to create their own tongue-twisters
AND/OR
b) Make pictures (could cut pictures from magazines OR draw them) to illustrate the tongue-twisters then write them on.
Beach Poems
Age Group: Any - probably too difficult for infant school aged kids.
Resources: Newspapers, pictures from magazines of beaches, prittsticks, scissors, paper, scrap paper to write rough drafts on. (If being done in a more reminiscence-way then sound effects of the beach, actual beach objects - shells, old swimming costumes, sweets, rocks, bucket and spade, some sand, and perhaps old beach postcards etc would be good.) For the alternative version - photocopies of different, simplified, beach scenes. OR pens and pencils to draw their own.
(PICTURE - Spot the missing letter. Plus it does look a bit like a ransom note. See alternative idea below.)
Steps:
1. Think about memories of being on the beach and share these. Ask each other questions as the memories are being shared to fill in more details.
2. Each person then picks one of their memories of being on the beach. Direct them to think about (all or some of the following):
a) Who was there.
b) What happened.
c) What was said.
d) What smells there were.
e) What they saw - pick 2/3 specific things to comment on.
f) What they could hear.
g) If there was anything they could feel the textures of.
h) It can be good, sometimes, to prompt people to talk a bit about emotions too, although obviously if they are looking at a sad memory then they might not want to do this - and this should always only be if people are willing: they open up as much as they want to.
3. They write down 3 paragraphs or so (as little as possible) an account of what happened - making sure to include some of the sights/sounds/smells details too.
4. To turn this into a 'poem' they then cross out as many words as possible. For example when I did it the story was like this:
My secondary school friends are all mad about beaches - the salt and suntan lotion, you always smell that. And musty water - refilled in a reused bottle.
Kathy ran to the ocean. Hannah took out her magazine and sunglasses. Bekki's now husband Matt climbed a rock then jumped off. Various people took out their mobiles.
I have never been that keen on beaches. Sometimes I like reading. Rarely I swim.
I prefer to build things. I like rock forts.
I spent the next three hours ferrying stones, dinosaur eggs, to make a wall around our group.
Gradually people began to join in. Nick and Melv joined in. Three boulders high, eight people long. Occasionally precariously balanced. Jess built a sand bridge so we could get in. Gemma found the flag.
And we went back to the holiday home.
...and the poem was like this:
Salt, suntan lotion always.
Musty bottled water.
Kathy ran to the ocean.
Hannah took out her magazine, sunglasses.
Matt climbed a rock.
People took out mobiles.
I like rock forts.
I ferried stones,
Dinosaur eggs.
Three boulders high, eight people long,
Occasionally precariously balanced.
Nick joined in.
Melv joined in.
Jess built a sand bridge so we could get in.
Gemma found the flag.
And we went back to the holiday home.
5. It is nice, if the group is willing, to then read each other the poems and, if people wish, to comment on each other's poems - are there bits that don't make sense? Other details we want to know? Any more words that can be taken out? - people can then redraft the poems if they want.
6. There are then options.
a) If they have a lot of time and are feeling creative, they can use pictures of beaches from magazines to make their background picture, then stick on words from newspapers and magazines to make a picture with their poem on it. OR they could draw the background and then stick on the words.
b) As a time-saving option, I drew some simple beach scenes - in a variety of styles and locations - photocopied these, and then people could colour them in and then write on their poems. (See below.)
c) Obviously people can also draw a beach and write on their poems.
(Etc.)
Resources: Newspapers, pictures from magazines of beaches, prittsticks, scissors, paper, scrap paper to write rough drafts on. (If being done in a more reminiscence-way then sound effects of the beach, actual beach objects - shells, old swimming costumes, sweets, rocks, bucket and spade, some sand, and perhaps old beach postcards etc would be good.) For the alternative version - photocopies of different, simplified, beach scenes. OR pens and pencils to draw their own.
(PICTURE - Spot the missing letter. Plus it does look a bit like a ransom note. See alternative idea below.)
Steps:
1. Think about memories of being on the beach and share these. Ask each other questions as the memories are being shared to fill in more details.
2. Each person then picks one of their memories of being on the beach. Direct them to think about (all or some of the following):
a) Who was there.
b) What happened.
c) What was said.
d) What smells there were.
e) What they saw - pick 2/3 specific things to comment on.
f) What they could hear.
g) If there was anything they could feel the textures of.
h) It can be good, sometimes, to prompt people to talk a bit about emotions too, although obviously if they are looking at a sad memory then they might not want to do this - and this should always only be if people are willing: they open up as much as they want to.
3. They write down 3 paragraphs or so (as little as possible) an account of what happened - making sure to include some of the sights/sounds/smells details too.
4. To turn this into a 'poem' they then cross out as many words as possible. For example when I did it the story was like this:
My secondary school friends are all mad about beaches - the salt and suntan lotion, you always smell that. And musty water - refilled in a reused bottle.
Kathy ran to the ocean. Hannah took out her magazine and sunglasses. Bekki's now husband Matt climbed a rock then jumped off. Various people took out their mobiles.
I have never been that keen on beaches. Sometimes I like reading. Rarely I swim.
I prefer to build things. I like rock forts.
I spent the next three hours ferrying stones, dinosaur eggs, to make a wall around our group.
Gradually people began to join in. Nick and Melv joined in. Three boulders high, eight people long. Occasionally precariously balanced. Jess built a sand bridge so we could get in. Gemma found the flag.
And we went back to the holiday home.
...and the poem was like this:
Salt, suntan lotion always.
Musty bottled water.
Kathy ran to the ocean.
Hannah took out her magazine, sunglasses.
Matt climbed a rock.
People took out mobiles.
I like rock forts.
I ferried stones,
Dinosaur eggs.
Three boulders high, eight people long,
Occasionally precariously balanced.
Nick joined in.
Melv joined in.
Jess built a sand bridge so we could get in.
Gemma found the flag.
And we went back to the holiday home.
5. It is nice, if the group is willing, to then read each other the poems and, if people wish, to comment on each other's poems - are there bits that don't make sense? Other details we want to know? Any more words that can be taken out? - people can then redraft the poems if they want.
6. There are then options.
a) If they have a lot of time and are feeling creative, they can use pictures of beaches from magazines to make their background picture, then stick on words from newspapers and magazines to make a picture with their poem on it. OR they could draw the background and then stick on the words.
b) As a time-saving option, I drew some simple beach scenes - in a variety of styles and locations - photocopied these, and then people could colour them in and then write on their poems. (See below.)
c) Obviously people can also draw a beach and write on their poems.
(Etc.)
Filling in the Gaps (Adjectives)
Age Group: Any, and a wide range of abilities.
Resources: Pens and paper.
(This is a great way to fill in and flesh-out a memory.)
1. Direct the group/person to think about a memory - it's good to narrow it down, for example a happy memory or a memory at school, or a memory when you were on the beach. They can close their eyes if they would like to. They first need to just remember what happened.
So, for example, with this picture, it is from when I was in Venice teaching English (teaching English nearby). I was watching a regatta and having a cup of tea at a cafe writing postcards.
2. They then need to write down a list of all the objects that would have been there. Just a list down in a column on the left-hand side of their page.
E.g.:
tables
chairs
menus
canal
boats
streetlamp
3. Then they need to add colours to any of these that they can.
E.g.:
tables green
chairs green
menus cream
3.5. As an optional extra they can try to make this more specific.
E.g.:
tables green (dark)
menus porridge-cream
4. Then they need to add an adjective related to size or shape.
E.g.:
tables green round
chairs green short
5. Then they can add an adjective related to texture (if this is possible).
E.g.:
tables green round shiny
6. This can obviously keep going as long as you wish, but you don't want to drag it out too long!
7. Then ask them to try to think of any smells, and anything they could have heard at the time.
8. They then write the memory up and (if they would like to) read it out!
Resources: Pens and paper.
(This is a great way to fill in and flesh-out a memory.)
1. Direct the group/person to think about a memory - it's good to narrow it down, for example a happy memory or a memory at school, or a memory when you were on the beach. They can close their eyes if they would like to. They first need to just remember what happened.
So, for example, with this picture, it is from when I was in Venice teaching English (teaching English nearby). I was watching a regatta and having a cup of tea at a cafe writing postcards.
2. They then need to write down a list of all the objects that would have been there. Just a list down in a column on the left-hand side of their page.
E.g.:
tables
chairs
menus
canal
boats
streetlamp
3. Then they need to add colours to any of these that they can.
E.g.:
tables green
chairs green
menus cream
3.5. As an optional extra they can try to make this more specific.
E.g.:
tables green (dark)
menus porridge-cream
4. Then they need to add an adjective related to size or shape.
E.g.:
tables green round
chairs green short
5. Then they can add an adjective related to texture (if this is possible).
E.g.:
tables green round shiny
6. This can obviously keep going as long as you wish, but you don't want to drag it out too long!
7. Then ask them to try to think of any smells, and anything they could have heard at the time.
8. They then write the memory up and (if they would like to) read it out!
