I am From

A Book Full of Personal Narrative Poems

8th Grade ELA

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8th Grade "I am From" Narrative Poems

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During this unit, students explored and analyzed the themes of identity and transformation across literary texts. They sought answers to questions such as, “How are characters transformed through relationships in the story?” and, “What can I learn about myself by reflecting on my own experiences with others? For this exhibit, students wrote I am From poems that explore their own identity and transformation across their lives.

The goal of this unit was to analyze and explore the theme of identity and transformation across literary texts. Students started the school year by writing an essay about books that have had a significant impact on their lives. They then studied the identity and transformation of characters in several short stories. After, they used the writing skills modeled by authors to reflect back on their lives and write a personal I am From poem.

To read these poems, please click on the PDF files within the pages.

"It was fun and sad to think about the nice and bad times I've had. It was also intriguing to think of all of things I have done and learned about even though I'm only 13 and still have a whole life ahead of me. I found that using different narrative techniques also changes my perspective on certain things that have happened or that I am familiar with, and now I think about them with some more details than I did before."

~Marion Ambler

"I think my "I am From" poem is the best poem I have ever written. The first few stanzas really grab your attention with the narrative techniques, such as similes and hyperboles. Overall it's a really good piece in my opinion."

~Kelis Bailey

"I felt a small bit of anger melding with the fury when I was writing, but when I looked back at it the next day, I was hit with a wave of relief from how well I had written this literary beauty."

~Oxley Briggs