This is the writing project my English class is working on this week. It is designed to help students capture what their daily life is like during the pandemic while also practicing skills related to narrative writing.
Project 3: A Day in the Life
Instructions
Write a narrative about what a day in your life is like in light of the stay-at-home orders which have been issued for many people. This essay can be about a typical day or it can be about an unusual day. Either choice is fine as long as you keep in mind that a narrative is a story—and a story needs to have a beginning, a middle, and an end (although not necessarily in that order).
Length
300-500 words
Prewriting
These questions will help you think through your daily activities.
Do you follow a set schedule each day?
What time do you get up?
When do you do school?
Do you have chores that you do?
Do you go outside?
Are you getting any exercise?
What are your online activities like?
Do you practice spiritual devotions such as reading Scripture or prayer?
Do you have hobbies or extracurricular activities such as piano practice?
Do you play any games?
Do you entertain siblings or babysit?
Do you play with pets?
Do you read?
Do you cook?
Do you watch TV or online shows?
Do you have meals with your family?
Are you helping someone in your community?
Have all the days since the COVID-19 measures been about the same?
Were there any unusual days?
What was the first day like?
Is there a day that has been particularly challenging or difficult? Or particularly good?
Drafting
Remember that this essay is a narrative, so it needs to tell the story of your day. An easy way to do this is to organize it chronologically: “First I do this. Next I do this.” And keep going in order. You could also start in the middle, maybe with the most exciting part and then jump back to the beginning. But that’s a little trickier to do, and you have to be careful with transitions or you will confuse your reader.
I’ve created a complete project guide to help students write about their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. Click below to access this free resource.