Significant Spaces Assignment

1 - For this assignment, I would like for you to reflect on your life and consider the spaces you have occupied—anywhere  you have spent a significant deal of time and within which you have had significant experiences. This could be your own home, the home of a friend or relative, a school building, a workplace etc. From there, I would like for you to develop a creative writing piece, written from the perspective of the building itself. This piece of writing can be anywhere from 300-600 words, but may be longer if necessary. You may reflect on the complete history of the building, the experiences that occurred within the building, the reasoning behind it’s significance to you, etc., however you must tell your story from the building’s perspective.  

2 - For this assignment, I developed a prompt that could potentially be utilized at any point throughout the semester. Ideally, students will reflect on their personal lives and their experiences, considering specifically the various and particular spaces they have occupied throughout their lives. Upon reflection, they will choose one which has significance to them as an individual and write a 300-600 word creative writing piece from the perspective of the building itself. They may choose to write on the building’s history, the experiences lived within their chosen space, or go in a completely different direction—really, students will have complete freedom as far as the direction they wish to take, so long as they write from the building’s perspective. This prompt addresses several of my larger teaching goals that I wish to implement within the classroom. One of which is creating an environment of safety that breeds vulnerability within my students. This prompt has potential to get students thinking about more personal life experiences, and it is my hope that through their writing they may discover their own resilience and create something out of their significant life experiences. This type of writing requires vulnerability, a depth that I hope my students will feel comfortable to explore within the walls of my classroom. Moreover, this prompt address another larger teaching goal that I have as it pertains to writing: I want my students to think outside the box and take risks with their writing. I want them to experience the flexibility that we have in being creative. I think that this prompt can fuel that goal, challenging them to think from a different perspective and produce from outside of their comfort zone.