Calling all writers and poets! Whether your family is indigenous or has recently arrived to the United States, everyone's got an American origin story. What's yours? According to US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, “Without poetry, we lose our way.” How could use use poetry and your powers of creation to describe your own American story? Try your hand at writing a haiku, six-word story, or original poem in response to the prompt: "My American story started when..."

We encourage students to share their responses on KQED Learn, a discussion and media creation platform for students in grades 6-12. Each discussion comes with a writing prompt, media-creation activity and educator guide. After participating in a discussion about the personal narratives shared in the video above, students will create their own video, image, or text responses (poetry encouraged!) to the same PBS American Portrait prompt. 

For more information about the intersection of personal narrative and the arts, see this Student Poetry Interactive created by PBS Digital Innovator All-Star Mike Lang, a technology teacher in Las Vegas, NV. The tool explores how poetry and photography can be used to share stories about identity, includes cross-cultural poetry samples, instruction about writing haiku and six word stories, tips about analyzing poetry, and key contextualizing background information about Native American, African American, and Mexican American history and culture. 

Learning Objectives:

1) Personal narrative: Students will present a narrative that answers the prompt: My American Story Started When...

2) Poetry: Students will create an original poem, haiku or six word story about their origin story on KQED Learn.

3) Students will create a PBS American Portrait media submission that responds to the prompt: My American Story Started When...