Literature Autobiography Bags

The last day of a school is typically one of end‐of‐the‐year picnics, assemblies, and other out‐of‐classroom activities. Also, there are procedural tasks to take care of, such as cleaning and returning books and equipment. It is a challenge for teachers to find uninterrupted time with their students to do something meaningful and bring closure to the school year. This article describes a project in which children assembled a collection of personal literature—including books, comic books, magazines, letters, cards, notes, news clippings, journals, and diaries that held special meaning for them—and placed them into a bag of their choice. On the last day of school, students presented the contents of their “literature autobiography bags.” The presentations became one of the most significant events of the year, turning the last day of school into a time of bonding and community building through literature sharing. The project was so successful that the author continues it to this day with his university preservice teachers as a way for them to introduce themselves through their personal literature.