Supposing that you had to share a brief history of your childhood, your family history, and your hometown in 500-750 words, how might you go about doing that?
Things to consider:
hometown location
hometown population
description of the town/land
family composition (how many parents, siblings, etc.)
family history (how'd your family end up there?)
The challenge is to write an informational piece that's also a bit creative... and definitely not boring. Can you do it? I think you can
Teacher Assistance:
If I were going to complete this assignment, I'd mention the fact that my mother's side of the family has lived in Adams County for as long as I can remember. My grandpa worked on President Eisenhower's farm; later in life, he managed an orchard of his own. I might include a memory of the migrant workers who used to work on his farm when writing about this. I'd also describe my grandpa's orchard (apple trees, a pond where we'd fish on summer afternoons, the cornfields that we used to walk through) and my grandma's cooking (slippery potpie, raspberry-custard pie, lima beans from Belleville).
From there, I'd talk about my parents. My mom grew up in Adams County and ended up staying here. My dad, on the other hand, is originally from New Jersey. He attended Gettysburg College and found a job here after graduation. They got married, bought a house on Herrs Ridge Road, lived there for five years, and then moved to Lake Heritage when my brother was born (we needed more space; the Herrs Ridge house was just teeny).
The Lake Heritage house is the one I remember most, so that's what I'd focus on next. I'd reminisce about riding bikes before and after dinner, going to the swimming pool, spending entire Saturdays on the lake... stuff like that. I'd use some imagery (the tangy smell of Coppertone, the sound of speedboat engines, etc.) to make sure my readers could visualize my childhood. I might include a specific memory (like that time my best friend Kathy and I learned to waterski and she kept falling; my dad said, "What's your middle name, Kathy? Grace?" and she started laughing because it was).
At some point in my writing, I'd have to mention Gettysburg's population and where the town is located. That means that I might look up some actual data. I wouldn't want to present the information in a boring manner, though--it needs to be creatively incorporated.