what is a personal narrative? stories about a real event in a writers life true stories...
TRANSCRIPT
What is a personal narrative?Stories about a real event in a writer’s lifeTrue stories (non-fiction)An explanation about how the writer feels
about an event and why it is important to him or her
Why write a personal narrative?To tell an interesting or funny story about
yourselfTo have your readers make connections with
youTo understand why this event was important
to you
Prewriting
What do you need to think about before writing?
What will the story be about?Who will be in the story?What message will the story send?
Characteristics of a Personal Narrative
A good personal narrative…tells about an experience that happened to
the writer.has details that tell how the writer felt.has a beginning, middle, and end.tells why the experience was special to the
writer.uses the pronoun “I”.
How do you choose what event or experience to write about?
Ask yourself…Is there a particular holiday celebration or
vacation that stands out?Was there a change in your life that has
made a real difference?Is there a funny story about something that
happened to you?
Example of a personal narrativeThe Perfect Smile
Writer’s Chart p. 4-5Practice Companion p. 84
Respond to the storyWhat did you like about this personal
narrative?Why do you think the author chose to write
about this experience?For whom do you think the author wrote this
personal narrative?How can you tell this a personal narrative?
Organization of Personal Narratives
BeginningWhen the writer was little, he sucked his thumb
which caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
MiddleHis teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny
angles as well.
EndThe author decided not to get braces because he
liked his smile the way it was.
Now it’s your turn…Start thinking about the purpose of the
personal narrative you will write.Who is your audience?
Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide your writing.
Choosing a TopicYour topic should be about…one specific event.real experiences that are important to you or
taught you something.something you have strong feelings about.something your reader would be interested in
reading about.something you are comfortable sharing with
your readers.
List of Ideas to IncludeAsk yourself…Who?What?When?Where?Why?What happened in the beginning?What happened in the middle?What happened in the end?
Drafting
Time Order WordsBe sure to clearly show the sequence of
events.Use words that help your writing flow
smoothly and make sense.FirstAt the beginningAt the startTo begin withNextLast
Descriptive DetailsDetails that give the readers specific facts and
examples to help them visualize the event.Bring the writer’s story “to life”.Add to the enjoyment of the story for your
reader.
What did I see? What did I hear? What did I smell? What did I touch? What did I taste?
Use YOUR voiceBe sure you write to sound like yourself. Do
not try to sound like someone else.This is a personal narrative about YOU!
Revise your DraftMake it express exactly what you want to say
by…adding words and details that express your
ideas more clearly.deleting unnecessary words and details that
are off topic or confusing.substituting words with others that express
ideas more clearly.rearranging sentences or paragraphs so
ideas flow more smoothly.
Develop Sentence FluencyUse a variety of length of sentences to make
it more interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question, exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?
Author’s ChairResponses for the audience…
Begin by talking about what you found interesting.
Then ask questions you have.Finally, tell what you liked best and why you
liked it.
Editing
Proofreading for ErrorsSpellingCapitalizationPunctuationGrammar
Practice Revising/EditingEditing Checklist
Publishing
Final PresentationIs it neat and easy to read?Does it include a title and a byline?Does your illustration help your readers
understand your story?
Author’s Chair - WritersTell why you chose to write about your topic.Tell why your topic is important to you.
Author’s Chair - AudienceBegin by talking about what you thought was
interesting or exciting about the writing.Then ask questions that you thought of as
you listened to the reading.Finally, tell what you liked about the personal
narrative and why you liked it.
Celebrate! We did it!