warm-up writing a personal narrative about an important person

© Edgenuity, Inc. 1

Warm-Up Writing a Personal Narrative about an Important Person

Lesson Goals

Writea personalnarrative.

Develop a narrativewith strong

Revise to makerelationships among

and events clearer..

Words to Know

Fill in this table as you work through the lesson. You may also use the glossary to help you.

demonstrate to show or give an

significant important or

structure the way something is or put together

character traits a character’s inner

point of view who tells the and how it is told

Lesson Question

?

WK2


InstructionPart 1

Writing a Personal Narrative about an Important Person

2Slide

Purpose of a Personal Narrative

A personal narrative is writing that tells a story taken from your own life experience.

People write personal narratives for many purposes, including:

• to share a or experience that is important to them.

• to something they have learned from

their experience.

• to entertain readers by relating the way this experience occurred.

Today’s Writing Prompt: Product and Audience

Underline the product in the passage.

: What will you

write?

• A personal narrative

: Who will read your

writing?

• A teacher or peers

Write a personal narrative about a hero

in your life. The story should tell about an

experience that shows why this person is a

hero to you and what effect this person has

had on your life.



Prewriting: Brainstorming

Before writing, brainstorm a for your narrative.

Think of a person in your life that you .

• Who is this person?

• What about this person is special?

• What are some noteworthy of this person?

• How did this person become so important to you?

• What experience demonstrates how significant they are to you?

InstructionPart 1

4Slide

Prewriting: Choosing a Topic

Test your topic.

• Can you write a

about it?

• Can you show why this

person is ?

• Can you describe how your

life was

by this person?

Here is a sample topic.

Experience: Meeting a Mentor

• I tried out for the basketball team.

• I didn’t make it.

• A person on the team saw me practicing at the park.

• He spent time practicing with me until I got better.

• I tried out again and made the team thanks to my friend and mentor!



4Slide

InstructionPart 1

Using a Table to Plan a Narrative

Person

• Brainstorm someone to write about.

• List the qualities that make this person a hero to you.

• Describe some experiences you had with this person.

• Note at least one way that this person has changed your life.



2Slide

Getting Ready to Write

Review your plan to see if you are ready to move on. Ask yourself questions about each part of the narrative.

Beginning:

• Have I identified who this person is and any information needed?

Middle:

• Did I include of what the person says and does?

• Are the experiences so that a reader could follow along?

End:

• Does the ending why this person is important to you?

InstructionPart 2

Thinking about the Parts of a Narrative

A narrative has a beginning, middle, and end. Note that each part has

different .

Beginning Middle End

It is fun to begin with an interesting detail, but you will need to quickly

the

person you are writing about.

Bring the action of your

story to a .

Be sure the story clearly demonstrates this person’s effect on your life.

Relate the

in this

relationship. It can be the whole relationship or an important part of it.



2Slide

InstructionPart 2

Drafting Your Narrative

After brainstorming and planning, it is time to create a draft. Your draft should have a beginning, middle, and end.

1. First paragraph: the person you are writing about.

2. Middle three paragraphs: Retell your with this person.

A. You might tell the story of how you met this person.

B. You might retell a typical experience with this person.

C. Be sure to include examples that demonstrate this person’s qualities.

D. Retell the experience that had a deep effect on your life.

3. End: Describe how you are for having this person in your life.

Narrative about an Important Person in Your Life

Underline the text in which the author describes why Ms. Thompson is so important to her.

“Patty Platypus” was my stupid nickname starting in the third grade. Ms. Thompson fixed that.

A few years later, Ms. Thompson took our class on a field trip to the zoo. Ms. Thompson smiled

as if she didn’t realize that the nickname was meant to hurt my feelings. “Yes, the platypus is

amazing and unique, just like Patricia,” she said as if that was what they had meant. I smiled

back. Suddenly that nickname didn’t hurt my feelings anymore. I’ll always be grateful to Ms.

Thompson for helping me to like my name again. But that’s not all she did for me.



2Slide

InstructionPart 3

Using Strong Examples

• How did you the

person you wrote about? Did you use labels or examples?

• You might a hero as

“determined.” But an example can demonstrate that better than a label.

When I was sent of errands, I always took my

book with me, and by going one part of my

errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson

before my return. I used also to carry bread with

me. . . . This bread I used to bestow upon the

hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give

me that more valuable bread of knowledge.

–Frederick Douglass

Showing Time Relationships

Time relationships make your story structure clear. To help your readers

follow the and experiences you have included, you can use:

• words (examples: in 2012, during May, last Tuesday,

that summer).

• words (examples: first, before that, after, later,

ago, from/until, when).

4



6

8

Slide

Considering Point of View

The pronoun

The

f

Storytelling is not

First-personpoint of view

The

“I” is used

The narrator is a

The narrator’s

are revealed

Narrative about a Place that Shaped Your Identity

Underline the text that indicates that text needs to be added to the passage.

“Patty Platypus” was my stupid nickname starting in the third grade. Ms. Thompson fixed that. A few years later, Ms. Thompson took our class on a field trip to the zoo. [ADD REVISION TEXT] Ms. Thompson smiled as if she didn’t realize that the nickname was meant to hurt my feelings. “Yes, the platypus is amazing and unique, just like Patricia,” she said as if that was what they had all meant. I smiled back. Suddenly that nickname didn’t hurt my feelings anymore. I’ll always be grateful to Ms. Thompson for helping me to like my name again. But that’s not all she did for me.

InstructionPart 3

During that trip, everyone started calling me a platypus again.



8Slide

InstructionPart 3

Getting Ready to Revise

Before you revise, read your story again. Use this checklist to prepare for revising.

• Do I have strong examples of character traits I want to show?

• Do I include things the character did and said to show these traits?

• Do I have enough time and sequence words so that the reader makes

?

• Is my story told from a point of view all the way through?

• Do I include and opinions?


Summary

? Lesson Question


Lesson Question

How can you write a personal narrative about an important person in your life?

Answer

Use this space to write any questions or thoughts about this lesson.

?

warm-up writing a personal narrative about an important person

Documents