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!