Personal Narrative

Writing a first person essay and using connectors

Introduction

• Interview a partner for 5 minutes.• Ask your partner questions (Where are

you from? What are your hobbies? What classes do you like?)

• Write a 5 sentence introduction of your partner.

First Writing Assignment

Your Task:• Write a personal narrative in five

paragraphs. Each paragraph should have at least five sentences.

Think about:• When was an important time in my life?• What has happened in my life that I

would enjoy writing about?• Is there an event in my life that other

people would enjoy hearing/reading about?

What is a personal narrative?

• A personal narrative is a story about yourself and an event that happened in your past

• Narrative = Story• The personal narrative is the most

creative essay and allows you more freedom than other essays.

What is a personal narrative?

• Often written in 1st person – I or we – because it is based on a personal story

• Can also be written in 3rd person

• Can never be written in 2nd person• Has specific sensory details to get the

reader hooked on the story• Is developed in chronological order• Has verbs that help paint a picture and

draw in the reader

Components of a Story

• Setting = Where the action in a story happens.

• Theme = Basic idea or point of the story• Mood = Feeling or atmosphere the author

creates for the story.• Characters = The people in the story• Plot = What happens in the story• Often uses dialogue

Introduction - Narrative

• Describe the background of the story (characters, setting, atmosphere)

• Prepare the reader on what to expect in the story.

• You should have a “hook” that will grab the reader’s attention, as well as a thesis that organizes the essay.

What is a “hook”?

• The first two or three lines in the introductory paragraph that grabs readers’ attention. • Help set the stage for the story

• Make readers guess what will happen next in the story

How to write a good “hook”

• Like a fish getting hooked by a fisherman, you need to “hook” your readers and make them want to read your essay.• If it’s a good hook, people would want to read your essay.• If it is not a good hook, then no one wants to read your essay.

Some suggestions…

For some suggestions on how to write a good hook, see the narrative essay section at:

ela8devonmiddle.wikispaces.com

Let’s look at some hooks…

Hooks - Connecting Information

• After the hook, the writer usually writes three to five sentences that connect it to the topic.

Example from Keith Folse:

Her daily routine was not glamorous. She did everything from sweeping the floors to cooking the meals. If someone had asked her, “Are there any household chores that you practically hate?”, she probably would have answered, “None.”

Example

Write a sample hook for this paragraph:

At 16 I worked in the toy department of Lotte Department Store, where I learned that I enjoyed helping people. I always went out of my way to help people because I learned that if I worked hard, I would succeed. This is the reason why I want to be a businessman and go to business school.

Example

I had never been more anxious in my life. I had just spent the last three hours trying to get to the airport so that I could travel home.

What questions do you have?

What do you think will happen next?

Thesis

• States the main idea of the essay (thesis statements).

• In narrative essays, they introduce the action that begins in the first paragraph of the essay.

Thesis

• The thesis will depend upon the story to be proven.

• The thesis can be something general in the case of a narrative essay. For example, you may write, “Learning something new can be a scary experience.”

Thesis

• As the reader, you will expect to learn what the new thing is.

• As the reader, you will expect to why new things can be scary.

• As the reader, you will expect there to be a twist in the action.

Introduction & Thesis

Introduction & Thesis

• Introduction – The introductory paragraph should identify the topic and explain why it is important and worthy of discussion. The sample essay begins with a general statement: “Learning something new can be a scary experience.” This statement introduces the subject of the essay, which is a particular learning experience the author had.

Body

• Contains most of the plot - the supporting information.

• Can be organized in many different ways. • One way is chronological, or time, order

(where you give more information about the story as it proceeds in time).

Body Paragraph 1

Body Paragraph 1

• Body Paragraph 1 – The first body paragraph should support and expand upon the thesis, main idea, and/or argument presented in the introductory paragraph.

Body Paragraph 2

Body Paragraph 2

• Body Paragraph 2 – The second body paragraph should further develop the idea presented in the first two paragraphs, and may introduce a second viewpoint and/or supplementary evidence to support the argument.

Body Paragraph 3

Body Paragraph 3

• Body Paragraph C – The third body paragraph should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph, and present the final idea or evidence.

Transition Words

Gives your reader an ability to follow happens and predicts what will happen next.

Common Time Transitions

• Before

• After• During• First• Next• Second• Then• Finally• While

• Later

• At last• Last• Eventually• Meanwhile• Since• Now• Soon • When

Connectors and Time Relationship Words

• Show how events progress.

Chronological Order- first (second, third, etc.), next, finally, later, now, then

Prepositions- after (a moment), at (1pm), by (Thursday), during (class), until (6:00)

Time Words that begin clauses- after, as soon as, before, (two weeks) later, from then on, when, while, whenever, until

Concluding Paragraph

Can have two functions:

1. The moral of the story, or what the character(s) learned from the experience.

2. Make a prediction about what will happen next based on what happened.

Concluding Paragraph

Concluding Paragraph

• The concluding paragraph may be the most important. The writer must not merely repeat the introductory paragraph, but explain in expert‐like detail what has been learned, explained, decided, proven, etc. The writer must reveal the ways in which the paper’s thesis might have significance in society.

Concluding Paragraph

• In the final paragraph of the sample essay, the author reflects on the larger meaning of the experience described. The author concludes that learning to swim helped her feel more confident about herself in other new situations, and the idea that self‐confidence comes from conquering fears is something all people can relate to. This is the point of the essay.

Example Narrative Essay

• Have you ever had trouble trying to get to someplace very important? Where were you going? Why were you having problems?

• What is a hero? What do you consider to be a heroic act?

Paragraph Unity

• Each paragraph of an essay must have unity.

• A paragraph must have one main idea.

• Every sentence in the paragraph must be relevant to that main idea.

Paragraph Unity - Example

As you manage your time, think about how long certain activities will take. A common mistake is to underestimate the time needed to do something simple. For example, when you are planning to go to the store, there may be a line of people. Last week in line I met a woman I went to high school with, so we chatted. It turns out she has two children just the same age as mine.

Good Writing Tip

• “Show, Don’t Tell” Good story telling includes details and descriptions that help the reader understand what the writer experienced. Think about using all five senses—not just the sense of sight—to add details about what you heard, saw, and felt during the event.

Good Writing Tip

• For example, “My heart jumped as the dark shape of the brown grizzly lurched toward me out of the woods” provides more information about what the writer saw and felt than, “I saw a bear when I was hiking”.