9th Grade Core PERSONAL NARRATIVE

(HOW the writer says it)   Advanced 15-14 points Proficient 13-11 points Basic 10-9 points Below Basic 8-0 points Focus and Organization Opening captures reader’s attention Uses sophisticated techniques to engage the reader Purpose of the writing is clearly evident; focus is maintained throughout Events are told in a way that is engaging and easy to follow. The story reflects the choice of an appropriate organizational structure Format, paragraphing, and transitions are sophisticated and subtle Attempts to capture reader’s attention Includes techniques to engage the reader Purpose of the writing is evident; focus is largely maintained throughout Events are told in a way that is easy to follow. The story reflects the choice of an appropriate organizational structure Format, paragraphing, and transitions are present Ineffective opening Lacks techniques to engage the reader Purpose of the writing is not readily apparent Limited organizational structure that may be difficult to follow Limited use of paragraphing and transitions Lacks a clear opening Purpose of the writing is not apparent and lacks focus No logical structure Points: /15 Content (WHAT the writer says) 45-41 points 40-32 points 31-27 points 26-0 points /45 Sophisticated, fully-developed detail with appropriate context that brings the narrative to life for the reader Feelings, thoughts, reactions, and reflections are evident and integrated throughout the narrative Conveys a meaningful, specific experience Uses detail with appropriate context that enhances the narrative Feelings, thoughts, reactions, and reflections are present Limited use of detail Feelings, thoughts, reactions, and reflections are limited Conveys an experience Undeveloped content with little to no detail Lacks feelings, thoughts, reactions and reflections Voice and Style (HOW the writer says it) 30-27 points 26-21 points 20-18 points 17-0 points /30 Purposeful, artistic choices Fluent and understandable writing Sophisticated and varied sentence structure with integrated use of figurative language and dialogue Awareness of and respect for audience Precise and sophisticated word choice Writer’s voice is apparent in tone, sentence structure, and word choice Clear and understandable writing Varied sentence structure with integrated use of figurative language and dialogue Some awareness of audience Appropriate word choice Writer’s voice is present in tone, sentence structure, and word choice Writing is somewhat difficult to understand Repetitive/incorrect sentence structure Limited awareness of audience Limited word choice Writer’s voice is limited Writing is difficult to understand Flawed sentence structure Disregard for audience Inappropriate word choice Writer’s voice is lacking Conventions 8-7 points 6 points 5-0 points /10 Evident control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation Paper is virtually error-free Control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation Errors in conventions do not significantly impact meaning Limited control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation Errors in conventions impact meaning Little to no control of grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage, and sentence formation Errors severely impact meaning

“There was never yet an uninteresting life” (Mark Twain)

ALL ABOUT ME BRAINSTORM You have 60 seconds to… List people in your life – people that you know, have met, are inspired by, etc. List places you’ve been –favorite hangouts, vacations, daily visits, places of refuge, etc. List things you “know” –things you know about and could easily talk about List events that have happened –the past seven days, this past calendar year, in your younger years

TOPICS TO EVENTS TO MOMENTS Football Penn State wins the Big Ten Fourth quarter Penn State drive down by 3 Trace McSorely’s touchdown pass

MOMENTS OF MEANING The last time I yelled at someone was… The last compliment I got was… A time when I was so proud of myself was… A time when I was so disappointed in myself was… I wanted to hide from embarrassment when… I never got in as much trouble as the time when…

A, B, C’s of a PERSONAL NARRATIVE

A, B, C’s of Style for a Personal Narrative ADDING AUTHOR’S VOICE BUILDING TONE CREATING MOOD

Author’s voice is the author's style, the quality that makes his or her writing unique, and which conveys the author's attitude, personality, and character… (Wiehardt). "Tone in writing refers to the writer's attitude toward the reader and the subject of the message. The overall tone of a written message affects the reader…" (Ober 88). Mood in writing is defined as the climate of feeling in a literary work –that choices in setting, objects, details, imagery and words all contribute to creating (Bokesch, Ed.).

Author’s voice – who the author is Tone –how the writer feels and his/her attitude toward the reader and the subject of the message Mood –how the author wants the reader to feel

A, B, C WORKSHOP

Narrative Organization It’s fairly obvious to say that how the narrator tells the story affects the tone and mood. In terms of organization, the narrative mode has a very broad range of the ways it can be told. Sensibly, the most obvious is chronological order. However, creatively speaking, it is not always the most effective way. Students are also very familiar with techniques such as flashbacks/forwards used throughout the story or starting where the story ends in a circular method. But there is no “right way.” However, we all can agree that “grabbing the reader” is still necessary.

Narrative Organization: LEADS STATEMENT: start with meaningful, reflective narration or statements ACTION: jump into the action of the story. IMAGERY: the sensory details to put the reader there DIALOGUE: jump into dialogue that is attention getting

Narrative Organization: LEADS Your task… is to compose two different leads for the story topic that you have chosen. Yes, you are to write the same story lead two different ways. This will allow you to consider which is more effective for your particular story, as you consider the effectiveness of creating mood, tone, and voice.