Warm up, 9/19 Please find your college essay/personal narrative topics. Review both the Boot Camp slideshow and the Reflective Essay slideshow. Take a moment to brainstorm: what are the three most vivid images that come to your mind when you consider your topic? **You are not permitted to begin writing your essay until you complete this step.

Learning Targets To review information about writing a personal narrative. To write a vivid college admissions essay or personal narrative. To incorporate teacher tips into your writing.

College Essay/Personal Narrative Requirements Write 300-500 words (double-spaced) Begin with a HOOK (see slide 27 of the RSVP slideshow). Have an introduction, body, and conclusion. Pay attention to the structure of this essay: it should be the be support for the content that you’re providing. Some tips on how to make your writing VIVID: Figure out which scenarios from your warm-up would be appropriate to use in your essay. Describe them as if each is a photograph and you’re explaining what it looks like to someone who can’t see it. Use action verbs! (You didn’t “go to the store,” you “sped down the lane, slammed on your breaks and parked the car upon your arrival, rushed out of the vehicle, and demanded their last bag of ice!”) Be precise and vivid with word choice. Avoid qualifiers like “very,” etc. Due WEDNESDAY, September 24th (2nd period – due 9/25)

Homework Read “Enemies,” “Friends,” “How to Tell a True War Story” (by Monday, 9/22). Keep track of the features, or “ingredients,” of a true war story according to Tim O’Brien’s “recipe.”