1. Writing a Narrative

2. What to Expect Today we will begin the process of writing a 1 st draft of a Narrative Essay. This 1 st draft will be due on Monday for a grade. We will then do some revising and turn in a final draft of the essay for a TEST GRADE. Please pay close attention to the powerpoint so that you can make sure you have everything you need for your grade.

3. Grab your dry erase boards…

4. Choosing a Topic On your dry erase board, list in 1 word, 1. a positive experience you’ve had 2. a negative experience you’ve had 3. an inspirational moment you experienced in your life OR a scary or funny moment

5. Turn to your partner and tell them about ONE of your experiences You have 1 minute on the timer EACH to share about one of your stories Be a respectful listener. Some of these stories may be very personal or important. Just nod and say, “Thanks for sharing.”

6. Now on your post-its…. Jot down at least 3 things that you can vividly describe (using a few sentences to describe them) on each of your experiences that are already on the board. If you notice that it is hard to think of something to describe, you may not want to do that topic.

7. Based on what you have just listed, choose ONE of your 3 experiences to commit to write a narrative about.

8. Going back to your dry erase board… Take a few minutes to erase and reorganize your board and post-its to reflect the topic you’ve chosen. Write as much information about the details you plan to vividly describe on your post-its. (the more organized and detailed you are now, the easier this essay will be.) I will be coming around to see how you’re doing.

9. Now on your notebook paper…

10. The first of 5 paragraphs…. You will need 3-5 sentences in your introduction paragraph. You will not need a thesis, but you will need to introduce your topic to the reader. Consider starting like this…. “One of the most memorable experiences of my life was when _____________________. I will never forget how I felt when this happened to me. It all began when____________________.”

11. Looking Ahead: Keep in mind that you are going to want to spread out your narrative into 3 more paragraphs to describe what happened. Then you will have 1 final paragraph to conclude your thoughts on the experience.

12. Begin your 1 st body paragraph Begin telling your story wherever you stopped in the introduction. Describe one of the details in your post-its, taking 2-3 sentences to explain yourself. REMEMBER: your readers know nothing about you or your life. You need to S-P-E-L-L things out for them.

13. Repeat the process for your next 2 body paragraphs. With each new paragraph you should be telling more of your story and describing in detail at least 1 new thing.

14. Concluding Your Narrative In your conclusion, you will want to briefly reflect on the experience. If I were writing my narrative about my wedding day, I might conclude by saying: “That day was one of the most memorable of my life. I will never forget all of the family and friends who came to support me on my big day. I will cherish the experience for the rest of my life.”