1. Writing the first essay; connectors; habitual past versus simple past
Personal Narrative
Writing the first essay; connectors; habitual past versus simple past

2. What is a personal narrative?
A personal narrative is a story about yourself and an event that happened in your past
Narrative=Story
The most creative essay and allows you more freedom than other academic essays.

3. Components of a story Setting=Where the action in a story happens.
Theme=Lesson learned/moral 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

4. Introduction Paragraph
Describe the background of the story (characters, setting, beginning events)
Prepare the reader on what to expect in the story.
In introductions, you should have a “hook” that will grab the reader’s attention, as well as a thesis statement that organizes the essay.

5. 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.
MUST relate to the story

6. Some “hook” suggestions…
Ask a question. (How many of you spend hours downloading music to your iPod?)
Use an interesting observation (Because of the economy, President Obama is having problems sleeping well these days.)
Create a unique scenario. (Traveling at more than 300 km per hour, he traveled to another dimension.)
Use a famous quote (“To be or not to be; that is the question.”)
Use a statistic (If world temperatures continue to rise, Singapore will be under water by 2050.)

7. Turn and Talk
Think of a good 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 go to a businessman and go to business school.

8. Thesis Statement States the main idea of the essay
In narrative essays, they introduce the action that begins in the first paragraph of the essay/ the Exposition of the story

9. Thesis Statement Examples
Now, as I watched the bus driver set my luggage on the airport, I realized that my frustration has only just begun.
I wanted my mother to watch me race down the steep hill, so I called out her name and then nudged my bike forward.
Because his pride wouldn’t allow him to apologize, Ken now had to fight the bully, and he was pretty sure that he wouldn’t win.

10. Body Paragraphs
Contains most of the plot-the supporting information and details.
The Rising Action, Climax and Falling Action of the essay.
One way is chronological, or time, order (where you give more information about the story as it proceeds in time).

11. Transitional Sentences
Have two purposes
Signal the end of action in one paragraph
Link the next paragraph.

12. Concluding Paragraph/Resolution
Can have two functions:
The moral of the story, or what the character(s) learned from the experience.
Make a prediction about what will happen next based on what happened.

13. Personal Narrative Video
Watch the following video
In your notes write down the Characteristics that should be included in a Personal Narrative.