1. Role – middle school students Audience – parents, teachers, other students, museum administrators, museum visitors Format – biographical narrative essay Topic – inspirational young survivors Sub-topic: perception versus reality

2. Elements of Narrative Writing
Plot – the story’s sequence of events (the order in which the story’s events happen)
Conflict
Characterization (character traits)
Descriptive, sensory words (see, smell, hear, taste, touch)
Setting (where/when the story takes place)
Dialogue (the direct speech of the characters)

3. Plot 1. Exposition 2. Rising Action 3. Climax 4. Falling Action
5. Resolution

4. 1. Exposition – Introduction Paragraph
Introduction to:
Setting
Characters
Lesson/moral
of the story (thesis)

5. 1. Exposition – Introduction Paragraph
“The People Could Fly”: The exposition tells the reader that in Africa, the people could fly. However, when they were captured for slavery and forced onto ships, they shed their wings. The lesson/moral (thesis) is that some people kept their power a secret even though they shed their wings. This lesson/moral has to do with the power of hope in times of oppression so that one day freedom can be reached.
Your essay: Summarize the young survivor’s early life. Describe the setting and the protagonist (the young survivor). Explain the moral/lesson by thinking about what can be learned from the young survivor’s life.

6. 2. Rising Action – First Body Paragraph
A conflict begins to occur for the protagonist

7. 2. Rising Action – First Paragraph
“The People Could Fly”: The slaves labored from sunup to sundown and were treated horribly and cruelly by the Master, Driver, and Overseer. Your essay: Focus on a conflict the protagonist (young survivor) faces in her/his early life.

8. 3. Climax – Second Body Paragraph
The point of greatest tension in the story

9. 3. Climax – Second Paragraph
“The People Could Fly”: The Driver attacks Sarah and her baby, and Sarah is too weak to stand any longer. Your essay: Focus on a decision about the conflict that the protagonist (young survivor) faces.

10. 4. Falling Action – Third Body Paragraph
The outcome of the conflict and resulting events

11. 4. Falling Action – Third Paragraph
“The People Could Fly”: Toby helps Sarah get up and says the magic words. Sarah is able to fly to freedom with her baby. Your essay: Focus on the results/resulting events of the decision about the conflict that the young survivor made in the climax. This is a time in the narrative when things will become more positive.

12. 5. Resolution – Conclusion Paragraph
The final outcome of the story/conflict Connects to the lesson/moral of the story (thesis)

13. 5. Resolution – Conclusion Paragraph
“The People Could Fly”: Toby helps more slaves fly and escape to freedom. Those who cannot fly/escape later tell the story to their children when they are finally free. The story lives on as a testament to those who never gave up hope, even in times of oppression (connection to the thesis). Your essay: Focus on the final outcome. This will be a positive time in which the young survivor has moved past her/his challenges and is living a more stable life (ex: receiving awards, establishing a career, writing a book about her/his past, etc.). Connect back to the lesson/moral of the story (thesis) - what can be learned from the young survivor’s life.

14. Kelvin Doe is an aspiring engineer from Sierra Leone, Africa
Kelvin Doe is an aspiring engineer from Sierra Leone, Africa. He grew up in one of the poorest countries in the world yet shows how ambitious and brave he is by scavenging for electronic scraps in dumpsites. Doe does not mind sifting through the murky, putrid dumpsites because he wants to help his community. Others’ perception of dumpsites may be that all of the objects are just trash, but Doe proves that trash can become a technological invention. As the article “Kelvin Doe – DJ Focus” by Hayley Hudson demonstrates, Doe crunches and clangs his way through dumpsites to create new inventions. His story illustrates that anything is possible with the right amount of determination. Setting Sensory language Characterization Moral/lesson (thesis) – what can be learned from the story Perception v. reality