1. Objective: To preview and prepare for Personal Narrative writing
English 9 Day 7
Objective: To preview and prepare for Personal Narrative writing

2. Why couldn’t I have been Named Ashley?
As we read the story, underline anything that stands out to you.
How would you describe the narrator’s voice?
How is this a coming of age narrative?

3. Personal Narrative
A personal narrative is a story in which the writer reflects on the significance of an incident in his or her life and the lessons learned.
How are the stories we’ve read so far been personal narratives?
“Why Couldn’t I Have been Named Ashley?”
“Always Running” and “Race Politics” (page 33-36)
From Speak (page 9-10)

4. Personal Narrative
Your first big writing assignment is to write a personal narrative.
Your personal narrative must include the following parts:
Incident: a description of the incident or situation
Response: your initial or immediate thoughts and feelings in response to the situation
Reflection: looking back, you thoughtfully consider the importance of the situation to your life
For today, we are going to use “Why Couldn’t I Have been Named Ashley?” as an example/model of story-telling and reflection.

5. 1. Notice that the writer opens her personal narrative with dialogue and action, saving exposition, or background information, for the third paragraph. Why do you think she made this choice?
2. In the fourth paragraph, the writer begins describing the first time her name became significant to her. Reread paragraphs 4 – 7 and color-code the incident and the writer’s response to it.
3. In the seventh paragraph, the writer describes a third incident with her name. Mark the text to identify the incident and her response to it.
4. In the last two paragraphs, the writer reflects on her name. What is her tone? How can you tell? Use a third color to code the reflection; remember to highlight or underline the word Reflection on the graphic organizer with the color that you are using as your color-coding key.

6. Brainstorm
What are some experiences you’ve had that you could be potential topics for a personal narrative?
Your homework is to come up with a few potential ideas.
We will start outlining the essay next class.