Unit Introduction

Welcome to Writing A Personal Narrative!
Here are some pointers for moving around the blog.

1. Every post is a different assignment labled Day 1-Day 15.


2. On the right hand side of the screen is the Archive. This will link you to all of the assignments.


3. Click on the assignment for the day.


4. Read the directions and complete the activity and post your response. Most posts have the actual assignment attached either above or below the actual post (in an image form). Click on the image and a large version will appear.


5. To respond to the post, click the comment link at the bottom of the post. Write your response in the comment box and publish.


6. Some of the posts have videos, just click on the play button and enjoy. If they do not load, refresh the page and try again.


7. There are some links embedded so watch for those in the posts.

Enjoy!

Day 17 - Create Visual

You have a finished product, yeah! The final step in writing is presentation of your work. You will need to create a visual to accomapny your writing. This could be a drawing, computer genreated image, personal photograph, video/picture collage, ...?

When you present your personal narrative to the class we want to see something along with it. You decide how you are going to represent your story in a visual way.

Post on the blog: Write 3 ideas you have for your visual representation of your narrative.

You may choose two from the choice board and one of your own ideas.

Day 16 - Editing

Everyone's favorite step in the writing process, editing. (did I hear groans?) This is the step where we look over the writing and fix up the mechanics in our writing. Use the following check list for help with editing.

*Capitalization
*Puntuation
*Spelling
*Fragments/Run-ons
*Pronouns use

Repost your narrative after editing.

Day 15 - Revise your writing

Your story should really be cookin' now! You have added details, pizazz and powerful words to your writing, now you need to make sure that your story makes sense.

Use the form for revising with your partner.

Change your writing with your partners advise (if needed).

Post on the blog: What did you learn through the revising stage of writing?

This is a neat little video about revising. She is talking about a book, but you can still apply her ideas to your narrative.

Day 13 - Imagery

You have your story down in a skeleton state but we need to jazz it up a bit to keep our readers interested. We use something called imagery, writing that appeals to our senses, to make our writing more interesting.

Example (before imagery): The wind was cold at the lake.

Example (after imagery): The frigid wind whipped across the lake.

1. Look through your writing.

2. With each sentence jazz it up with either powerful words or imagery.

3. You might need to add more descriptive sentences now to give the reader a more clear picture of what you saw, heard, felt, tasted or smelled during your story.

4. Rewrite your story with your added pizazz. Post it here so that we can see your improvements.

Day 12 - Shades of Meaning

Now that you have your rough draft down, we need to look at jazzing it up a bit. One way that we to do this is through strong word choice. To give our class a variety of words to add to their writing we are going to complete an activity called, Shades of Meaning.

1. Take a paint sample card (in class).

2. In the top box write an adjective that you used in your rough draft, but were not very excited by the word. Example: fun

3. In each box under your adjective write a synonym for that word. Example: enjoyable

4. When your paint sample card is full, tape the card on the front white board. Also type your words here on the blog so that we can all use them in our writing.

Day 11 - It's Rough, But Okay

The next step in writing your personal narrative is to write a rough draft. This step is meant to take what is in your brain and get it down on paper, we will add the fluffy details later.

1. Using your note card cartoon (Day 10), write 3-5 sentences for each card, or cartoon frame. Write the sentences on the back of the note card (lined side). So that the front of the card has your picture and the back has your thoughts. Repeat this process with each of your cards.

2. Reassemble the note cards but this time put them writing side up.

3. Type your sentences from the cards onto a blog post. We will work them more later, but for now we have a skeleton story of your life's event.

(click on the example above)

Day 10 - Cartooning

Now that you have a topic, the next step is to jog your memory of the event. You need to remember as much as possible about this life experience. Because our brain thinks in pictures, it is sometimes easier to draw what we remember.

1. Using note cards, you are going to draw pictures (at least 5) of your event. You are not being graded on artistic ability but on the amount of detail that you add to your pictures. The more detail you can add now, the easier it will be to put those details into words.

2. When you are finished drawing, put the note cards in chronological order (remember that vocab word? See Day 5). This should look like the frames of a cartoon when assembled.

(click on the example below)

3. Post here on the blog a summary statement on the cartoon experience, what did you discover about yourself as a learner?

Day 9 - Nailing it Down

You came up with a list of event from you life that were possible writing topics. Now you are going to meet up with a partner and share your lists. Here is what you need to accomplish with your partner.

1. Exchange lists.


2. You will pick 5 topics off of you partners list that you would like to know more about.


3. Share with your partner what you think they should write about.


4. Listen to your partner's ideas for what he/she chose from your list.


5. Compare the five topics that your partner choose to the 5 that you posted on Day 8's blog.


6. Are there any that match?


7. Discuss and decide which topic you are going to choose.


8. Post a comment telling us your final topic and why you are going to write about that event.

I thought this discussion image was hilarious, but please don't intimidate your partner like this! Ha!

Day 8 - Brain Stormin'

Alright, we have looked at many different examples of personal narratives, disected the stories into the personal narrative elements, and so now we are ready to write our OWN narratives. Yeah!

The first step in writing a narrative is to come up with a story from your life that you would like to share with others. Using the chart below (paper copy given in class), fill in as many ideas as you can for each category.

After you have complete the chart, choose 5 topics that you like the best and post them here so that we can see where your ideas took you.

Day 7 - Eve Bunting Part II

Now that you have read one story by Eve Bunting and experienced a narrative, I want you to join with a partner and look at another of her stories.

• Read the story together with your partner
  


• Fill out the graphic organizer to identify the parts of a narrative (provided in class)



• With your partner, write a summarizing statement describing what you learned about writing a personal narrative from this activity. Post it here so we can read what you discovered.

Day 6 - Eve Bunting Author Study

We are going to be reading stories by Eve Bunting. Many of her stories are told in a personal narrative format.

You will each choose a story and complete the following activity. Please post your findings. Enjoy!

1. Give a brief overview of the story


2. Why is it important for this character to be telling the story?


3. How did Eve grab your attention right away?


4. Quote a section of the book that you feel used descriptive details to elaborate the story


5. List three great word choices that Eve used in her story.

If you would like to see Eve Bunting, here is a little video interview with Eve. In the video she talkes about The Wall and Fly Away Home that maybe some of you read. She is a neat storyteller!

Day 5 - Time Order Sort Activity

Narratives should be told in a time order, called chronological order (extra credit if you bring me the dictionary definition). If you do not put your story in the correct order, your readers will get lost and not understand what is happening.

In class today we will be taking a narrative, Fireflies, that has been broken into chunks and your group is going to put the story back together in the correct order.

After completing this activity in with your group, create a summary statement about what you learned from this activity. Post your group's statement here for us all to read.

Brinckloe, J. (1986). Fireflies. New York: Aladdin.

Day 4 - Analyze Narrative

Personal narratives tell about a time in a person's life. To understand how to write a narrative it is important that we read examples from other's lives. Choose one of the narratives found in the book Short Takes provided in class.

• Complete the following document on your own (paper copy provided in class).


• Write a summary paragraph over the story you read, include each area from the organizer in your summary.


• Post your response for the class to read.

*If you are reading this away from class, you will need to get a paper copy of the stories from me to complete this activity.


Kupla, K. (1995) Short takes: Brief personal narratives and other works by
American teen writers. Merlyn's Pen.

Day 3 - Define a Personal Narrative

A personal narrative is a true story about something that happened to the person telling it.

Found on page 235 in your text book are several guidelines you should follow when you write a personal narrative:

• Grab your readers' attention right away
  
• Use the pronoun I
  
• Present the important events in time order
  
• Use descriptive details to elaborate
  
• Use dialogue (if it fits your story)
  
• Write in your personal voice and style
  
• End the narrative in a satisfying way

Use the graphic organizer provided to transfer the above information onto a web that you can use as you write. Copy and paste the chart onto a word document. Fill in the web in your own words (so it makes sense to you). Save and print to use later.

Day 2 - Memory Book

Read the above personal narrative. If you are reading this away from class, click on the image and read the narrative, you will be provided with a copy in class.

With your group, answer the questions that follow.

Post a group response so that we can all hear about your discussions.

Day 1 - Video Discussion

Watch the video clip from Forrest Gump showing the narrative story telling that is prevalent throughout the film.




Use the discussion guide above with your group.

Post a group response here on the blog.