Personal Narrative

Write a story about something that happened to you. It should be something you remember strongly because it was important, whether it was funny, sad, scary, or just interesting.. Your job is to make it interesting for someone else to read. This must be told in the first person. That is, the narrator should be "I" and "me" and "myself."

Steps:

1. Choose a topic--brainstorm things that have happened to you, and pick one thing to write about.

2. Gather details:

• List the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your story.
• List sense impressions of your story--sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings

3. Decide on a beginning, a middle, and an end.

• Beginning: Begin the story in the middle of the action
• Middle: Explain how you got there and the rest of the events.
• End: Write a conclusion which ties up the action, and make your reaction clear.

4. Write out your first draft.

5. Peer conference

6. Submit to Dr. Turner for publisher's edit

7. Add grammar, usage, and spelling notes to your English notes journal. Make changes and print out for posting.

8. If you still have time, make an illustration for your narrative.

I found a website which gives good guidelines for Personal Narratives at http://www.iss.k12.nc.us/writing/personal.htm