Download Writing a Narrative

Writing a Narrative
What to Expect
Today we will begin the process of writing a 1st
draft of a Narrative Essay.
This 1st draft will be due on Monday for a grade.
We will then do some revising and turn in a final
draft of the essay for a TEST GRADE.
Please pay close attention to the powerpoint so
that you can make sure you have everything you
need for your grade.
Grab your dry erase boards…
Choosing a Topic
On your dry erase board, list in 1 word,
1. a positive experience you’ve had
2. a negative experience you’ve had
3. an inspirational moment you
experienced in your life OR a scary or
funny moment
Turn to your partner and tell
them about ONE of your
experiences
You have 1 minute on the timer EACH
to share about one of your stories
Be a respectful listener. Some of these
stories may be very personal or
important. Just nod and say, “Thanks for
sharing.”
Now on your post-its….
Jot down at least 3 things that you can
vividly describe (using a few sentences to
describe them) on each of your
experiences that are already on the board.
If you notice that it is hard to think of
something to describe, you may not want
to do that topic.
Based on what you have just listed,
choose ONE of your 3 experiences
to commit to write a narrative
about.
Going back to your dry erase
board…
Take a few minutes to erase and reorganize
your board and post-its to reflect the topic
you’ve chosen. Write as much information
about the details you plan to vividly describe
on your post-its. (the more organized and
detailed you are now, the easier this essay
will be.)
I will be coming around to see how you’re
doing.
Now on your notebook
paper…
The first of 5 paragraphs….
You will need 3-5 sentences in your
introduction paragraph. You will not need a
thesis, but you will need to introduce your
topic to the reader. Consider starting like
this….
“One of the most memorable
experiences of my life was when
_____________________. I will never forget
how I felt when this happened to me. It all
began when____________________.”
Looking Ahead:
Keep in mind that you are
going to want to spread
out your narrative into 3
more paragraphs to
describe what happened.
Then you will have 1 final
paragraph to conclude
your thoughts on the
experience.
Begin your
st
1
body paragraph
Begin telling your story wherever you
stopped in the introduction. Describe one
of the details in your post-its, taking 2-3
sentences to explain yourself.
REMEMBER: your readers know nothing
about you or your life. You need to S-P-E-L-L
things out for them.
Repeat the process for your
next 2 body paragraphs. With
each new paragraph you
should be telling more of your
story and describing in detail
at least 1 new thing.
Concluding Your Narrative
In your conclusion, you will want to briefly
reflect on the experience. If I were writing my
narrative about my wedding day, I might
conclude by saying:
“That day was one of the most memorable
of my life. I will never forget all of the family
and friends who came to support me on my
big day. I will cherish the experience for the
rest of my life.”