Directions: In this unit, you will be writing a narrative essay. A narrative is basically a story. It can be personal using a first person point of view (me, my, I) where you are the main character in the story. Or, it can be a third person point of view (he, she, it, they) where you are an outside narrator and not part of the story. Here is an intro video on narratives.
Whichever point of view you take, the events should be told in order (beginning, middle, and end). You will need to have characters, a setting, conflict, dialogue, and a resolution/ending. To engage readers, narratives are full of descriptive details, sensory language, suspense, and dialogue. Your story can be fiction (made-up) or nonfiction (true). You can make it science fiction with robots and space travel or fantasy with talking animals. It’s YOUR story! Here is an example of my personal narrative.
If you are really stuck, here’s a Roll-a-Story graphic or some story starters to help you! Or, you can even use this prewrite packet to walk you through the story process!
To write your narrative, you will:
Brainstorm a list of ideas for a story with characters, conflict, and a setting Lesson 12
Use the graphic organizer to tell the story in sequential/chronological order.
Write your draft. (You should work on your draft but you will NOT submit a rough draft.) Lesson 13
Edit and Revise.
Submit your edited, final draft into the drop box for Unit 6 Lesson 14 (May 16th)
Student Self-Edit Checklist
Format - (You will not need a works cited page for this paper.)
_____My font is Size 12 or 14, Times New Roman or Arial.
_____I have a great title that cleverly relates to my essay. It is centered on the page.
_____I have my first and last name in the top left corner with the date and assignment.
_____In the body of my paper, my paragraphs are indented. When using dialogue, I start a new paragraph each time the speaker changes.
_____In the body of my paper, there are no large gaps between paragraphs.
_____I have at least a full, typed page for my story.
ORGANIZATION
_____My paper begins with an attention grabbing introduction.
_____The whole thing is organized from beginning to middle to end.
_____I used transition words to show how ideas connect.
_____My conclusion explains the significance of this event. My paper has a good ending.
SENTENCE FLUENCY
_____Every sentence in my paper is grammatically correct.
_____Sentences begin in different ways.
_____I used long and short sentence lengths.
_____I included engaging sentences that use sensory details.
_____My essay sounds good when read aloud. Another person can easily read this story.
CONVENTIONS
_____ The capitalization in my essay is correct. The beginning of every sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark. Proper nouns and the word “I” are capitalized throughout my paper.
_____ I corrected run-on sentences by adding end punctuation, a comma and conjunction, or a semicolon.
_____ Dialogue is punctuated properly. New speakers start a new line for the dialogue.
_____ I edited this paper. I have done my best to ensure the mechanics (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar) are correct.
1 answer
_____I have varied my sentence structure with the use of compound and complex sentences.
_____I have checked for spelling errors and typos.
_____I have used commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points correctly.
_____I have double-checked that all proper nouns are capitalized.
_____I have ensured that my pronouns agree in number with the nouns they refer to.
_____I have made sure all verbs are in the correct tense throughout the story.
CONTENT
_____I have included a clear setting, characters, conflict, and resolution in my narrative.
_____I have included sensory language to describe the setting and characters.
_____I have included dialogue to enhance the story and develop the characters.
_____I have maintained a consistent point of view (first or third person) throughout the story.
_____I have revised any sections of the story that were unclear or needed more detail.
_____I have made sure that the events in the story are told in chronological order.
Overall, I have put in my best effort to create a well-written narrative that engages the reader and tells a compelling story. I am proud of the work I have done on this assignment.