Characteristics of a Personal Narrative

1
Characteristics of a Personal Narrative
2
Directions

• Get a new page in your Journal
• Title it Personal Narrative Characteristics
• Write down everything written in yellow

3
Characteristics

• Purpose to inform
• To tell the reader about a specific event in your
  life
• Organization Pattern Chronological order
• Introduction grabs the reader
• Body Paragraphs tell the events in order
• Conclusion explains the importance of the events

4

• Style what makes your paper stand out!
• use of dialogue
• use of sensory details and careful word choice to
  create vivid image
• use of show, dont tell technique to create a
  movie in the readers mind
• TELL Sarah was angry.
• SHOW Sarah slammed the door, threw her books on
  he floor, and screamed, I hate this place!

5
One of Lifes Slippery Moments

• I am a klutz. I admit it. If I had a nickel for
  every time I have tripped, slipped, crashed, or
  tumbled, I would be retired and basking in the
  sunshine on a sandy beach somewhere. My life has
  been one mishap after another. Some are small
  enough to attract little attention. Others, like
  my accident as I entered the front doors at Cook
  last January, attract quite a crowd. That
  particular incident makes the term "embarrassing
  moment" seem a bit tame.
• Like so many winter days, that day was cold and
  rainy, and I, of course, had forgotten an
  umbrella. I thought to myself, Great! My hair is
  going to be completely limp by the time I make it
  to the building! Fortunately, just as I was
  about to make a "limp" for it ---making a run for
  it being impossible considering my arthritic
  right knee -- Mrs. Whiting pulled up beside me
  and offered to share her umbrella. The two of us
  walked hip-to-hip toward the building, sloshing
  through the shallow lake that had replaced the
  front sidewalk. Needless to say, by the time we
  reached the safety of the doorway, our shoes were
  soaked!

6

• Because it was still quite early, the
  custodians had not yet put the doormats in the
  front entry, and the floor was sloppy with water
  tracked in by all of the wet feet that had
  already entered the building. As I scooted
  through the doorway, disaster struck. I slipped
  on the slick floor and landed semi-reclining on
  my backside with my right knee bent back. My
  purse and book bag flew into the air and crashed
  to the floor. Meanwhile, I slid across the
  entryway like a base runner trying to beat the
  throw to third until my right foot caught on the
  inside door frame, and I jerked to a stop.
• For a moment, there was absolute silence as
  everyone within earshot turned to see what the
  commotion was. In a matter of seconds, a crowd
  gathered around me as I lay stunned. I heard
  murmurs of concern from many of the onlookers,
  with a few giggles thrown in, too.
• I was beyond embarrassed by this point, and I
  just wanted to make a quick escape before
  everyone in the entire school showed up to gawk.
  Slowly I pushed up to my feet, looking a little
  bit like Bambi on the frozen pond, and gathered
  my scattered belongings. Limping even more now on
  my traumatized right knee, I made it upstairs to
  my classroom, thinking that I could put the whole
  embarrassing spectacle behind me.

7

• That was wishful thinking on my part, for I had
  just sat at my desk when I was summoned to Dr.
  Borneman's office to fill out an accident report.
  Back downstairs I went, limping more than ever,
  and, of course, I had to go through the whole
  embarrassing story for those few people who had
  somehow managed to miss it.
• As mortified as I was when it happened, my
  spectacular entry that day taught me a lesson or
  two. While I thought I would never live the
  embarrassment down, within an hour it was old
  news. No one else ever gave it another moment's
  thought. Now when I embarrass myself, I just
  laugh things off. Being the klutz that I am, that
  adds up to a lot of laughter, but I'll take
  laughter over embarrassment any day.
• In a Conclusion DO NOT WRITE THE END!!!!

8
PERSONAL NARRATIVE REVISION/EDITING ACTIVITY

• Read the entire piece. Yes, I know you wrote
• it, but read it again.
• IDEAS
• Be sure that your essay focuses on ONE event
  rather than an entire day.
• Check to see that the event is presented in an
  interesting way.
• Include all important parts of the event.
• Include details that will help the reader
  understand the event. (Describe people and places
  to help the reader see the event unfold.)

9

• ORGANIZATION
• Be sure that your essay has a clear beginning,
  middle, and ending.
• Check to see that the essay is in chronological
  order.
• VOICE
• Check to see that your personality comes through
  in your writing.
• Check to see that your essay reveals your
  attitude about the event.
• Consider adding humor to your story.
• WORD CHOICE
• Change verbs to make them more vivid. (Ex Change
  said to shrieked, cried, or whined.)
• Use specific nouns. (Ex Change stuff to four
  3-ring binders, map pencils, and a day-old
  lunch.)
• Add at least one good comparison. (Ex My friend
  Jon took off like a rocket.)

10

• SENTENCE FLUENCY
• Add correctly written dialogue or thoughts to
  your essay. (Ex I thought to myself, This is
  going to be a cinch!)
• Include sentences of different lengths and with
  different patterns.
• Change any sentences that begin with one of the
  FANBOYS.
• CONVENTIONS
• Use a dictionary to check the spelling of any
  words you arent sure about.
• Check to see that you have capitalized all
  sentence beginnings and proper nouns.
• PRESENTATION
• Write neatly in manuscript or cursive.
• Use blue or black ink.
• Do not write in the margins or on the bottom
  space.
• Write only on the front of the paper

11
Exploding the Moment

• Pick out the most interesting event
• Begin thinking about an event that took place in
  your life and EXPLODE that moment!!