Personal Narratives CHAPTER FOCUS LESSON 1: What Makes a Good Personal Narrative? LESSON 2: Beginning, Middle, and Ending • GRAMMAR: Sentences • WRITING SKILLS: Strong Verbs • WORD STUDY: Colorful Adjectives • STUDY SKILLS: Dictionary
WHAT IS A PERSONAL NARRATIVE? Personal narratives are about significant events in writers’ lives. The writer of a good personal narrative knows how to let his or her personality shine through by the use of humor, phrasing, dialogue, or a combination of these. Good personal narratives use natural language that does not seem stiff or contrived. A good personal narrative includes the following:
• SPEAKING AND LISTENING SKILLS: Oral Personal Narratives
■■ A topic relating to a real event in the writer’s life ■■ A first-person point of view ■■ A structure that includes an engaging introduction,
• WRITER’S WORKSHOP: Personal Narratives
■■ A coherent organization that uses chronological order,
a cohesive body, and a satisfying conclusion flows logically, and excludes unnecessary details
SUPPORT MATERIALS
■■ Strong verbs and colorful adjectives ■■ A voice that allows the narrator’s personality to come through
Practice Book Writing, pages 132–136 Assessment Book Chapter 1 Writing Skills, pages 39–40 Personal Narrative Writing Prompt, pages 41–42
Use the following titles to offer your students examples of well-crafted personal narratives:
Cal Ripken, Jr.: Play Ball! by Gail Herman, Cal Ripken, and Mike Bryan Water Buffalo Days by Huynh Quang Nhuong When I Was Young in the Mountains by Cynthia Rylant
Rubrics Student, page 247y Teacher, page 247z Loyola Press Online Assessment System Grammar Section 1, pages 1–26 Customizable Lesson Plans www.voyagesinenglish.com
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Sometimes you can tell a large story with a tiny subject.
210a • Chapter 1
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—Eliot Porter