NARRATIVESNARRATIVES

MAIN GOAL:MAIN GOAL:•Tell a Tell a sequence of sequence of eventsevents & & scenesscenes

•Develop Develop PLOTPLOT•Develop Develop CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

NARRATIVESNARRATIVES

Two Main TypesTwo Main Types::•Fictional Fictional (not true)(not true)•Biographical or Biographical or AutobiographicalAutobiographical(true)(true)

Describing an important event in your life . . .Describing an important event in your life . . .

Autobiographical Incident

Writing an autobiographical incident, or firsthand account, can help you and others to see an important event in your life more clearly.

You will need to use vivid sensory details, vocabulary, dialogue, and figurative language to engage the reader and reveal the significance of the event.

Describing an important event in your life . . .Describing an important event in your life . . .

Autobiographical Incident

-The beginning of the essay captures the reader’s interest-Your autobiographical narrative will be about one significant event in your life-The narrative needs to include the people, times, places, and objects-During your description of the event you need to include your feelings (how you felt then), but at the end of the narrative you need to tell your reader your feelings now as you look back on it (how you feel now)

Autobiographical Incident Autobiographical Incident at a Glanceat a Glance

BeginningBeginning

-Introduces the -Introduces the incident in an incident in an interesting wayinteresting way-Includes the -Includes the people involved people involved and the settingand the setting-Tell why the -Tell why the incident is incident is important to youimportant to you

End

•Tells the Tells the outcome and outcome and

importance of importance of the incidentthe incident

•Presents the Presents the writer’s writer’s

feelings about feelings about the experience the experience

NOWNOW

MiddleMiddle

-Write about a -Write about a single incidentsingle incident

-Identify the -Identify the people, places, people, places, times and times and objects objects involvedinvolved

-Describes the -Describes the incident using incident using descriptive descriptive details and details and dialoguedialogue

-Describe your -Describe your feelings THENfeelings THEN

RUBRICRUBRIC STANDARDS FOR STANDARDS FOR WRITINGWRITING

A successful autobiographical A successful autobiographical incident should:incident should:

• Grab readers’ attention at the beginningGrab readers’ attention at the beginning

• Focus on Focus on oneone incident that is important to you incident that is important to you

• Identify people, places, times, and objects involved in the Identify people, places, times, and objects involved in the experienceexperience

• Describe your feelings thenDescribe your feelings then

• Describe your feelings nowDescribe your feelings now

• Have vivid descriptionsHave vivid descriptions

• Include dialogueInclude dialogue

Planning Your Autobiographical Incident Essay

1. Free-write about the

incident. Take a few minutes to write down

everything that you remember

about the incident. What

happened? When? Where? Who was

involved? How did you feel at

the time?

Planning Your Autobiographical Incident Essay

2. Fill in the details. Go

back to what you wrote about the incident. Flesh out the description of the time, the place, and the people involved.

Planning Your Autobiographical Incident Essay

3. Think about the significance of the event. Why do you remember the incident? What did you learn? Did it change you?

Planning Your Autobiographical Incident Essay

4. Tell your story aloud. Share

your story with others. Can

they visualize, or picture,

what happened? Do they have

questions about the order of

events? Then start your first

draft.

5. Begin drafting your essay. Remember 5. Begin drafting your essay. Remember that you can revise and reorganize your that you can revise and reorganize your writing later.writing later. Try to give readers a Try to give readers a strong sensestrong sense of the incident. Show of the incident. Show rather than tell why it is rather than tell why it is importantimportant to to you. Include well chosen you. Include well chosen sensorysensory detailsdetails and and dialoguedialogue as you plan your essay. as you plan your essay. Remember to start off with a Remember to start off with a strongstrong beginning and conclude with a beginning and conclude with a memorablememorable ending.ending.

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident

Sensory Detail Practice

Tell me about your favorite home-cooked meal:

-Sense of smell-Sense of sight-Sense of touch-Sense of taste-Sense of hearing* Thoughts and emotions

A Captivating Beginning

What sounds better:

A. One day this pastsummer I went to the beach.

B. It was a warm summer day and I could smell the salt in the ocean breeze.

Figurative Language

Simile -A comparison of two things that are not the same using the words like or as.

• She was strong as the wind.• The clouds look like spilled milk.• I am as fast as an eagle. Metaphor-A comparison of two things that are not the same without using the words like or as.

• She was the strong wind.• The clouds are spilled milk.• I am a fast eagle.

Figurative LanguagePersonification-Attributing human qualities to

objects, animals, or things. • The wind was her mother.• The clouds talked to the sun.• The eagle commanded attention. • Hyperbole -An obvious and intentional

exaggeration. An extravagant statement not to be taken literally

• We waited for eternity.• I told you a million times.• Her hair is ninety feet long. Idioms- An expression where the meaning is not

understood from the actual definition of the words.

• She broke my heart.• I fell in love.• He kicked the bucket

Figurative Language Practice

• Create a simile or a metaphor for each person, place, thing, or idea:

-A parent-Your best friend-A subject in school-A T.V. show-Something special to you

Ok let’s move on..

-I am going to pass out the window pane and teach the hand motions that go with it!!

*Note: I have graphic organizers to plan your autobiographical incident so make sure to ask me if you would like one =)

Make Sure to Have a Strong Ending!

What sounds better?

A. The day I learned to ride a bike was the day I learned about trust.

B. It was a really good day.

REVISIONREVISIONAddingAdding• DetailDetail• DescriptionDescription• Figurative languageFigurative language• SpecificsSpecifics• ClarificationClarification• Sentence expansionSentence expansion• Idea expansionIdea expansion• New infoNew info

REVISIONREVISIONDeletingDeleting• RepetitionsRepetitions• Unimportant, irrelevant infoUnimportant, irrelevant info• Sentence combiningSentence combining• Parts to ANOTHER story Parts to ANOTHER story

REVISIONREVISIONRe-arrangingRe-arranging• Re-sequenceRe-sequence• Re-order to produce a DESIRED Re-order to produce a DESIRED effecteffect

• Re-order for logic Re-order for logic

REVISIONREVISIONSubstituting: Increasing the Substituting: Increasing the VIVIDNESS of languageVIVIDNESS of language

• Replace DEAD WordsReplace DEAD Words• Replace OVERUSED wordsReplace OVERUSED words• Replace one idea for a better Replace one idea for a better oneone

TARGET SKILL:TARGET SKILL: MAKING THE ORDER OF EVENTS CLEARMAKING THE ORDER OF EVENTS CLEAR

To help your readers understand the To help your readers understand the

order in which things happened, use order in which things happened, use

transitional words and phrases. Some transitional words and phrases. Some

words that indicate time include: words that indicate time include: to to

start off, at first, second, next, start off, at first, second, next,

then, after, earlier, before, later, then, after, earlier, before, later,

finally,finally, andand at the present timeat the present time..

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident

TARGET SKILL :MAKING THE ORDER OF EVENTS CLEAR

Writing Your Autobiographical Incident

Transitions are especially Transitions are especially

important if you begin your important if you begin your

narrative in the middle of the narrative in the middle of the

incident or at the conclusion of incident or at the conclusion of

the incident.the incident.

EDITINGEDITING

Correcting Correcting

““Errors” & Errors” & “Mistakes”“Mistakes”

EDITINGEDITING• SpellingSpelling• PunctuationPunctuation• CapitalizationCapitalization• Grammar & UsageGrammar & Usage

EDITINGEDITINGPunctuationPunctuation• Periods at the end of Periods at the end of sentencessentences

• Quotation marks for Quotation marks for dialoguedialogue

EDITINGEDITINGCapitalizationCapitalization• of proper nounsof proper nouns• Letters of the first word Letters of the first word in sentencesin sentences

EDITINGEDITINGGrammar & UsageGrammar & Usage• NO Run-on sentencesNO Run-on sentences• NO sentence fragmentsNO sentence fragments• Subject-Verb AgreementSubject-Verb Agreement

That’s All

Make sure you edit before Monday!!! You must have your rough draft done to get points for the activity on Monday!!!