Narrative Essay - Scholastic Store

• has a central or controlling idea that makes a point or conveys a message;
• includes an introduction with an attention-getting opening sentence,
provides background information about the topic or experience, and
contains a modified thesis statement in the last sentence that conveys
the main idea of the essay;
• contains three body paragraphs;
• has an effective ending or conclusion that can sometimes reveal what the
narrator has learned, provide food for thought, or create a powerful image
or feeling;
• is usually told from the writer’s, or first-person, point of view;
• is often arranged in chronological or sequential order;
• uses sensory detail, precise language, and some dialogue.
Note: As students compile a list of characteristics for each kind of essay, I jot
down the title of the essay type at the top of a piece of chart paper. Then I
add the features that students have come up with and post the list. Every time
we focus on one of the essay types, I hang up the chart paper, which I have
laminated, so that students can review that essay’s particular characteristics.
❹ Have students individually
brainstorm a list of situations
CHAPTER 3—REPRODUCIBLE 1
in which they had to make an
Model Web for Personal Narrative Essay
important decision. Some examples
my students have used are whether
Remember
my promise
to my dad
Hide behind
stairwells
or not to join a team, put an animal
to sleep, attend a new school,
In the middle of
action-packed show
told to go to bed
Battle conscience:
Should I go to
bed or not?
Become hooked
on the show
disobey a parent, and get a job. By
this time, students should be able
Face doubt
Choose the
wrong path
to construct a Rule of Three web
for their essay (see Mini-Lesson 4,
My Decision
and Its
Consequences
page 12). If they need assistance,
use the ideas in the model essay to
Suffer
consequences
help them. Again, instruct them to
draft their essay.
Fail to see Dad
enter living
Dad forbids me
to watch TV
Disappoint
Dad who reminds
me not to break a
promise
❺ When students complete their
drafts, divide them into pairs or
into groups of three or four. After
distributing copies of the Personal Narrative Essay Editing Sheet, instruct
group members to use the handout to edit each other’s essay. Before
beginning, you may want to spend some time explaining the various
guidelines presented on the editing sheet.
Decide to watch
rest of show
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