• Is an interesting story about the writer.• Is written in the first person (using the

pronouns I, me, and my.• Has a beginning, a middle, and an end.• Presents events in a clear order.• Uses details to help readers see people,

places, and events.• Shows how the writer feels about the

experience and why it is meaningful to him or her.

The personal narrative tells about

• A good time• A bad time• An important time• A memorable event• A first time• A last time

• Take a few minutes and write without stopping.• Write about where the story takes place. Close your

eyes and recall the place in your narrative. What do you see? Hear? Taste? Smell? Feel?

• Write about the people who will be in your narrative. Think about the way each one looks, acts, and speaks. Conversation or dialogue is a good way to draw your readers into the action.

• List the main events of the narrative along a timeline.

Writing a Personal Narrative of a Memory

Lesson 5:

LEQ--How does chronology in a narrative affect the reader’s perception of the conflict in the story?

Key Words

Chronology—the time sequence of the events in a narrative.

Most of the time, events are told in the chronological or time order in which they occur.

Sometimes an “exciting moment” in the chronology is pulled out as a lead into the introduction to get the reader interested.

Key Words

• Conflict—the problem in the story

• Every narrative needs some kind of problem or conflict to keep the reader interested.

• Try to make your reader aware of the problem or conflict by the end of your introduction.

Review your Planning Page

• Check your “skeleton plan”

• Remember why you have chose this topic and why it is important to you.

Topic and Tone!• Choose your topic (something that has affected you, taught you a lesson,

inspired you, meant something to you that is important)

• Choose your tone---Humorous or NostalgicHumorous—you help your reader see the “funny side” of

human nature Nostalgic—you help your reader understand why this

event in the past meant a lot to you

Organizing your Narrative

• Think, “Introduction, Development, Conclusion.”

• Look at the PSSA Narrative rubric in eBackpack for helpful reminders about the 9 elements needed in a good narrative.

• Appeal to the reader’s senses by writing a vivid description of the scene.

• Make readers wonder by asking a question.

• Lure readers into the story quickly by using dialogue.

Supporting Paragraphs—The Chronology of events

• Always begin with a transition that helps the reader understand the progression of time, and then establish the situation in the topic sentence. Use specific details that support the topic sentence. Use sensory words to keep the reader’s attention.

• Wrap up the paragraph with a concluding or transitioning sentence.

• Remember to develop a minimum of 8 supporting paragraphs.

Transition Words/Phrases for Narrative Writing After subsequently at firstAs soon as first it began Before second it startedNext onceafter thatInitially in the meantime during

Conclusion

•Use a topic sentence for your concluding paragraph.•Wrap up all loose ends so that the reader doesn’t have any questions.•Your last sentence should conclude the narrative. The reader knows that the story is over. Giving a reflection or meaningful insight lets the reader know how the story events have affected you and/or the reader.

• Read your paper aloud to

yourself or a partner. Did the introduction capture you or your partner’s attention?.

• Is the order of events clear? Did I include transitions?

• Is the tone clearly humorous or nostalgic?

• Do I use details that appeal to the five senses?

• Is the conclusion an end that gives a meaningful reflection or insight to the narrative?

• Do I have at least 10 paragraphs?