Discovery: Yourself & Your World
Personal Narrative
As part of our
exploration of who we are and where we might go, we are writing a Personal
Narrative. Your purpose is to explore a significant event or person that
has made you who you are today; your audience is the teacher and class (though you really won’t
have to share it with the entire class).
Tips and Guidelines:
·
Remember: this is a
narrative – not an essay! Tell a story.
·
Show, don’t tell.
·
Take risks with style.
· The tone/theme/central impression may be positive or negative
Topics – see teacher if you have alternative ideas!
·
Story about a family
member or friend who influenced your life
·
Story about a teacher,
coach, or other adult who influenced your life
·
Story about a hero or
role model you have – real or imagined – who influenced your life
·
Story about a
vacation, holiday, or birthday event that influenced your life
· Story about a life changing event (moving, for instance) or moral dilemma you have faced that influenced your life
Target Skills
·
Focus & central
impression with good title
·
Detail, Imagery,
Diction
·
Style
·
MUGS
·
Minimum length is two
pages, typed, DS; four pages, handwritten in ink, DS
PAPER
TITLE:____________________________________________________
AUTHOR:________________________________________________________
PEER
READER:___________________________________________________
Read the personal narrative TWICE
and then respond to the following questions.
Remember, as a peer reader, you are held responsible for answering
these questions honestly and completely. Those who do will receive extra-credit toward their own writing;
those who do not will lose points on their writing.
1. Does the personal narrative clearly focus on a single
characteristic or instance to form a central impression? If so, what is that characteristic? If not, suggest how the writer should fix
the problem.
2. Is the paper fully developed with precise details and vivid
imagery? If so, tell what you think are
the TWO best ones here. If not,
suggest places where the writer could add details.
3. Is the paper well organized and easy to follow? If yes, just say
so. If not, suggest ways the writer
could better organized her thoughts.
4. Does the writer use vivid and precise diction? If so, give FIVE examples here. If not, suggest FIVE improvements of
diction.
5. Does the writer take some risks with style? List two notable examples here. If you don’t think there are any, give
suggestions here.
6. Proofread the paper and
correct as much as you can. List the
kinds of errors the writer makes here.
Discovery: Yourself & Your World
Personal Narrative Grading Rubric
Focus & central impression with good title
|
Stays focused on the topic & creates a consistent
& emotionally powerful central impression. Title is both revealing and
clever. |
Stays focused on the topic & creates a consistent
central impression. Title is both revealing and clever. |
Minor shifts in focus; central impression may be weak. Title
is a bit ordinary. |
Unclear topic and/or lacks a clear central impression.
Title is ordinary or ineffective. |
|
Story flows well from event to event & description to
description – reads like a story. |
Story has only minor bumps in flow from event to event
& description to description – reads like a story. |
Definitely a story but may be hard to follow in spots or
is awkward when moving from event to event or description. |
Tends to be more like an essay than a story; needs
improvement in flow from event to event or description. |
|
Story is powerfully developed with precise details and vivid
imagery – both expressed with sophisticated diction. |
Story is consistently developed with precise details and vivid
imagery – both expressed with occasional sophisticated diction. |
Story is occasionally developed with precise details and vivid
imagery – both expressed with limited sophisticated diction. |
Story isn’t really developed with precise details and vivid
imagery – diction is quite ordinary. |
|
Writer takes many effective risks with sentence style,
word choices, imagery, &/or figurative language. Story sounds unique
& creative. |
Writer takes some risks with sentence style, word choices,
imagery, &/or figurative language. Story sounds unique & creative. |
Writer takes few risks with sentence style, word choices,
imagery, &/or figurative language. Story sounds fairly ordinary. |
Writer really doesn’t try anything new with sentence
style, word choices, imagery, &/or figurative language. Story sounds ordinary. |
|
Excellent control of language – no errors of any
consequence! |
Good control of language – very few of any consequence! |
Developing control of language – noticeable errors need
addressed. |
Struggles a bit with language – could use some extra help
with errors. |