Slide 1

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 2

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 3

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 4

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 5

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 6

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 7

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 8

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 9

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 10

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 11

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 12

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 13

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 14

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 15

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 16

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 17

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 18

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 19

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 20

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 21

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 22

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 23

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 24

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 25

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 26

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!


Slide 27

What is a personal narrative?
 Stories about a real event in a writer’s life
 True stories (non-fiction)
 An explanation about how the writer feels about an

event and why it is important to him or her

Why write a personal narrative?
 To tell an interesting or funny story about yourself
 To have your readers make connections with you
 To understand why this event was important to you

Prewriting

What do you need to think about
before writing?
 What will the story be about?
 Who will be in the story?
 What message will the story send?

Characteristics of a Personal
Narrative
A good personal narrative…
 tells about an experience that happened to the writer.
 has details that tell how the writer felt.
 has a beginning, middle, and end.
 tells why the experience was special to the writer.
 uses the pronoun “I”.

How do you choose what event or
experience to write about?
Ask yourself…
 Is there a particular holiday celebration or vacation
that stands out?
 Was there a change in your life that has made a real
difference?
 Is there a funny story about something that happened
to you?

Example of a personal narrative
The Perfect Smile
 Writer’s Chart p. 4-5
 Practice Companion p. 84

Respond to the story
 What did you like about this personal narrative?
 Why do you think the author chose to write about this

experience?
 For whom do you think the author wrote this personal
narrative?
 How can you tell this a personal narrative?

Organization of Personal Narratives
 Beginning

When the writer was little, he sucked his thumb which
caused his teeth to stick out at funny angles.
 Middle

His teeth fell out and the new teeth came in at funny angles
as well.
 End

The author decided not to get braces because he liked his
smile the way it was.

Now it’s your turn…
 Start thinking about the purpose of the personal

narrative you will write.
 Who is your audience?
 Look at the Evaluation Rubric for a personal narrative

on p. 85 in the Practice Companion to help you guide
your writing.

Choosing a Topic
Your topic should be about…
 one specific event.
 real experiences that are important to you or taught
you something.
 something you have strong feelings about.
 something your reader would be interested in reading
about.
 something you are comfortable sharing with your
readers.

List of Ideas to Include
Ask yourself…
 Who?
 What?
 When?
 Where?
 Why?
 What happened in the beginning?
 What happened in the middle?
 What happened in the end?

Drafting

Time Order Words
 Be sure to clearly show the sequence of events.
 Use words that help your writing flow smoothly and

make sense.
 First
 At the beginning
 At the start
 To begin with

 Next
 Last

Descriptive Details
 Details that give the readers specific facts and

examples to help them visualize the event.
 Bring the writer’s story “to life”.
 Add to the enjoyment of the story for your reader.
 What did I see?
 What did I hear?
 What did I smell?
 What did I touch?
 What did I taste?

Use YOUR voice
 Be sure you write to sound like yourself. Do not try to

sound like someone else.
 This is a personal narrative about YOU!

Revise your Draft
Make it express exactly what you want to say by…
 adding words and details that express your ideas more
clearly.
 deleting unnecessary words and details that are off
topic or confusing.
 substituting words with others that express ideas more
clearly.
 rearranging sentences or paragraphs so ideas flow
more smoothly.

Develop Sentence Fluency
 Use a variety of length of sentences to make it more

interesting for your readers.
Does my writing sound smooth as I listen to it?
 Use a variety of sentence kinds (declarative, question,

exclamatory, and imperative).
Did I use different kinds of sentences?

Author’s Chair
Responses for the audience…
 Begin by talking about what you found interesting.

 Then ask questions you have.
 Finally, tell what you liked best and why you liked it.

Editing

Proofreading for Errors
 Spelling
 Capitalization
 Punctuation

 Grammar

Practice Revising/Editing
Editing Checklist

Publishing

Final Presentation
 Is it neat and easy to read?
 Does it include a title and a byline?
 Does your illustration help your readers understand

your story?

Author’s Chair - Writers
 Tell why you chose to write about your topic.
 Tell why your topic is important to you.

Author’s Chair - Audience
 Begin by talking about what you thought was

interesting or exciting about the writing.
 Then ask questions that you thought of as you listened
to the reading.
 Finally, tell what you liked about the personal narrative
and why you liked it.

Celebrate! We did it!