Strategies for Generating Narrative Writing:
*Think of a PERSON who matters to you.
*List small moments with that person you remember with CRYSTAL CLEAR clarity
*Choose one to sketch to show the moment
*Write the story
*Think of a PLACE that matters to you.
*List small moments at that place that you remember with CRYSTAL CLEAR clarity
*Choose one to sketch to show the moment
*Write the story
*Think of an OBJECT that matters to you.
*List small moments with that object that you remember with CRYSTAL CLEAR clarity
*Choose one to sketch to show the moment
*Write the story
Qualities of Good Personal Narrative Writing:
*Write a little seed story; don't write about a giant watermelon topic.
*Zoom in so you tell the most important parts of the story.
*Include true, exact details from the movie you have in your mind.
Pushing our Thinking, Sentence Starters:
- For example…
- Another example is…
- In addition…
- This makes me realize…
- This is important because…
- This is giving me the idea that…
- The reason for this is…
- This connects with…
- On the other hand…
- I partly disagree but…because…
- This is similar to…
- This is different from…
- This might not be true, but could it be that…
- I used to think…but now I realize…
- What I think this says about me is that…
- Many people think…but I think…
ELABORATION STRATEGIES:
- Anecdotes/Experiences: a short personal narrative inserted into an essay that develops an idea or argument.
- Examples/Examples and lists: provide more specific information about an idea
- Definition/Explanation: restate an unfamiliar word or phrase to tell what it means
- Statistics and Facts/Exact Information: the numbers, data, and information that help support your idea or argument
- Quotation/Expert Opinion: words someone else says that can help support your idea or argument
- Figurative Language: Metaphors, similes, hyperbole, non literal language to make a point, figures of speech
- Scenario/Everyday Experience: hypothetical situation, a what-if on any given day that applies
- Description/Effective Illustration: a way to create vivid images for the reader. Show, not just tell, your reader. Be specific with your word choice. Try to create an image that appeals to your reader's senses.
- Tell a story about one person needing the information this essay will convey. "What (the person) and others need to know is that..."
- "Many people (don't know, don't think, don't realize), but I've (come to know, think it's important, learned) that..."
- "Have you ever (wondered/wanted to know)...? I have found that..."
- Raise a question that people ask... and show that this essay will answer it
- "I'm going to (tell you, show you, talk about )..."
- "This essay will tell you..."
- (My thesis) is true. Because this is true, isn't it also true that...
- I realize that...
- This makes me think...
- I realize that when I ____, I feel...
- Other people should care about this because...
- This is important because...
