Phyllis Reynolds NaylorNarrative Writing Narrative Paragraph What makes you laugh? What funny experiences have you had with your family or friends? If you think about it, you probably have many humorous stories to tell. And sharing these stories can be a lot of fun. Writing about a personal experience is one kind of narrative writing. The best narrative writing makes an experience come alive for the reader. On the following pages, you will learn to write a narrative paragraph about something funny that happened to you. Subject: A funny experience Form: Narrative paragraph Purpose: To entertain Audience: ClassmateseS Narrative Paragraph Funny things can happen almost anywhere. In this story, Jason shares a humorous memory about the first time he went bowling. Topic a Crash Landing Now I'm a great bowler, but | remember the very first time | went bowling with my dad. | was only five years old. His fingers fit into the ball like he was putting on his old baseball glove. | saw Dad's mighty swing and watched the ee | ball sail down the alley. Pow! All ten pins went flying. Then it t was my turn. The ball was so heavy, but | held on. Taking a | deep breath, | aimed for the pins. “Come on, strike,” | said as | ran a few steps and swung the ball. It just crashed down | | and started rolling very, very slowly. | kept saying, “Go, go.” | But it actually stopped dead. Everybody was pointing and | laughing. Dad had to call the manager to push my ball into moments of my life. | Respond to the reading. Answer the following questions ‘on your own paper. = Ideas (1) What is the topic of this paragraph? m Organization (2) Does Jason organize the details by time order or by order of location? u Word Choice (3) What words and phrases create pictures in your mind? Name two.Writing a Narrative Paragraph Prewriting Selecting a Topic The writer of “Crash Landing” used a web to help him remember some of his funny experiences. Web my sister playing a trick on me Arowing a bowling ball in other places Funny Experiences Create a web like the one above, Include your own funny experiences at home, at school, and in other places. Put a star (°&) next fo the experience you want to write about. Gathering Details Asking questions is a good way to gather and organize details. Jason used a chart to collect details for his paragraph. Details Chart How does the What events lead upio | What is the funniest story start? the funniest moment? moment in the story? I went bowling My dad got a strike. The ball crashed, rolled with my dad. \ didn’t farow the ball slowly, and stopped. The hard enough. manager had to come.Writing Developing the First Draft In your narrative paragraph, your topic sentence introduces your story. The body sentences contain details about what happened to you. The closing sentence sums up your experience. Write your first draft. Write with a natural writing voice as if you were telling a friend about your funny experience. eo Revising Improving Your Paragraph Here are three helpful revising tips. ® Show, don’t tell. Instead of writing “Dad got a strike,” write “I saw Dad’s mighty swing and watched the ball sail down the alley. Pow! All ten pins went flying.” ®& Check your organization. Tell the events in the order in which they happened. ® Check words and sentences. Use specific nouns (baseball glove) and action verbs (crashed). Make your sentences flow. Revise your paragraph, Use the tips above as you make changes to improve the first draft of your narrative paragraph. Editing Checking for Conventions After revising your first draft, you must correct any punctuation, capiteliation, spelling, or grammar errors in your paragraph. Edit ml rere ee your Ge ie the following questions to check and correct your narrative paragraph. a Have | ended each sentence with a punctuation mark? Eixe my ee and dereg correct?Narrative Writing Sharing an Experience Everyone has had unforgettable experiences. Some of these memories may be happy or exciting. Others may be sad or even scary. You can write about these times in personal narratives. A personal narrative is a form of writing that sheds light on a true story from your life. In this chapter, you will write a personal narrative about an unforgettable experience. Your goal is to make your story as fresh and vivid for your reader as it actually was for you. Teenie ss Subject: An unforgettable experience Form: Personal narrative Purpose: To share a true story Audience: ClassmatesUnderstanding Your Goal Your goal in this chapter is to write a personal narrative about an unforgettable experience. The traits listed in the chart below and the rubric on pages 108-109 will help you meet that goal. st » Your goal is to... Conventions iy Literature Connections: For an example of a personal narrative, VA read “My Japanese Sister” by Emily Bernier.Gharing an Experience Personal Narrative In this personal narrative, Shana shares an unforgettable memory of a scary storm. The Green, Howling Day One day, | was looking out my bedroom window when the sky began fo turn a weird shade of green! Just then, | heard our city’s emergency siren start wailing. That meant trouble. Danika, my four-year-old sister, was in the. hallway. She was crying, flapping her arms, and jumping up and down. That's what she does when she's scared, Mom came running upstairs to get us. She grabbed Danika and carried her down the steps. “Get to the basement!” she ordered. By the time we reached the kitchen, the wind was howling like a wolf. | saw rain whizzing sideways The beginning catches the reader's interest, ae past the window and trees bending over. It was like ee we were in the middle of the twister in The Wizard of chronological | Oz. As soon as we got to the basement steps, the sky (ime) order turned as black as night. My sister screamed as the Nights flickered and went out. Suddenly the basement felt cold and damp. It emelled like laundry soap and bleach. Mom snapped ona flashlight and \ed us to a safe place. Then she tried to calm Danika. Finally, she turned on our portable radio. “Atornado is moving through thisarea,” the weather reporter said. “Seek shelter immediately.” We huddled against the cold concrete blocks, far away from the windows. Mom sang lullabies for mny little sister and squeezed us close. She tried to sound strong, but her voice was shaky. The wind rumbled and growled outside. It grew louder and louder until it sounded like a train roaring over our heads. Lightning flashes exploded and lit the room with a weird glow. Then everything was still. We didn’t know what we'd see when we went upstairs. What damage had the tornado done? Our house was fine, but tree branches and junk had blown all over the place. Danika crawled through the branches of the tree that had fallen across the driveway. Mom and Danika were afraid of the tornado, but | wasn't. Still, | was glad it was over and that we were all safe. Respond to the reading, m Ideas (1) What unforgettable experience does Shana share? a Organization (2) How does Shana organize the events In her story? = Voice & Word Choice (3) What words and phrases help you share in her experience? Name two.Sharing an Experience Prewriting 4 Gees First you need to choose an unforgettable experience to write about. Then you will gather details you remember. ___ 3. Use a time line to organize your story. 4, Gather sensory details to help the | reader share your experience. =Prewriting Selecting a Topic Tyrone found ideas for his personal narrative by making an “I remember when ... ” list like the one below. List remember when... | was a toad in our first-grade play my teacher retired, and | read her a poem. my family went without TV for a whole weekend. my guinea pig sneaked onto the school bus. we had a snow day, and | built a enw fort. (helped plant a memory tree in front of our school. my wrist got broken when | fell off my bike. Come of your best stories come from your memories. things in mind: any more ideas. make the best story. Brainstorm for topics. On your own paper, make an | remember when . . . list using the model above. Keep these a Freewrite your list. Keep writing until you can’t think of By Read your ideas and circle the one that you think willSharing an Experience € Sizing Up Your Topic Idea A good story includes plenty of details. How much do you remember about your experience? Who was there? What happened? When, where, and why did it happen? What did people say? Making a5 W’s memory chart will help you remember. Do you remember enough interesting details about your experience? 5 W's Memory Chart Who? me, my brother, Dad, Mom | What? My brother was upset. Dad built a campfire. Mom read a story. We ate pizza, played games, and carved pumpkins. When? Halloween time ata Where? the backyard, the kitchen table, our living room Why? no television for a whole weekendPrewriting putting events in order Narratives are usually organized in chronological (time) order. Transition words and phrases (first, second, after that, then, before long) can help you put your events in order. See Tyrone’s list below. Transition Time Line i First parents decided no TV for weekend v 2 Newt ate supper v After that made a campfire in the backyard iv : Then carved pumpkins v Before bed played a board game v Finally no TV every Tuesday night Organization A good story has an easy, natural order. Think of stories you've read or heard from your teacher, family, or friends. They often sound like someone is “telling” it just the way it happened.Sharing an Experience Gathering Sensory Details A good narrative includes sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and even details about how things feel. These kinds of details make the story real for the reader. Your choice of details gives the narrative your voice. You can gather sensory details in a chart like the one below. Sensory Chart Sights Sounds Smells Tastes \ Touch sparks: doorbell wood smores | warmjackets flying : ringing burning sone Bi tee glowing | fire crackling | fresh air seeds pumpkins Cert} Mom reading | pumpkin pizza pumpkin orange a story candles seeds flames huddling starry sky together near the fireP rewriting Thinking About Dialogue Dialogue makes an experience come alive for the reader. The chart below shows the three main things that dialogue can do. Without Dialogue With Dialogue I knew I'd miss Sunday looked at Dad and afternoon football. said, “What about Sunday ___| afternoon football?” Voice Your writing voice is like your fingerprint. It belongs to only you. When you write with your natural voice, your story will be interesting and believable.Sharing an Experience cow rig QEeVIIg avblicg Se ~, ae Writing 4 e2e960 Now that you have collected and organized the details for your narrative, you are ready to write your first draft. Your goal is to put all your thoughts about your experience on paper. 4, Write a ‘trond. beginning paradraph. 2 Rodaalen chs ea dene aes part. soo 4. Add sensory details ond dialosue oe __ hold your reader’ attention. =ee Writing Getting the Big picture The chart below shows how the parts of a personal narrative fit together. (The examples are from the narrative on pages 87-90.) You're ready to write your essay once you have. . . @ gathered enough details to tell your story, and @ put the events of your story in time order. i i The beginning i catches the reader's | attention. | miccte | oy brother was upset. @ Just then, the doorbell rang, Opening Sentence My parents decided we all watch | too much television. | a | | be middle’ part © We put on our warm jacket | gi i m jackets | | eis ogee and headed to the backyard. | during the © Once we got back in the. | experience. house, . . =z | Closing Sentences The ending shows Now we shut off the TV every Tuesday how you feel,how night, and we have family time. Now we. you were changed, j all can’t wait for Tuesday night. | or what you learned from your experience. —Starting Your Personal Narrative In the first paragraph, you should get the reader's attention and introduce your personal experience. Here are three ways to begin your paragraph. = Start by using dialogue. “What?” | said. “No television! | don’t think | can survive without it.” = Begin with an interesting statement or fact. My parents decided we all watch too much television. So they made a rule that no one would watch TV for one whole weekend. © Put yourself in the middle of the action. When my parents said no one could watch television all weekend, | was so mad! | couldn’t imagine Saturday without cartoons. Sharing an Experience Beginning Paragraph My parents decided we all watch foo much, television. So they made a rule that no one would watch TV for one whole weekend, “What?” | said. “No television! | don’t think | can survive without it.” You should write on every other line ag you write your first draft. Write your beginning, Try at leas two ways to begin your paragraph. Then choose the way you like best and finish your beginning paragraph. \Writing Developing the Middle Part The middle part of your narrative shares your eee story. Choose details carefully to show the reader what [ES happened. | Use sensory details to help the reader share > Ea your experience. Lt © Use dialogue to reveal the personalities of the - people in your story. = Share your feelings so the reader will care about what happened to you. Middle Paragraphs y My brother was upset because it was Halloween Dialogue shows the speaker's personality. weekend, and he'd mies all the scary movies. | \ooked at Dad and said, “What about Sunday afternoon footballe” Just then, the doorbell rang, It was the pizza guy delivering our supper. Instead of comparing who had the most pepperoni on a slice, we ate without saying much. Mom told us to finish up because it was getting dark outside. Who cared? After we ate, we grabbed our jackets and headed out to the backyard. Dad had built a roaring campfire. Then Mom brought out a dusty, old Transition words (blue) help connect the ideas. book. She began reading a scary ghost story out loud. | huddled closer to Dad and the fire. The fire.Gharing an Experience crackled, and sparks shot up fo the stars. Even ‘Strong sensory A ian! detalls help when it got too cool to stay outside, | didn't want to the reader go in. "see" and ‘ “feel” what Once we got back in the house, Dad said, “I have happened. a surprise.” Two huge pumpkins sat on newspapers on the kitchen table. We drew faces on them, pulled out all their gooey seeds, carved them, and lit them with candles. Meanwhile, Mom washed, salted, and roasted the pumpkin seeds. Then we ate them while we played a board game together. ee Ng Write freely, put your ideas on paper, and have fun! Write your middle paragraphs. Before you begin, read through your memory chart, time line, and sensory chart from pages 81-83. Use your best details.Writing Ending Your Personal Narrative The last paragraph should bring your narrative to a close. Here are three possible ways to end your a | story. © Tell how the experience made you feel. | | Going without television wasn’t so bad after all. > Fencing | = Explain how the experience changed you. = = Going without TV changed my family. Now we shut off the TV every Tuesday night. ®& Share what you learned from the experience. [learned that it can really be fun to do things with my parents and my brother. Ending Paragraph Going without TV changed my family. We had | 0 much fun that whole weekend that we didn't even think about television. Now we shut off the TV every Tuesday night, and we have family time. We all can’t | wait for Tuesday night. to end your narrative. If you don’t like how it sounds, try another of the ways or an idea of your own. }Tenses of Verbs A verb’s tense tells when the action takes place. Simple tenses include present, past, and future. (Also see page 584.) simple Tenses The present tense of a verb shows action that is happening now or that happens regularly. | collect models of cars, planes, and boats. The past tense of a verb states an action that happened in the past. It is usually formed by adding -ed to the present tense verb. Yesterday, | finished a model of a submarine. The future tense of a verb states an action that will take place in the future. It is formed by using will or shall before the main verb. Next week, | will start a new model. I shall finish it in two days. Grammar Practice» Number your paper from 1 to 5. Identify the tense of each underlined verb below. @ My grandfather grows his own vegetables. Present 1. He started gardening many years ago. p\‘t 2. Last year, he planted 12 different vegetables. psx 3. To help my grandfather, I weed the garden. pro, 4. I water the garden, too. yrese 5. Next year, we will add more carrots, my favorite vegetable. tutu408 es ia Irregular Verbs Most verbs in the English language are regular. That means you add -ed to the verb to form the past tense. (See Simple Tenses on page 406.) Other verbs are irregular. That means you do not add -ed to form the past tense. Past Tense Form To state the past action of an irregular verb, the word changes. (You do not add -ed to the verb.) Sam made many of her own birthday cards. (Made is the past tense form of the irregular verb make.) Devon wrote an e-mail message to his aunt. (Wrote is the past tense form of the irregular verb write.) Past Participle Form The form of a verb used with certain helping verbs (such as has, had, or have) is called the past participle. Regular verbs add -ed to make this form. Irregular verbs change to make this form. Sam has made many of her own birthday cards. (Made is the past participle form of the irregular verb make.) Devon has written an e-mail message to his aunt. (Written is the past participle form of the irregular verb write.) Grammar Practice Write a sentence using each verb form indicated below. Remember that the past participle needs a helping verb (had, has, or have), ® think (past participle) \had thought about many things. 1. swim (past tense) 4. catch (past participle) 2. take (past participle) 5. write (past participle) 3. break (past tense)| When you revise for sentence fluency, make sure you have varied your sentence beginnings and lengths. The rubric strip will guide you. How can I vary my sentence beginnings? You can vary your sentence beginnings by starting with an introductory word or phrase instead of the subject. 1, Use an introductory word. First, Julius led us to the dinosaur exhibit. Suddenly, we stood in front of a huge torosaurus skeleton. 2, Begin with an introductory phrase. A little later, we entered an eerie cave. Around another corner, a gigantic T. rex was fighting a triceratops! 1. I nearly jumped out of my skin. . The dinosaurs looked real. . I felt as if I were back in the Cretaceous period. . Julius told us it was time to move on. . We backed away from the terrible T. rex. OAPoON Add an introductory word or phrase to each sentence below. |Gharing an Experience How can I vary my sentence lengths? ‘You can vary your sentence lengths by expanding short, choppy sentences. Add details that answer who, what, when, where, or why. (See page 436 for more information.) Short Sentence: Julius took us. When? Expanded Sentence: Last Saturday, Julius took us Where? Why? to the public museum to see the new dinosaur exhibit. oy pes Revising in Action In the example below, the writer varies a sentence beginning with an introductory phrase and expands another sentence. Once we got back in the house, Dad said, “I have a surprise.” Two huge pumpkins sat apers on the kitchen table. on news) Athere. We drew faces on them, pulled out all...How can | improve my writing with verbs? Avoid Too Many Be Verbs Try not to use the be verbs (is, are, was, were) too often. Many times, a stronger action verb can be made from another word in the same sentence. A be verb: Rosa is a forceful speaker. A stronger action verb: Rosa speaks forcefully. Grammar Practice The sentences below contain be verbs (underlined). Rewrite each sentence by making another word in the sentence an action verb. @ Our dog Henry is a loud barker. Our dog Henry barks loudly. 1. You are a wonderful singer. 2. My cousins are constant whiners. 3. My dad is a skilled cook. 4. Our car was a rough ride. Share the Right Feeling Different verbs create different feelings. Make sure that the verbs you use fit the feeling that you want to share. © Leon tiptoed into the room. (moved slowly and quietly) Leon strutted into the room. (moved proudly) Leon stumbled into the room. (moved in a clumsy way) The connotation of a word ig the feeling that the word expresses. Grammar Practice - Write a sentence using the verb talk. Then rewrite the sentence twice, using two different synonyms for talk. Each synonym should have a different connotation.Mind Map Sounds smellsMind MapMind Map.Mind Map