You should also be working on your Personal Narratives. First drafts are due next Monday.
Here is the assignment and rubric:
Personal Narrative
A Personal Narrative is a form of writing in which the writer relates an
event, incident, or experience in his or her own life. It is usually focused on
one idea. The events of a personal
narrative are most often presented in chronological order, the order in which
they actually occurred in time. The personal narrative incorporates vivid
descriptive details as well as the thoughts, feelings, and reactions of
the writer.
Remember the first
paragraph, just like an essay, should have a grabber or an attention getting
statement and it can set up your reason for writing—it could contain a
controlling idea and can also state a list of topics that you will discuss in
your essay (these are not bad things to practice and you should look at the
student examples). It should follow a
plot with an exposition, inciting event and a resolution.
Some things you can discuss:
1) Who are you and where are you
from? What is your family like? What do your parents or relatives do? Do you have a unique cultural background or
unique family traditions?
2) Tell me something was important
in your life (example: describe winning a race, or attending your sister’s
marriage, etc.)
3) Tell a story about your past
(maybe this past summer—such as your job)?
4) Overcoming some problem or
situation (example: I had a girl in the Marshall
Islands write about
battling anorexia).
5) Take an experience from your
life, an experience that taught you something about life (either about
suffering, about healing, about people, about yourself) –Think about F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s statement: “What most people are ashamed of usually makes a good
story.”
Personal Narrative Rubric
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4
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3
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2
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1
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Ideas:
Introduction to the topic. Engaging
and orienting the reader by setting out a problem or a situation. This should include a controlling idea or
suggested theme.
(W2a,
W3a)
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Topic
– controlling idea or theme is clear, and engaging. There is a problem or conflict in the
personal narrative. The controlling
idea links all sections of the narrative.
The presentation is near poetic in effect.
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Topic
– controlling idea or theme is clear and engaging.
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Topic
– controlling idea or theme is not clear, or the introduction is not
engaging. There might be no conflict
or problem or the intro. is wordy and /or rambles without getting to the
point.
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The
introduction is hard to read or to understand as far as it relates to a
central idea or theme.
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Details:
Use of narrative techniques such as dialogue, descriptions, concrete
details. This could include figurative
language (metaphor, similes, symbols, personification), use of allusions,
irony, and/or effective dialect.
(W2b,
W3b, W3c, W3d)
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Details
are effective and add depth to the narrative.
The use of strategies such as figurative language relate back to the
controlling idea or theme. Use of many
techniques or strategies.
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Details
are effective and concrete. Use of
many techniques or strategies.
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The
narrative could use more details to develop the setting, problem or the
readers understanding of the storyline.
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No
specific details. Narrative is a
collection of generalizations.
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Organization:
Use of transitions from idea to idea, sequencing of events or plot
strategies, the presentation of ideas in a logical format.
(W2c,
W2f, W3b, W3c, W3e)
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The
sequence of events and/or use of transitions to connect ideas and adds to the
text’s meaning or is innovative.
Techniques such as flashback, foreshadowing, use of parallelism, and
sentence organization (loose and/or periodic structures) might be used.
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The
sequence of events and/or use of transitions is effective.
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Narrative
is either missing transitions or the sequence of events are out of order,
illogical, or confusing as presented.
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Narrative
lacks structure or organization.
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Word
Choice/Syntax: Use of precise language, interesting word choice, SAT
vocabulary and varied syntax
(w2d,
w2e, L3)
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Impressive
and effective vocabulary. Effective
and engaging syntax. Use of high-level
vocabulary and many types of sentences and sentence lengths for effect.
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Precise
and effective language/vocabulary.
Varied syntax.
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Overuse
of “to be” verbs or repetitious language.
Syntax is not varied much.
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No
variation in syntax. Word choice is
simplistic.
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Conventions/Spelling
(L1,
L2)
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No
noticeable grammar errors
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1-3
noticeable errors, but errors do not distract from the readability of the
narrative.
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3
or more noticeable errors, or an error or errors that distract from the
readability of the narrative.
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Narrative
is plagued with grammar errors and is hard to read
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