Use this folder to view examples of class work, student's work, and lessons on writing skills.

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Personal Narratives

What are personal narratives? Personal narratives are stories about you! When a person writes a personal narrative they are writing a story about something that has actually happened to them.

What happens if I am asked to write about something that hasn’t happened to me, like “what was it like to climb to the top of a mountain?” First, try to remember a time when you did something similar to the topic. If you have never done anything like the topic ever, then lie. WARNING: THIS IS THE ONLY TIME YOUR TEACHERS WILL LET YOU LIE! Write about something that could have happened to you.

How do authors make their stories so interesting and fun to read? Writers make a movie in their mind or draw a picture to help them get their thoughts into words. After they have made a movie or picture in their mind (or on paper) they write what they saw in their picture/movie. The authors go back and re-read their story many times and keep adding details that they did not put in the first time.

Good Endings

What makes a good ending to a personal narrative? The most important thing a good ending is connected to the beginning. The beginning and the end of a personal narrative should both be on topic. There are four easy ways to make a good ending.

1. A memory: “I will never forget….” or “ I will always remember…” are some examples of ways to start the “memory ending”

2. A feeling: “I loved… almost as much as I love…” or “I was never as angry as I was…” are some examples of ways to start the “feeling ending”

3. A hope/wish: “I’m always looking forward to the next time we have a fun day at school. I hope I don’t have to wait too long!” or “I wish it could be fall every day” are some examples of ways to start the “hope/wish ending”

4. A decision: “From that day forward I decided never to lie to my mother again.” or “we decided we would go to the fair every year together” are some examples of ways to start the “decision ending”

Good Hooks

A hook is the first sentence or two of a story that grabs the reader’s attention. A good hook includes:

1. a question: "Where's Papa going with that ax?" ~ Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

2. dialogue/quote: "Hey, Tom! Where were you last night?" ~ How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell

3. an action: "Harriet was trying to explain to Sport how to play town. 'See, first you make up the names of the town. Then you write down the names of all the people who live in it. You can't have too many or it gets too hard. I usually have twenty-five." ~ Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

4. a sound: Bam, my brother entered the room in a huff.

5. a fun image: "It's a funny thing about mothers and fathers. Even when their own child is the most disgusting little blister you could ever imagine, they still think that he or she is wonderful." ~ Matilda by Roald Dahl

6. a thought: "Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away." ~ From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankeiler

Follow this WebQuest to work on your creative writing skils.