Constructing a Narrative Essay:

Goal: Students will understand the format of a narrative essay.

1. Students will review the structure of a narrative essay as a class.
2. Students will be given several prompts to choose from and begin composing their own narrative essays.

NARRATIVE ESSAY:

Narrative/ Imaginative Writing- A story, actual or fictional, expressed orally or in writing

Function of Narrative Writing- Encourages creativity and speculation, and offers readers an opportunity to understand the emotions and actions of writers and others

Types of Narrative Writing- Autobiographical account, personal narrative, verifiable account, memoir, fictional story, sensory response, character study, descriptive writing, reflective essay

Tips:
1. Set a purpose-- decide on the reason for your writing
2. Select an Audience-- The people who will read the piece of writing

*Each essay should be written in five paragraph essay format!
*Each essay should utilize parallel structure!

1.4.11.A Write narrative pieces
1.5.11A Write with a sharp, distinct focus


Please respond to one of the following prompts:

NARRATIVE PROMPT #1
The crude oil used to make gasoline is a limited resource. Scientists continue to search for other ways to power cars and planes. Imagine that you invent a replacement for gasoline. It is cheap, easy to make and in endless supply

Write a short story describing how your invention changes the world. How do people react to it

***As you write and rewrite your paper, remember to:-Describe what your invention is and why it is important to everyone in the world-Include a series of events from the invention to the introduction of the product to its effect on the world-present your ideas clearly and logically-use words and well-constructed sentences effectively-Correct any errors in spelling, punctuation and capitalization


NARRATIVE PROMPT #2
Think of an experience when you realized that you suddenly understood an idea, a skill, or a concept you had been struggling with -- it might be something related to a class that you took or a specific athletic skill you were trying to perfect. For instance, you might think about trying to understand how to identify iambic pentameter in a poem or how to complete a Taylor Series problem in your Calculus class. Or you might consider trying to perfect your free throws and suddenly understanding how your follow-through was affecting your success. Write a narrative that tells the story of your movement toward understanding. How did you finally come to understand? What changed your perceptions and gave you a new understanding? Your paper should help readers understand how you felt to struggle with the idea or skill and then to understand.


NARRATIVE PROMPT #3
Think of a time when you achieved a personal goal -- you might have finally completed a marathon or triathlon, or you might have bettered your score on the SATs or another test, or you might have learned how to use a piece of software like Microsoft Word or Excel. Tell your readers about the story of how you met your goal. Be sure that your readers understand why the goal is important to you.