Part 1

In this unit, you will be writing a personal narrative about a significant, memorable  moment in your life. You will want to SHOW us this event, using sensory detail, not just write down a list of events. This means you need to pick a brief moment. For example, in a narrative, you would not write a list of all the steps you took to try out for the varsity team, but you could write a specific championship game. 

Your thesis needs to follow this format: I knew I ____________ when __________

Use this prompt to narrow down your topic.

You might think of the time you got your first job, a challenging experience with a friend or family member, when you took on more responsibility at home, when you became a mother, or the time you did or didn't graduate high school. Remember your thesis should be only one sentence that describes a brief moment in time, not several years, months, or weeks. Ideally, you will want to write about an event that occurred in less than one hour.

Examples:

1. I knew I was no longer a child when my friend broke my trust.

2. I knew I would never let fear control me again when I stood up to the bully.

3. I knew I had mastered the art of self control when I walked away from a fight with my brother.

4. I knew I was no longer a child when I drove alone the first time.

5. I knew I would never again ignore my mom’s advice when I saw the flashing lights in my rear view mirror. 

6. I knew I had finally forgiven my sister when I rushed to her side in the hospital. 

7. I knew I was going to have to change my habits  when I didn't graduate with my classmates.

Now, write your thesis. Remember your thesis should include the event you'll be describing, and the event should only be a brief moment in time. A thesis is only one sentence in length. That's right, for this assignment you will only be submitting your thesis, which is one sentence.

Part 2

In Unit 3, you are writing a narrative about you. In order to do this well–in order to SHOW, not just TELL us, as we discussed in unit 1, you will need to practice using sensory detail not just to describe someone or something, but to start to tell a story. The climax of a story is a good place to include sensory detail. In the previous activity, you filled out a graphic organizer with 5 sections. Each of those sections represents one paragraph of your narrative.

In this activity you will write a draft of JUST your fourth paragraph (the climax of the story)  and share it in this discussion forum.  

Please follow the rubric below:

Here are some example climax paragraphs from narrative essays:

Example 1 

My cousin and I were singing along with the radio at the top of our lungs, and we had our hands out the window, dragging our fingers through the cold night air. Every time we went over a rise in the pavement, the car would seem to fly for just a minute. Sometimes he took a corner a little too fast and my heart would pound in my ears, but I wasn’t scared. He’d been driving for a long time, so I figured we were safe. Neither of us saw the stop sign at the corner of Hill street and highway 17. When the jeep hit the passenger side, I remember the noise sounded a little bit like when you crack a hard-boiled egg–but incredibly loud. Our car rolled three times, and when it stopped, I remember the taste of blood in my mouth and the smell of gasoline coming through the shattered window.  

Example 2

Our game was getting really intense. At some point, I noticed a strange smell, but I thought it was the neighbors smoking something on their porch. When the smell started to burn our noses, though, Tren and I looked at each other. Tren’s eyes got wide and we both shouted “The mac and cheese!” at the same time. We ran into the smoke-filled kitchen and saw a fire had started in the pot and the paper towels on the counter were also burning. Tren was shouting and threw the pitcher of Koolaid at the stove. I knocked the paper towels into the sink with the broom and flipped on the faucet. The hiss of the water hitting the fire was the only sound in the kitchen as we stared at the disaster, our hearts pounding in our chests and the smoke burning our eyes. The curtains over the sink had started to turn black, and I realized that if we had waited much longer, the whole kitchen would have been on fire. 

Example 3

My sister was laughing when she put the cookie in her mouth, but she immediately spit it out and started swearing. There were chocolate chips and bits of soggy cookie sprayed all over the kitchen floor. “What did you do?!” she yelled. “Taste this!” The cookies smelled buttery and chocolatey like they always did, but they did look a little bit strange. Usually they are golden and melt across the pan, but this time, they were still mostly in a ball shape, and pale. As soon as I took a bite, I knew: I had used salt instead of sugar. The salt burned my mouth, and I ran for the sink, and let the water run over my tongue, cleaning the taste out of my mouth.

Part 3

Now, it’s time to write your narrative in paragraph form. Each plot section (exposition, rising action, climax etc) will be its own paragraph. Your essay should be 5 paragraphs in length. Follow the example format below. 

Paragraph 1: Exposition 

Paragraph 2: Rising Action 

Paragraph 3: Climax 

Paragraph 4: Falling Action 

Paragraph 5: Resolution 

Remember the prompt: "I knew I ____________ when __________" 

You have already written your thesis statement based on this prompt. 

Here is a  to view for help.

Task: Write a narrative based on the prompt "I knew _______when…" 

Purpose: The purpose is to entertain and inform 

Audience: The audience will be your classmates and teacher. 

Please review lesson 3.3 video (page 2) to see how to organize your entire essay. Also remember to follow this format. Your final essay should be 5 paragraphs in length. You have already written the rough draft of this essay. Make sure to revise/edit any errors and submit. 

Exposition 

Rising Action 

Rising Action 

Climax 

Resolution

This is your last and final assignment before your quarter reflection. Great job getting this far!

Narrative Essay Rubric: