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Narrative Essay Project - Writing Category Cornerstone Assessment

Directions: You will write a narrative essay of 800-1000 words that uses a personal experience to make a specific informative or persuasive point. You should use the checklist below as a guideline for covering the basics of a narrative essay. As this is a process piece, you should also use the packet of graphic organizers for brainstorming and planning your essay. We will workshop first drafts in class and you will be expected to submit no less than two drafts - a first and second draft, with the second draft to be graded on the rubric attached to this packet.

Narrative Essay Checklist

● Introduction introduces characters, setting, and conflict. ___

● Speaker voice is involved in the essay, similar to first person narration in fiction. ___

● Setting is specific, described using sensory details, and relevant to subject. ___

● Dialogue, internal and/or external is used. ___

● Essay features a clear conflict that develops through a plot or plot-like structure. ___

● Change in conflict results in a clear main point or thesis, informative and/or persuasive.

___

● Descriptive language, including some figurative language, used throughout. ___

● Conclusion clearly states thesis idea & resolves conflict at least partially. ___

A detailed handout with links to example excerpts that will be discussed in class may also be found below the rubric.

Modified English Department Writing Rubric – Narrative Essay

|Response to Task |A: Mastery |B: Proficiency |C: Competency |D: Limited Understanding|F: Unsatisfactory |

| |The student uses an |The student uses a |The student uses a |The student uses a |The student uses a |

| |engaging personal |personal story with an |vague story without |confusing story without |confusing story without|

| |story with a clear |identifiable conflict |an identifiable |an identifiable conflict|an identifiable |

| |conflict as the basis |as the basis of essay. |conflict as the basis|as the basis of essay. |conflict as the basis |

| |of essay. Dialogue and|Dialogue and a specific|of essay. Dialogue |Either dialogue or a |of essay. Neither |

| |a specific setting are|setting are present. |and a specific |specific setting is not |dialogue nor a specific|

| |present. | |setting are present. |present. |setting is present. |

|Reader Response |Considers & addresses |Considers, but |Attempts to address |Doesn’t address reader |Offensive to reader |

| |reader values & |partially addresses |reader values & |values & attitudes; |values; purpose |

| |attitudes; clear |reader values & |attitudes; purpose |unclear or contradictory|confusing or missing; |

| |purpose; |attitudes; clear |sometimes clear; flat|purpose; confusing or |difficult to follow |

| |authoritative; highly |purpose; engaging |but effective |dull | |

| |engaging. | | | | |

|Critical Analysis |Critical analysis of |Critical analysis of |Critical analysis of |General, vague |General, vague |

| |conflict & outcome |conflict & outcome is |conflict & outcome is|re-telling of a personal|re-telling of a |

| |shows depth and is |supported by some |supported by vague |story shows some sort of|personal story devoid |

| |supported by many |narrative examples such|narrative examples |conflict; not supported |of conflict or |

| |narrative examples |as personal |such as personal |by specific narrative |incoherent; not |

| |such as personal |experiences, |experiences discussed|examples or |supported by specific |

| |experiences, |conversations, etc. |but not described. |conversations. |narrative examples or |

| |conversations, etc. | | | |conversations. |

|Organization |Ideas are organized |Ideas are organized |Ideas organized in a |Ideas lack clear, |Ideas are random. No |

| |logically, |logically and |formulaic plot |formulaic plot |clear thesis or plot |

| |effectively with a |effectively in a |structure. Irregular |structure, may appear |structure. Details lack|

| |plot-like structure; |plot-like structure; |or missing |random or divorced from |coherence. Highly |

| |are enhanced by |some use of signal |transitions. |thesis or topic. While |confusing, difficult to|

| |transitions and signal|phrases. |Mishandling of some |confusing, some ideas |follow. |

| |phrases. | |quotations or |obvious. | |

| | | |dialogue. | | |

|Style |Text is clear, fluent,|Text is clear and easy |Text is clear and |Text is uneven, with |Text is difficult to |

| |and sometimes |to read. Language use |generally readable. |some spots difficult to |read throughout. |

| |surprising. Language |is varied and |Language is suitable |read. Language use is |Language use is |

| |use is sophisticated, |appropriate to the |to the purpose and |limited and not |extremely limited and |

| |accurate, nuanced and |purpose and occasion. |occasion. |sufficiently suited to |inappropriate to the |

| |well suited to the | | |the purpose and |purpose of the |

| |purpose and occasion. | | |occasion. |occasion. |

|Vocabulary |Uses a variety of |Regularly uses active |Uses few active |Uses repetitive verbs, |Displays extremely |

| |active verbs, |verbs, some figurative |verbs, little |little to no figurative |limited range of |

| |figurative language, |language, and specific |figurative language, |language, and often |vocabulary. |

| |specific nouns, and |nouns. Does not adjust |but uses specific |relies on pronouns. Does| |

| |adjusts register as |register. |nouns. Takes |not take risks with new | |

| |appropriate. | |occasional risks |words or constructions. | |

| | | |awkwardly. | | |

|Mechanics & Syntax |Language is clear, |Language is clear and |Language is clear. |Language is sometimes |Language is not clear. |

| |varied, precise and |varied. Sentences are |Sentences are |clear. Sentences are |Sentences are often |

| |concise. Sentences |grammatically correct |grammatically correct|occasionally |grammatically |

| |vary in length and |and sometimes vary in |but repetitive in |grammatically incorrect |incorrect, repeating |

| |type for ease of |length and type. |length and type. |and are very repetitive.|errors and basic |

| |reading & effect. | | | |structures. |

The Narrative Essay*

Don't let the term narrative essay alarm you. A narrative essay is simply a personal story, and we all have at least a few of these to tell. Sometimes plays and movies have a narrator, a person who stands to the side and tells his or her story. The narrator describes actions as well as thoughts and feelings. The story you choose to write will be your narrative essay.

Narrative essay examples can be found wherever there is a good story. In a narrative essay, you tell a story, but you also make a point. So it is like a story told for a reason.

Let us remember that there are three types of composition

Exposition - gives information about various topics to the reader.

Argument - you try to convince the reader by demonstrating the truth or falsity of a topic.

Narration - the telling of a story, usually from one person’s viewpoint. Narrative essay examples will include a beginning and ending, plot, characters, climax, and setting.

The focus of a narrative essay is the plot, which is told using enough details to build to a climax. It is usually told chronologically, and has a purpose, which is usually stated in the opening sentence. It may use dialogue and it written with sensory details and vivid descriptions to involve the reader. All these details relate in some way to the main point the writer is making.

Narrative Essay Examples

Narrative essays can be quite long, so instead of a full length example of an entire essay, so a few examples of the beginnings of essays will suffice. The first excerpt from, “Playground Memory”, has very good sensory details:

“Looking back on a childhood filled with events and memories, I find it rather difficult to pick on that leaves me with the fabled “warm and fuzzy feelings.” As the daughter of an Air Force Major, I had the pleasure of traveling across America in many moving trips. I have visited the monstrous trees of the Sequoia National Forest, stood on the edge of the Grande Canyon and have jumped on the beds at Caesar’s Palace in Lake Tahoe. However, I have discovered that when reflecting on my childhood, it is not the trips that come to mind, instead there are details from everyday doings; a deck of cards, a silver bank or an ice cream flavor. One memory that comes to mind belongs to a day of no particular importance. It was late in the fall in Merced, California on the playground of my old elementary school; an overcast day with the wind blowing strong. I stood on the blacktop, pulling my hoodie over my ears. The wind was causing miniature tornados; we called them “dirt devils”, to swarm around me.”

Christmas Cookies

The second of the two narrative essay examples is an excerpt from “Christmas Cookies”:

“Although I have grown up to be entirely inept at the art of cooking, as to make even the most wretched chef ridicule my sad baking attempts, my childhood would have indicated otherwise; I was always on the countertop next to my mother’s cooking bowl, adding and mixing ingredients that would doubtlessly create a delicious food. When I was younger, cooking came intrinsically with the holiday season, which made that time of year the prime occasion for me to unite with ounces and ounces of satin dark chocolate, various other messy and gooey ingredients, numerous cooking utensils, and the assistance of my mother to cook what would soon be an edible masterpiece. The most memorable of the holiday works of art were our Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, which my mother and I first made when I was about six and are now made annually.”

Writing a Narrative Essay

When writing a narrative essay, remember that you are sharing sensory and emotional details with the reader. Your words need to be vivid and colorful to help the reader feel the same feelings that you felt. Elements of the story need to support the point you are making and you need to remember to make reference to that point in the first sentence. You should make use of conflict and sequence like in any story. You may use flashbacks and flash forwards to help the story build to a climax. It is usually written in the first person, but third person may be used.

Remember

The narrative essay is written in the first person viewpoint. Because this is your story, you can pepper it with the words "I," "me," "my," and "mine." This is a personal experience piece. Your narrative essay will be event-driven. For example, take this sentence: "I was never more scared than the day I lost my little sister in a crowded mall." With that opening statement, the reader knows they are about to learn the details of that day, from the moments leading up to the child's disappearance, to your terrified scramble to find her, and finally to your reunion at the security office. You will draw them into the story with your descriptions of your fears and your attempts to locate your sister.

Your story will be written in the storytelling style complete with setting, characters, plot, climax, and ending. Let's use the story about a couple trying to adopt a child as an example. It was laid out like this:

Setting: the quiet home of a childless couple, the social services office, the wife's office

Main Characters: a white husband and wife and two black foster babies

Plot: Will this couple ever have children? Will the babies ever have parents?

Climax: the birth parents choose to give up the babies for adoption

Ending: the couple joyfully adopts both babies and completes their family

Alternative Topics for Narrative Essay

● The Biggest Lie I Ever Told and Its Consequences

● The Weirdest Thing That Ever Happened to Me (or My Family)

● The Best Decision I Ever Made

● My Favorite Childhood Memory

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