Personal Narrative Basics
Is a personal narrative a true experience or a made-up story?
A true experience.
What do we call an important idea that runs through a text?
A theme.
What do we call the words people say to each other in a story?
Dialogue.
If you are ecstatic, are you very happy or very angry?
Very happy.
Which author wrote about her names in “Hello, My Name Is”?
Jennifer Lou.
Which point of view uses “I,” “me,” and “my”?
First person.
In a personal narrative, what is the author’s perspective?
The author’s opinions or feelings about the subject.
“The wind whispered through the trees.” Which device gives the wind a human action?
Personification.
“The dog barked incessantly.” Did it stop often or keep barking without stopping?
It kept barking without stopping.
In “The First Real San Giving Day,” which two cultures are at the center of Richard’s conflict?
American and Cuban cultures.
Name the three features that make a story a personal narrative.
It is true, told in first person, and the narrator participated in the events.
“Wonderful! Another rainy day ruined our game.” Is the tone happy or disappointed? Which words help you know?
Disappointed. “Ruined our game” shows unhappiness. “Wonderful!” is sarcastic.
Label each comparison: “My backpack was as heavy as a boulder.” “My backpack was a boulder.”
First: simile (uses “as”). Second: metaphor (compares directly).
“Leaving my name off the list was an oversight.” Was it a careful plan or a careless error?
A careless error.
What was Rosa Parks’s perspective about segregation?
She believed segregation was unfair or unjust.
Put these events in order: A. I thanked my friends. B. I expected a quiet afternoon. C. My friends jumped out and cheered.
B, C, A: before, surprise, after.
Mia says, “The trip was scary.” Which detail supports her perspective: “I wore a blue jacket” or “My hands shook as I stepped onto the bridge”? Explain.
Her hands shook. That reaction shows fear and supports her perspective.
Improve “I went to the door” with a strong verb that shows you were in a hurry.
Possible answers: I sprinted, dashed, or rushed to the door. Accept another precise verb showing hurry.
Which word means “a clear understanding”: realization, resolve, or curvature?
Realization. Resolve means determination; curvature means a bend.
Give one school detail from “Rosa Parks: My Story” that supports her perspective that segregation was unjust. Explain.
Accept one unequal condition: shorter school year; no glass windows; Black families had to supply heating while public funds supported the White school; no buses for Black students; one teacher taught about 50–60 children across six grades. Explain how it shows unequal treatment.
A writer tells a true story about her brother’s trip. She stayed home and writes “He explored the cave.” Is this a personal narrative? Explain.
No. It is true, but it is told in third person and the writer did not participate.
At first, a narrator thinks a new student is unfriendly. Later, the narrator learns the student was nervous and invites them to play. How did the perspective change, and why?
From thinking the student was unfriendly to understanding the student was nervous. Learning about the nervousness caused the change.
Rewrite “I was nervous” using an action or body reaction AND a sensory detail. Do not use “nervous.”
Example: My hands trembled as the loud buzzer echoed through the gym. Require a reaction showing nervousness plus a specific sensory detail. Answers vary.
“Even after three failed attempts, Sam persevered.” What does persevered mean? Which detail helps?
Kept trying despite obstacles. Sam continued after three failed attempts.
How did Jennifer Lou’s perspective about her names change from the beginning to the end of “Hello, My Name Is”?
At first she gave herself the middle name Elizabeth to fit in. By the end she valued her names and unique identity and felt free to be herself.