Standards Covered:

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,
descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.A

Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event

sequence that unfolds naturally.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.B

Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences
and events or show the response of characters to situations.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.C

Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.3.D

Provide a sense of closure.

W.3.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, and editing

Skyline Notes:

Order of Teaching:
1. Prewriting: Pick a topic
 Objective and CCSS: SWBAT pick a topic that’s interesting and a topic that they can
write a lot of details about. W.3.5, W.3.3
Writing Time/Exit Slip: Write the topic and Characters
Materials: Personal Narrative Planner, Optional: Old mentor texts to ask why the topics
were interesting
**Note: Introduce the writing process!!!!!

Intro (5 minutes) : Remember we talked about personal narratives? Well, today we are
going to start writing our own personal narratives. There are 6 steps in the writing process
prewriting, drafting, revisions, editing, final drafts, and publishing/ illustrate.

Mini Lesson:
Today we are going to work on prewriting. Prewriting is what we do before we start
writing.

2. Prewriting: Mapping our narrative

Objective and CCSS: W.3.5 Students will map out their narrative with a beginning,
middle, and end.
Writing Time/Exit Slip: Students fill in B, M, E boxes on the planner

Materials: Narrative Planner

3. Drafting Day 1: Drafting the beginning with sensory details.

Objective and CCSS: Students will draft the beginning of their narrative, introducing
the character and setting.W.3.3B, W.3.5
Writing Time/Exit Slip: Students draft the beginning of their narrative.

Have my beginning paragraph written. Read it to students. Ask students how did we
know this was the beginning, were my characters introduced? Was the setting
introduced/did you know where I was at? How?

4. Drafting Day 2: Drafting the middle

Objectives and CCSS: Students will draft the middle of their narrative, including rising
actions and the climax. W.3.3B, W.3.5
How did you know this was the middle ? What was the climax?
Materials: Mentor text OR Ms. Johnson’s sample that shows and example of the most
exciting part, Prewriting sheet
5. Drafting Day 3: Drafting the end
Objectives and CCSS:Students will draft the end of their narrative. W.3.3D, W.3.5
How did you know this was the end? What words showed you this was the end?
Materials: Mentor text OR Ms. Johnson’s sample that shows an example of an ending

6. Revisions: Students will add sensory details.

Objectives and CCSS: Students will go back and reread their drafts and add sensory
details. W.3.3, W.3.5
Show students writing with and without sensory details. Ask students to point out the
difference between the two and identify which one makes the most sense or is the most
interesting. Students will then go back and sensory details to their writing.
Materials: Drafts, mentor text/ personal writing, writers notebooks.

7. Revisions: Students will add temporal words to show the sequence of events.
Objectives and CCSS: Students will go back and reread their drafts and add temporal
words. W.3.3, W.3.5
Show students writing with and without temporal words. Ask students to point out the
difference between the two and identify which one makes the most sense. Students will
then go back and temporal words to their writing.
8. Peer Edits and Final Teacher Edits
9. Final Draft
10. Publish/Illustrate

Materials: Drafts, mentor text/ personal writing, writers notebooks.

3. Look at Smekens Writer’s Workshop mini lesson materials for personal narratives to
see if any can be used:
Page 93 lists mini-lessons on conventions.
Page 103 lists mini lessons on sentence fluency.
Page 108 lists mini lessons on drafting full narrative pieces.

4. Think about the sequence of steps needed to write a personal narrative. Choose
materials. Map it out! Once it’s mapped, write more specific daily plans.

These are the steps I've thought about so far. Feel free to add.
-Prewriting: Choose a narrative idea
-Prewriting and Draft: Build and develop your character--dialogue, actions,
thoughts, feelings, etc.
-Prewriting and Draft: Sequence events--rising events, problem, falling events,
solution. Use temporal words. Provide closure.
-Revisions: word choice, sequence, adding details to dev. Character
-Edits: conventions--punctuation, capitals, spelling