Lesson Plan: Writing a Personal Narrative
Grade Level: 5th Grade Subject: English Language Arts Duration: 3-4 class periods
Introduction: - Begin the lesson by explaining to students that they will be learning how to write a personal narrative. - Discuss the purpose of personal narratives, which is to tell a true story from their own life experiences. - Explain that personal narratives should include a clear beginning, middle, and end, and should engage the reader with descriptive details and emotions. - Share examples of personal narratives, either through reading aloud or showing videos of students sharing their own personal narratives.
Lesson Outline:
I. Pre-Writing (1 class period) A. Brainstorming: - Engage students in a class discussion about memorable experiences in their lives. - Encourage students to think about events that had a significant impact on them or taught them a valuable lesson. - Provide a graphic organizer or worksheet for students to jot down their ideas.
B. Selecting a Topic: - Instruct students to choose one experience from their brainstorming list to develop into a personal narrative. - Encourage them to select a topic that they feel passionate about and can write about in detail.
II. Writing (2 class periods) A. Introduction: - Teach students how to write an engaging introduction that hooks the reader. - Discuss different techniques, such as starting with a question, a vivid description, or an interesting fact. - Model writing an introduction together as a class.
B. Body Paragraphs: - Explain the importance of organizing their personal narrative into paragraphs. - Teach students how to write descriptive paragraphs that include sensory details, dialogue, and emotions. - Provide a graphic organizer or worksheet to help students plan their body paragraphs.
C. Conclusion: - Discuss the purpose of a conclusion in a personal narrative. - Teach students how to wrap up their story by reflecting on the experience and sharing any lessons learned. - Model writing a conclusion together as a class.
III. Revising and Editing (1 class period) A. Peer Feedback: - Instruct students to exchange their first drafts with a partner. - Encourage students to provide constructive feedback on each other’s writing, focusing on clarity, organization, and descriptive language. - Provide a checklist or rubric for students to guide their feedback.
B. Self-Editing: - Teach students how to revise and edit their own writing. - Discuss the importance of checking for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. - Provide a checklist or editing marks guide for students to use during self-editing.
Questioning: - Throughout the lesson, use open-ended questions to engage students and promote critical thinking. Some sample questions include: 1. Why is it important to choose a topic you feel passionate about for your personal narrative? 2. How can you engage the reader in your introduction? 3. What descriptive details can you include to make your personal narrative more engaging? 4. Why is it important to reflect on the experience and share any lessons learned in your conclusion?
Assessment: - Formative Assessment: Observe students’ participation during class discussions and their completion of the brainstorming graphic organizer. - Summative Assessment: Evaluate students’ final personal narratives using a rubric that assesses their ability to engage the reader, use descriptive language, and organize their writing effectively.
Differentiation: - ELL Differentiation: Provide sentence starters or sentence frames for English Language Learners to support their writing. Encourage them to use vocabulary words related to their personal narrative topic. - Differentiation for Advanced Learners: Challenge advanced learners to incorporate figurative language, such as similes or metaphors, into their personal narratives. Provide additional resources or examples for them to explore and expand their writing skills.
Resources: 1. Video Resource: “Writing a Personal Narrative” by Teaching Without Frills - Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G5j2vXyvXc
- Worksheet Resource: “Personal Narrative Brainstorming Graphic Organizer” by Education.com
- Link: https://www.education.com/download/worksheet/105827/personal-narrative-brainstorming.pdf
- Worksheet Resource: “Personal Narrative Peer Editing Checklist” by ReadWriteThink
- Link: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/printouts/editing-checklist-self-peer-30230.pdf
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