Course Source: Reading and writing Theme: Narrative essay lesson introduction/warm-up activity

Materials: 
• Sample essay: 
“A Home Destroyed”
 
• Personal Narrative Essay worksheet 
Vocabulary: 
Catalyst, cause, effect, showing, telling, description 
 
 
The Narrative Essay 
*What is a Narrative Essay? 

Narrative writing tells a story. In essays, the narrative writing could also be considered 
reflection or an exploration of the author's values told as a story. The author may 
remember his or her past, or a memorable person or event from that past, or even observe 
the present. 

The author may write about: 
-An experience or event from his or her past. 
-A recent or ongoing experience or event. 
-Something that happened to someone else, such as a parent or a 
grandparent. 
*Basic qualities of a narrative essay:  

A narrative essay is a piece of writing that recreates an experience through time. 

Unlike other essays, you may write in the first person (I, me, we) because it is a story 
about YOU! 

In addition to telling a story, a narrative essay also communicates a main idea or a lesson 
learned. 
*First steps for writing a narrative essay: 

Identify the experience that you want to write about. 

Think about why the experience is significant. 

Spend a good deal of time drafting your recollections about the details of the 
experience. 

Create an outline of the basic parts of your narrative. 
*Writing about the experience: 

Using your outline, describe each part of your narrative. 

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
Rather than telling your readers what happened, use vivid details and descriptions to 
actually recreate the experience for your readers. 

Use descriptive language. This is made possible by using figurative language 
(similes, metaphors, personification), sensory words (words using your 5 senses), and 
vivid words (“the author ‘stood timidly,’ or “my grandmother looked at me with great 
concern as if I were the only person in the world that mattered.) 
