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Contributor: Melissa LaRusso. Lesson ID: 10464
Do you think something that happened to you would be a good comic strip? Using a roller coaster and your creativity, learn to tell an interesting story about a small moment in your life!
You probably wanted to tell your friends all about your day.
Maybe it was riding a roller coaster for the first time!
A personal narrative is writing about a small moment in your life in the style of a short story.
When you write a personal narrative, you want to consider your topic.
The following chart shows examples of life events. The right side shows small moments. The left side shows a big moment. You will miss many details if you write about one of these topics.
| Instead of Writing About a Big Event | Try Writing About a Small Moment | |
| the beach | playing in the sand | |
| a snow day | sledding | |
| playing with friends | winning a game of tag | |
| visiting the zoo | playing in the sand |
Choose an idea from the left side of the chart, then get an idea from the right side so you can focus on a small moment. You will be able to add lots of details to describe your story.
Writing about a small moment begins with a catchy line to interest the reader. Here are examples to start writing about waking up late.
| Dialogue | ||
| "Wake up," my Mom shouted at me. | ||
| Flashback | ||
| There was only one time that I slept in, and it was a big mistake! | ||
| Sound Effect |
||
| "BRRRRRRRIING!" rang my alarm clock. | ||
| Ask a Question |
||
| Have you ever been late to school? | ||
| Action Lead |
||
| I jumped out of bed and raced downstairs. | ||
| Snapshot | ||
| I slowly opened my eyes and saw the sunlight streaming through the blinds. | ||
The next part of writing about a small moment includes the beginning, middle, and end.
In this part of your writing, include how you feel and add some dialogue; describe people, places, and things using your five senses.
Watch the read-aloud video below for the story Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee to see how the author wrote about a small moment.
The author of this book zoomed in on a big experience — a day at the amusement park — to write about a small part — riding a roller coaster:
Retell the beginning, middle, and end in your own words.
Continue to the Got It? section to write about your own adventure!
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