D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing for Every Purpose

Writing a Personal Narrative

D2.1 D2.4 D2.3 D1.4About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can write a personal narrative about something that happened to me.
I can write a beginning, a middle and an end, in time order.
I can use time words like first, then, after that and finally.
I can tell that my narrative is in the first person because I use I, me, my and we.
I can share my feelings in my writing.

Words to know

personal narrative
A true story about something that happened to the writer.

first person
Writing from your own point of view, using I, me, my, we and us.

third person
Writing about other people or things, using he, she, they, it or names.

point of view
Who is telling the text.

time words
Words that show order, like first, next, then, after that, later and finally.

draft
Your first try at writing. You will make it better later.

Tell me a true story!

A personal narrative is a true story about you. Something happened, and you tell the reader about it so they feel like they were there.

Good personal narratives are about one small moment, not a whole day or a whole summer. "The moment I caught my first fish" is better than "My summer".

A personal narrative zooms in on one small moment, not a whole summer.

A model personal narrative

Read this narrative. Then we will look at how it was built.

The Day I Skated by Myself

Last Saturday, my family went to the outdoor rink at the park. The air was so cold that my breath made little clouds. I laced up my skates and held Dad's hand tight.

At first, my legs wobbled like jelly. I fell down twice! Then Dad showed me how to push and glide. Push, glide. Push, glide. After a while, Dad let go of my hand, and I didn't even notice!

When I got to the end of the rink by myself, I shouted, "I did it!" My toes were frozen, but I felt as proud as a champion. I can't wait to go back next weekend.

An outdoor skating rink in a snowy park with families skating, seen from a distance. — An outdoor rink like the one in the model narrative. A small moment, like your first time skating alone, makes a great true story. AI-generated image

Part	What it does	In the model
Title	Tells what the story is about	The Day I Skated by Myself
Beginning	Tells who, where and when	Last Saturday, my family, the outdoor rink
Middle	Tells what happened, in order, with details	legs wobbled, fell twice, push and glide, Dad let go
Ending	Tells how it ended and how the writer felt	"I did it!", proud as a champion, can't wait to go back

The parts of a personal narrative

The model narrative in three parts. The beginning sets the scene, the middle tells events in order, and the end shares a feeling.

Point of view: who is telling?

The model says I, my and me. That shows it is written in the first person. The writer is telling about their own experience.

If someone else told the story, it would be in the third person: "Last Saturday, Ava went to the rink. She held her dad's hand."

Personal narratives are almost always in the first person, because they are about you.

First person (me telling)	Third person (telling about others)
I, me, my, mine	he, him, his
we, us, our	she, her, they, them, their
I fell down twice!	She fell down twice!

Clue words for point of view

Worked example

Let's plan and draft a narrative

Zara wants to write about losing her tooth at school. She uses a beginning-middle-end plan.

Beginning (who, where, when): Yesterday at lunch, I was eating an apple in the classroom.
Middle (what happened, in order): First, I felt my wiggly tooth crunch. Then I saw something white on my apple. It was my tooth! After that, my teacher gave me a tiny envelope for it.
Ending (how it ended and how I felt): I smiled a big gap smile all afternoon. I felt so grown up!
Check the point of view: she used I and my, so it is first person.

Zara's narrative has a beginning, middle and end, uses time words (first, then, after that), shares feelings, and is in the first person.

Worked example

Let's find the point of view

Which sentence is in the first person? (a) Omar built a snowman. (b) We built a snowman. (c) They built a snowman.

Look for the clue words I, me, my, we, us, our.
(a) uses a name, Omar: third person.
(b) uses We: first person!
(c) uses They: third person.

(b) We built a snowman is first person.

Time words help readers

Use time words to move your story along:

First, At the beginning, Next, Then, After that, Later, Suddenly, Finally, In the end

Try not to start every sentence with And then. Mix it up!

Just for fun

Knock, knock.

Who's there?

Lettuce.

Lettuce who?

Lettuce tell you a true story about the day I lost my tooth!

Hands-on activity

Tell it, sketch it, write it

You need: paper folded into 3 boxes, a pencil and a listener.

Choose one small moment from your heart map.
Tell the story out loud to your listener, using your fingers: beginning, middle, end.
Sketch a quick picture in each box: Beginning, Middle, End.
Write your draft on lined paper. Use at least two time words and one feeling word.
Circle every I, me, my and we. That shows it's in the first person!

Your turn

What is a personal narrative?

What three things should the beginning of a narrative tell?

Find two time words in the model narrative.

Is this first or third person? "My cat jumped on my bed."

Is this first or third person? "He threw the ball to his sister."

How did the writer of the model feel at the end? Which words tell you?

Which is a better narrative topic: My whole summer or The moment I jumped off the dock? Why?

More practice: warm-up

Is a personal narrative true or made up?

What are the three main parts of a narrative?

Name two first-person words.

Which word is a time word: finally or purple?

Is "I lost my mitten" first person?

More practice: on your own

Put these sentences in order: (a) Finally, we drove home with a huge pumpkin. (b) Last fall, we went to the pumpkin patch. (c) Then I found the biggest pumpkin in the field.

Change this to the first person: "Mia ate her lunch."

Add a feeling to this ending: "The race was over."

Which sentence tells when? (a) It was a sunny morning in May. (b) The dog was brown.

Why do writers use time words in a narrative?

Challenge

Write a 3-sentence mini narrative (beginning, middle, end) about a time you helped someone. Use first person.

This draft has a problem: "I got a new bike. I like pizza. I rode my bike to the park." What should the writer fix?

Rewrite this third-person sentence in the first person: "Liam and his brother built a fort in their backyard." (Pretend you are Liam.)

Check your understanding

Quiz

A personal narrative is ...

Which sentence is in the first person?

What should the beginning of a narrative tell?

Which is a time word?

Which is the best topic for a personal narrative?

"We sang songs around the campfire." What is the point of view?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D2.1, D2.4, D2.3): Grade 2 students draft personal narratives with a clear beginning, middle and end, express their thoughts and feelings, and identify the point of view, especially first person, in their own writing.

How to help at home:

Talk first! Have your child tell the story aloud before writing. Ask "Then what happened? How did you feel?"
Help them zoom in on one small moment instead of a whole day.
Accept invented spelling in the draft; ideas come first. Editing comes later in the unit.
Point out first-person words in books like diaries or "I" stories.

Common difficulties:

"Bed-to-bed" stories (woke up, had breakfast... went to bed). Ask: "What was the most exciting part? Start close to it."
Every sentence starts with "And then". Make a list of time words to choose from.
Endings like "The end." Ask how they felt or what they learned.