Composing An Excellent 6th Grade Narrative Essay
The best way to describe a narrative is that it tells a story. They can be made up of anecdotes, personal experience or someone else’s experience. Usually for students of the 6th grade level, the narrative essay is meant to be a personal narrative. The purpose is two-fold: to get the student thinking and to give the student experience in writing papers.
Characteristics of a Narrative Essay
- Tells all parts of a story, giving enough detail for the reader to come to an understanding of the purpose
- Should be written clearly from an obvious point of view
- Should be an expression and creative display of the student’s writing
- The use of first person is accepted
Where to Begin Writing
A 6th grader may need a detailed step-by-step plan to follow in order to accomplish this essay. This will help them stay on track and not forget any of the essential parts. Here is a plan to follow in writing a personal narrative:
- Choose a good topic. This would be based on something from the student’s life. The essay will not only tell the story of what happened, it will also include the student’s analysis of the story.
- Should highlight the writer’s creative skills in story-telling.
- Should be able to help the reader connect in some way, to their own life experiences.
- If given a prompt, the topic must fit the prompt. For example, it may be about a hardship that had to be overcome, or a way your life was changed, or something that made you view life on a different level.
- Make sure the plot is manageable. It shouldn’t be something too long with many separate events involved. It should be narrowed down sufficiently.
- Limit the number of characters or people who are introduced into the paper, so it doesn’t get bogged down with too many people.
- The paper should exhibit vibrant details and yet give just enough room for the reader to use their imagination to fill in some of the gaps.
- Stay as true to the original story as possible. Most personal narrative papers are meant to be non-fiction.
- Make an outline of your school work and then use details and description to fill in each paragraph.
- Briefly describe important characters. Identify antagonists and protagonists if necessary.
- Describe the setting using vivid details.
- Proofread and revise your essay.
