Cecilia Minden - How to Write About Your Adventure

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.cherrylakepublishing.com

Content Adviser: Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez, EdD, Assistant Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture, University of Illinois at Chicago

Design and Illustration: The Design Lab

Photo Credits: Page 5, jordache/Shutterstock.com; page 6, AVAVA/Shutterstock.com; page 11, Kzenon/Shutterstock.com; page 15, Istockphoto.com/DIGIcal; page 20, Monkey Business Images/ Shutterstock.com

Copyright 2012 by Cherry Lake Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Minden, Cecilia.

How to write about your adventure/by Cecilia Minden and Kate Roth.
p. cm.(Language arts explorer junior)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-61080-106-5 (lib. bdg.)
ISBN-10: 1-61080-106-7 (lib. bdg.)
1. Language arts (Elementary) 2. Narration (Rhetoric)Juvenile literature. 3. English languageComposition and exercisesStudy and teaching. I. Roth, Kate. II. Title.
LB1576.M533 2011
372.623dc22 2011000164

Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Please visit www.21stcenturyskills.org for more information.

Printed in the United States of America
Corporate Graphics Inc.
July 2011
CLFA09

Think of the most exciting adventure you have ever experienced. Do you want to share your story with other people? Try writing a personal narrative !

A personal narrative is a story about something meaningful or special that has happened to the author. The author is represented by the pronoun I. This is called writing in the first person.

Your personal narrative should focus on a single experience or adventure. Look at photographs. Talk to your family and friends. Narrow down possible topics for your personal narrative. Choose one to bring to life for other people!

You cant include every single detail of your adventure. If you did, your personal narrative would become a list! Instead, focus on the part that is the most interesting or exciting. It is helpful to list any events that occurred in chronological order. Think of a hill. You want your personal narrative to build up to the most exciting part of your adventure. What details can you add to build up your story?

ACTIVITY

Plan Your Adventure Story! Plan Your Adventure

HERES WHAT YOULL NEED:

• Any photographs of your adventure
• A pencil and paper (or a computer and a printer)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Talk to your family and friends about events you have shared, and look at photographs of adventures you have experienced.
2. List three experiences that you would enjoy sharing with others.
3. Pick one topic to write about.
4. Focus on the most interesting part of this adventure.
5. Now write a list of all the events that made your adventure exciting.
6. Put the list in chronological order.

Topic Ideas:

1. Marching in a parade
2. Riding a horse
3. Whale watching

Whale-Watching Events:

1. I went whale watching with my family.
2. There were no whales at first.
3. Then whales came by our boat.
4. We saw whales jumping.
5. My brother took a great photo of a jumping whale
6. My brother almost fell into the water.

Close your eyes and think about how your adventure began. Your opening should make readers feel the same way you did at that moment. They should want to learn more about your experience after reading your opening.

What did you see, smell, hear, and feel when your adventure started? Were you excited or scared? Write a few sentences about what you experienced. Choose the one that would be the best opening!

ACTIVITY

Write Your Opening!

HERES WHAT YOULL NEED:

• Any photographs of your adventure
• A pencil and paper (or a computer and a printer)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Think about how your adventure began. Looking at your photographs again may be helpful.
2. Write three possible openings for your story.
3. Pick the one that will make readers mostinterested in reading about your adventure.

Opening Ideas:

1. The morning sky was just starting to get light. It was cold and rainy. We waited in line with the other passengers. Finally, we were allowed on the boat. Now we could see the whales!
2. The drizzling rain froze our hands and noses while we waited on the dock. At last, the call came: All Aboard! My family and I were off on our whale-watching adventure.
3. I was so excited to go whale watching! My family and I stood with other passengers in the rain until we could get on the boat. Soon it was time to climb aboard and search for some whales!