Unit 2: Narrative Writing
Lesson 3
UEQ: How do literary elements
create an engaging story,
and how can I use these
elements
to write a personal narrative?
Lesson 3 LEQ:
How do I maintain a specific tone
throughout a piece of narrative
writing?
AP 1: How do you decide on a tone for
your personal narrative?
AP 2: How do you make this tone evident
in your own writing?
AP 3: How do I organize a personal
narrative to build tone?
Keywords
 Tone
 Classifications of tone
 Nostalgic tone
 Humorous tone
 Hyperbole
 Dialogue
 Personal Reflection
AP 1: How do you decide on a
tone for your personal narrative?
Use personal reflection:
1. Think about the event and how you
felt while it was happening;
2. think about how others felt; consider
the overall outcome of the event
3. create a list of possible
feelings/attitudes that you have about
the event.
AP 1: How do you decide on a tone
for your personal narrative?
Activity: classification of tone
worksheet.
Think of categories of kinds of
tone—it will help you to pinpoint
yours!
Being precise with your tone brings
clarity to your writing.
AP 1: How do you decide on a
tone for your personal narrative?
 Activity 2:
 Read “A Christmas Memory” by
Truman Capote;
 Identify “tone” within the work
by finding how the author
establishes tone.
AP 1: How do you decide on a
tone for your personal narrative?
Understanding precise tone-What does nostalgia mean?
Nostalgia means a longing for the
past, and a sense of loss for
something in the past that you loved.
 How does nostalgia relate to tone?
AP 1: How do you decide on a
tone for your personal narrative?
 Activity 2 continued:
How does Truman Capote
create a tone of nostalgia in “A
Christmas Memory?”
 Find five examples that
establish a tone of nostalgia;
highlight them in yellow.
Bellringer: Review Quiz
“A Christmas Memory”
and notes on tone
AP 1: How do you decide on a
tone for your personal narrative?
 Activity 3:
Compare the tone in
“Memories of Dating” with the
tone in “A Christmas Memory.”
Think…. What are some possible
events in your life that you could tell
as a narrative?
 Personal narratives work best when…
 Meaningful focus
 Limited in time frame
 Relate to something that greatly
affected you, taught you a lesson, or was
an ordeal that helped shape who you
are today.
 May be humorous or more
reflective/pensive
AP #2: How do you make this
tone evident in your own writing?
 1. Word choice:
 2. Sentence structure
 3. Punctuation
 4. Narrative voice
AP #2: How do you make this
tone evident in your own writing?
 Word Choice—
Find words with connotations that convey
your selected tone.
Example:
said =shouted, whimpered, exclaimed
 Use figurative language and sensory
images to help your reader understand the
tone.
AP #2: How do you make this
tone evident in your own writing?
Sentence Structure:
 longer sentences create a
slower pace; shorter
sentences create a faster
pace.
AP #2: How do you make this
tone evident in your own writing?
Punctuation
—dashes for excitement or
suspense; exclamation points
for anger; question marks for
confusion or nervous hesitation;
AP #2: How do you make this
tone evident in your own writing?
Narrative Voice
—Moments of insertion of
narrative voice and reflection
can reveal tone.
Look for an example of
each in “A Christmas
Memory”
 1. Word choice: highlight in light
blue
 2. Sentence structure: highlight in
lt green
 3. Punctuation: highlight orange
 4. Narrative voice: highlight in
gray
AP #3: How do I organize a
personal narrative to build tone?
 1. Plan your narrative with an
introduction, development,
and conclusion that is
appropriate to the narrative
text structure, with an
awareness of the narrator’s
feelings about the story that
is being shared.
AP #3: How do I organize a
personal narrative to build tone?
 2. Use shorter paragraphs;
each paragraph needs to
demonstrate the attitude of
the author.
AP #3: How do I organize a
personal narrative to build tone?
 3. Dialogue needs to be inset as
its own paragraph. Dialogue
can help to build tone because
the way the characters speak
can reveal attitude. Also, a “one
word” answer communicates
attitude as opposed to a
thoughtful explanation.
AP #3: How do I organize a
personal narrative to build tone?
 4. Insertion of narrative voice.
Use moments where the
narrator reflects and comments
about a particular part or
moment in the events of the
narrative.
TOD Summary
Teamwork:
What are 4 ways to create tone
in a personal narrative?
Write everyone’s name on the
card and list your answers.