TOPIC:
We have read Gary Soto's "Looking for Work," which is a short, personal account of a specific period in Soto's childhood, where he reveals his family life and various perspectives as he works through these experiences. I have also emailed you "Salvation" by Langston Hughes and "American History" by Judith Ortiz Cofer, which are great examples of the personal narrative essay. In class, we have discussed a variety of other perspectives on family.

For this narrative essay, think of a specific, pivotal moment in your childhood or adolescence. Notice that all three stories read in this class focused on ONE day. Be sure to stay centered on an important moment that can be explored in 3 pages. Explore how this moment/day changed your perspective, life circumstances, or affected your growth in some way.

Make sure to use specific, vivid details of your incidents and experiences to illustrate to the reader of the pleasures, perils, chaos, or responsibilities, of this time. Use your story-telling skills and make it captivating! Also, be sure to write about a time that you are comfortable describing; you will need concrete details to explain and support your main point.

As with storytelling, your narrative essay will contain a plot, character, setting, climax, and ending. Since this is a narrative, it will likely follow time-order organization. Also, your main point should be expressed early on in the essay.

ESSAY FORMAT:
Essay #1 must be at least three full pages long, double-spaced, using MLA style. You will lose points if you don't fulfill the minimum requirements. You will be graded on strength of main point carried throughout, focus/organization, specific details/support, and grammar/punctuation/sentence structure.

There should be an introduction that catches the reader's attention. And while this assignment is specifically dealing with personal experiences, this essay still must have a clear point and must stay on-topic throughout.

Body paragraphs should have topic sentences and contain vivid details to support the main argument. This is a time to tell stories about childhood experiences and relate these details to the overall essay.

Quick Grading Checklist:

1.Introduction: Does it have a compelling opening that catches the reader's attention?

Does it have adequate background information to lead up to thesis/main point?

Does it have a clear focus/thesis that provides a guideline for the direction of the narrative essay?

2.Body/Narrative: Does each paragraph stay on-topic and flow together smoothly with transitions and clear sequencing?

Is there a unique and compelling voice telling the story? Does the style fit the content?

Are there enough solid, vivid details and specific examples to support the thesis?

Is there reflection on these moments to tie them into the rest of the essay?

Are the stories relevant to the assignment given?

Is the narrative centered around only ONE pivotal moment?

3.Conclusion: Is there a sense of closure or reflection of how this moment impacted the writer's perspective or childhood?

4.Editing/Proofreading: Is the essay completely free of spelling/grammar/punctuation/format errors?