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Please Note: White Water, the mentor text for the narrative writing cycle in this unit, may be hard to source as the text is currently on backorder from most vendors. If you are unable to obtain a copy, introduce the story using this YouTube read-aloud and replay the excerpts referenced in the modeling sections throughout the writing cycle. Alternatively, use Chapter 3, "The World-Famous Watson Pet Hospital," from The Watsons Go to Birmingham as the mentor text, replacing the White Water excerpts in each modeling section with relevant excerpts from the chapter. This chapter features a clear plot arc that students can emulate in their own personal narratives.
Writing Project Overview
Project Objective
Write a personal narrative that conveys the significance of an important experience in the writer's life through description and reflection.
Readings and Materials
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Book: The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
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Book: White Water by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein; illustrated by Shadra Stickland
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Rubric: Narrative Writing Rubric (G6)
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Resource: Narrative Graphic Organizer (G6–8)
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Sample Response: Sample Narrative Graphic Organizer (G6, U1, L20)
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Resource: Mentor Text Narrative Arc (G6, U1, L20)
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Resource: Pronouns Reference Sheet (G6–8)
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Resource: Plot Structure Reference Sheet (G6–8)
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Rubric: Editing Checklist (G6–8)
Lesson Map
3 days
Write a paragraph that makes and supports a clear claim.
Generate ideas and write a clear claim that fully answers the prompt.
- Details Brainstorming Page (G6, U1, L5)
- Single Paragraph Outline
- Claim Practice Pages (G6, U1, L5)
Standards
L.6.3.aW.6.1W.6.1.a
Create a single paragraph outline.
- Details Brainstorming Page (G6, U1, L12)
- Single Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.6.1W.6.1.b
Draft a complete paragraph that includes a claim, supporting details, an explanation, and a concluding sentence.
- Single Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.6.1.aW.6.1.b
2 days
Write a paragraph that makes and supports a clear claim.
Draft a paragraph that includes strong explanations of how the evidence supports the claim.
- Details Brainstorming Page (G6, U1, L12)
- Single Paragraph Outline
Standards
W.6.1W.6.1.aW.6.1.b
Revise and edit a paragraph by intentionally replacing repeated nouns with pronouns and correcting errors in pronoun case.
- Pronouns Reference Sheet (G6–8)
Standards
L.6.1.aW.6.5
5 days
Write a personal narrative that conveys the significance of an important experience in the writer's life through description and reflection.
Select an important experience to write about and plan the setting, characters, and plot for a personal narrative.
- Narrative Graphic Organizer (G6–8)
- Mentor Text Narrative Arc (G6, U1, L20)
- Plot Structure Reference Sheet (G6–8)
Standards
W.6.3W.6.3.a
Draft a beginning that introduces the reader to a clear setting, narrator, and conflict.
- Narrative Graphic Organizer (G6–8)
- Mentor Text Narrative Arc (G6, U1, L20)
Standards
W.6.3.aW.6.3.bW.6.3.d
Draft a clear and cohesive personal narrative by using pronouns in the correct case to refer to characters and ideas.
- Narrative Graphic Organizer (G6–8)
- Mentor Text Narrative Arc (G6, U1, L20)
- Pronouns Reference Sheet (G6–8)
Standards
L.6.1.aW.6.3.b
Revise the climax by adding descriptive details that build tension and reveal the narrator's thoughts, feelings, and actions.
- Narrative Graphic Organizer (G6–8)
Standards
W.6.3.bW.6.3.d
Revise the ending by adding the narrator's reflection on the importance or impact of the experience.
Standards
W.6.3.dW.6.3.e
