Note: These are non-graded learning activities, so please do not submit them to the teacher.

Last week you began writing your personal narrative. A personal narrative is a story about something that happened to the person telling the story. This week you will work towards completing your personal narrative.

For today’s learning activity, you will use your rough draft completed last week to make revisions.

The revision step is when you can make changes by adding, deleting, moving, or changing words, phrases, or sentences to make your writing better.

Part 1: Revision Skills

Before we begin to revise, let’s review the different types of nouns below.

Common or Proper?

• A common noun names any person, place, thing, or idea. Examples: girl, school, telescope, law.
• A proper noun names a specific person place, thing, or idea. The first letter of a proper noun is always capitalized. Examples: Mabel Barger, Price Elementary School, Hubble Telescope.

Singular or Plural?

• A singular noun names one person, place, thing, or idea. Examples: boy, city, box, thought.
• A plural noun names more than one person, place, thing, or idea. Most plural nouns end in -s or -es. Examples: boys, cities, boxes, thoughts.
• Some plural nouns are irregular. Examples: children, sheep, fish.

Writers use different types of nouns to make their writing more interesting. “My neighbor Mrs. Henshaw” is more specific than just “my neighbor.” The reader knows exactly which neighbor I am writing about.

Part 2: Revising

Let’s begin to revise your narrative to prepare it for the final draft. In your narrative be sure to check the

• details:
• Add sentences or details you need.
• Remove sentences or details you don’t need.
• words:
• Move words or sentences to organize the narrative.
• Change words or sentences if needed.
• nouns:
• Draw a box around common nouns and put a star next to proper nouns.
• Remember, common nouns are in lowercase while proper nouns are in uppercase.
• Common nouns: brother, neighbor.
• Proper nouns: Caden, Mrs. Henshaw

Watch for and fix:

• the pronoun I — be sure it is a capital I;
• a beginning with no main character;
• details that aren’t about the topic;
• a problem that is not about the topic;
• a solution that does not solve problem; and
• an ending that has no message.

Use the Conferencing handout

to check your work and find parts that need improvement. 

Save your work to continue on Day 2.