Directions for the Quarter Two Writing Assignment

Biographical Narrative

Telling a StoryFor this assignment,

you will need to choose someone who is important to you. You will be writing a story about that person’s life.

This will not be a biography, just one episode that was meaningful to him or her, or to you.

Definition:World English Dictionary 1. an account, report, or story, as of events,

experiences, etcUsually a narrative starts at the beginning

and continues to the end.

Narrative Style

In order to tell someone else’s story, you first need to find out about him/her and what story he/she wants to tell.

Since you are picking someone who is important to you, start by thinking about what you already know about that person.

You can use a KWL chart to help organize your thoughts.

Gathering Information

What you Know What you want to know

What you Learned

Write down everything

Write down the things

Wait and fill this column

you can think of about

you want to find out. out after your interview.

the person you will write

There may be things you

about. still want to learn, or you

may have new questions.

If you can, talk to your

subject again to get answers.

KWL

Next, you will want to talk to the person. If that isn’t possible, you can talk to other

people who know your subject. For example, if you want to write about your grandfather who passed away last year, you obviously can’t talk to him. You can , however talk to your grandmother, your parents, your brothers and sisters , or aunts, uncles, or cousins to find out more about him.

Interview

Before you talk to your subject or people who know him or her, you need to have questions prepared.

Look at what you know and think about what you want to find out.Is there a particular story you remember that

you want to hear more about?Is there something you have always wondered

about?Does this person have certain characteristics

you admire? If so, how did he/she develop them?

Write some questions out in advance!

Prepare

When you meet with your subject, you will need to save the information.Take notes—even if you are recording the

interview, you need to write down what is said and what you observe.

Use whatever digital device you have available to capture the event. This can become a valued piece of family history.

Record It!

Before you start the formal interview, make sure you and whomever you are talking to are relaxed. Even if you are talking to your best friend, having a camera on can make people nervous.

Start by asking some easy questions—what’s your name? How old are you? Where do you live?

Next, explain what the project is. Even though you know all of this, you want to get it recorded.

Get Comfortable

Even though you may have definite ideas about what you want to talk about, listen carefully to your interviewee. He or she may want to talk about something different.

Use follow up questions to get more information. For example, ask for details—who was with them? What

were they wearing? What did they hear, see, smell, or feel?

Be Flexible

Remember, you want to get information on one event or one series of events that help explain why this person is important to you.

See if there are any pictures or mementos from the event. If so, try to see them and include them in your story.

Concentrate on one specific story

Don’t wear people out!After a reasonable time (this will vary from

person to person), end the interview politely.Say “Thank you”!

Wind It Up

You must have your interview or interviews completed by the Monday after Thanksgiving, November 29.

We will work on how to use the information in class that day.

The final paper will be due December 7.

Due dates

"narrative." Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 10 Nov. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/narrative>.

Hermanson, Tove. “Bathing Suits, Technology and Morality”. Thread For Thought. July 6, 2010. threadforthought.net/category/technology/

Sources