Miss Dib's Capstone Research @dibcapstone-blog - Tumblr Blog

This is the visual I created for the presentation for my content research.

Interview

This is a transcript of an interview I had with a worker at Barnes & Noble in Walnut Creek. Above is the selfie we took after the interview.

Name: Sam

Sam is studying Early Childhood Education at DVC and is a Kid's Lead at B&N, meaning she also reads stories to children in addition to other floorwork.

How would you define what a personal narrative is? A personal narrative is when you write about an event in your life that really shows .. whether it's positive or negative.. it can let shine who you are. It can really give a deeper insight to who you really are and your soul. Even from just one event.

What are the essential elements for a personal narrative? I think there's a fine balance of details that just list everything versus that atmospheric detail. You want to be in their shoes or watching what's going on in the story without the details that don't add to the story. It's also important to know what the setting was like, then what happened, and how things are now. The author should give a back story so we know why we're reading about this. Why should we care?

What do you look for when choosing a book to read? I look for humor, but not slapstick humor. I like the sly, witty humor. I don't like when authors are trying too hard either. You can tell when something flows organically and when someone is really trying, but it's not working.

What is your favorite part about reading? I love learning. I also love getting to know new characters. I also like to revisit and reread books with great characters.

Do you write at all? If so, what does your writing process look like? I haven't written in so long, but I used to love to write. I'd write very short stories - almost like little slices of life, but also with eerie and unsettling things. Not horror though. Just enough so you're not sure, leaving the reader on the edge. Just add in a little bit of creep. For my process... I'd just get it in my head and need to get it out on paper. I didn't do much editing - just got it all out at once. And I also always have to write on paper. I can't write creatively on a computer. I don't know why. I think it just feels and flows better.

Do you have a favorite personal narrative that you would recommend to others? If so, what makes it so great? I'm actually reading right now, a book called "The Silent History." The book is written in different narratives the whole way. Each chapter is a different narrative of a different person but about the same event. It's really cool seeing the different perspectives.

What makes a story compelling for you? I love the details that make you feel like you're there in the story. I want to feel like - not even a fly on the wall, but a fly on the character's shoulder. I'm really into where you can almost smell it and feel it and you know what the temperature is. And that doesn't have to do with a long block of writing. It just has to do with how you write and what you choose to include. I don't have to particularly relate to the character, but I have to have empathy for them. It has to be real. I get turned off when characters are stereotypical.

Any advice for young readers or writers? Never let your creativity go out. Your style is your own style.

I love how Sam pointed out that personal narratives can also be about something negative. I always think about personal narratives in terms of being about something positive, fun, exciting, etc. I also think what Sam said about "trying too hard" is so true. It can often be tough to find your own voice, but I think it's really obvious when a writer is trying too hard to stylize their voice or make it into something that it just isn't naturally. Your voice comes from the way you talk and think, and you shouldn't have to fake that.

This helped me answer my guiding question of what is important in a personal narrative - in this case, from the point of view from the reader. Readers want to empathize with the characters, they want to know why we should care, and they want enough detail to create realistic and meaningful images.

#experience #interview

A strong personal narrative describes in detail a situation in the author’s past that fundamentally changed their life’s direction. In order to begin a narrative that is so ...

Shore, J. (n.d.). How to write a fantastic introduction to a personal narrative. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from synonym website: http://classroom.synonym.com/write-fantastic-introduction-personal-narrative-2897.html This is an article specifically about writing good hooks. I learned of a few new ways that I could start a narrative. For example, by revealing a secret or a desire that is relatable and unique. I also learned that the introduction (though it should be catchy) should really be closely related to the overall message of the narrative. It helps me answer my guiding question of what good writers do and how they write narratives.

#article

https://www.sbcc.edu/clrc/files/wl/downloads/StructureofaPersonalNarrativeEssay.pdf

This is a great file that explains the structure of a narrative.

I learned that outlining your narrative could be helpful before writing the final draft. With this resource, the author can easily focus on the hook, beginning action, middle action, end action, and conclusion before getting into all the details and adding transition words and supporting evidence. I learned that the personal narrative can be paralleled with the typical essay structure. First, you need your introduction, which should include a thesis statement. The thesis can start the events in the story or offer a moral or lesson learned. In the later case, the moral may be, "I'll never hike alone again," which identifies a theme and also gives the reader a reason to continue reading - why will they never hike alone again?

This helps answer my guiding question of how authors structure their writing. This gives a very complete guide.

#web

This is an anchor chart that was used in one of the classrooms in my student teaching placement.

This resource reminded me that, although the elements of writing are very important (catchy lead, small moment, details, beginning/middle/end, transition words, etc) it’s also really important to stress the writing process as a whole. That means allowing time for brainstorming, drafting, editing, and publishing. I like how this includes rereading it at the end.

This did help me answer my guiding questions because it showed what the elements of a personal narrative are. It lists it in a way that students can easily understand (I think this poster was probably made with the students’ input after and introduction to personal narratives).

#creative #artifact #photo

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/28/19/c4/2819c463d96e6c77509c36a0fe8e8f14.jpg

This image describes what a personal narrative is.

I like this resource because it's concise and clear. I also like that it mentions how the narrative should be written in first person.

I didn't learn anything particularly new, but it reminds me that a personal narrative really should focus on a small moment, including the feelings and thoughts at that time. I think it's easy to get caught up in writing a "story" that's a lot longer and focuses on multiple experiences. In reality, the personal narrative should focus on ONE thing that happened to the author and stretch it out with details.

#image #creative

Cali, K. (n.d.). The five features of effective writing. Retrieved July 20, 2014, from Learn NC website: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/few/683 This is a webpage written by Kathleen Cali on the features of effective writing. I already knew that good narratives have a beginning, middle, and end. That is, they all have some sort of structure. However, Kathleen goes into much more detail about what exactly should be included in each section. I learned that the middle of the narrative could continue in a sequence of events, be a simple description of an event, show cause and effect, compare and contrast, or show a problem and solution. I also learned that what holds the structure of the narrative together are the transition words. I didn't know that there are different categories of transition words: spatial order, time order, numerical order, cause/effect order, comparison/contrast order, and general/specific order. These guiding questions help keep authors on track:

Does your piece have a clear beginning, middle, and end?

Does your piece have a strong beginning that hooks the reader?

Does your piece have a strong ending that fits the focus?

Are the ideas and actions connected to each other?

Can your reader follow the piece logically from beginning to end?

Is it complete? Does it feel finished?

This helped me with my guiding questions because it showed me how to keep a narrative together through using structure, transition words, and a set of purposeful questions.

#website

Finding a writing voice can be a struggle for anyone. Literary agent Donald Maass helps define what voice in writing means and how to naturally develop your own.

Freese, C. (2013, September 12). Voice in writing: Developing a unique writing voice. Retrieved July 20, 2014, from Writer's Digest website: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/voice-in-writing-developing-a-unique-writing-voice This is an article from WritersDigest.com by Cris Freese. Cris talks about how voice is so important in writing, but it can often be difficult to achieve. I learned that an author's distinctive voice is actually something that must come naturally. I originally thought that an author may decide what type of voice he/she would like to develop, and then they write and write to practice developing that voice. However, this article explains that it actually might occur the other way around: Everyone already has a voice - no one talks exactly like someone else. The challenge is to find that voice through writing. It's more a process of discovery. This helped me with my guiding questions because author's voice is an important element of writing. Now I know that this is one element that you can't create or make up. You must discover it.

#article #website

This is my last book talk poster - "Roller Coaster" by Marla Frazee.

This is another perfect example of taking a small moment and stretching it out into a longer story. This relates to everything I've learned so far about personal narratives focusing on small, specific memories and including lots of details and descriptions. I really love how Marla Frazee uses all the senses to make it easy for the reader to feel like they're actually there in the moment.

#creative #original #booktalk #book

http://sldib.edu.glogster.com/fireflies/

This is another poster I created for the book talk. This book is called, "Fireflies!" by Julie Brinckloe.

I liked this book because it focused on a single memory. Julie was able to stretch out a short memory about a boy catching fireflies one night after dinner into a beautiful story. I particularly enjoyed the illustrations which really add to the emotion in the text.

#original #creative #booktalk #book

This is a poster I created for the book talk.

One of the books I chose was "My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother" by Patricia Polacco.

This is a great example of an author introducing the reader to characters by SHOWING their traits through actions, instead of words. It also is a nice story for creating the passage of time through use of temporal words. This is important for the pacing and flow of the story. Lastly, it has a satisfying ending.

#creative #original #booktalk #book

The best place to begin is with a short personal essay on one topic, jumping in at the middle of the action. In other words, do not start with your height, weight and eye color, your birthday, or your address. Start where things are already heated up, where there is something at stake, so that the reader can jump aboard with wide-open interest.

http://goinswriter.com/memoir-writing-tips/

This is a quote from the interview with Marion Roach Smith.

#quote #blog

I met Marion Roach Smith online several months ago through this blog. She told me that she teaches people to write memoir. So I asked her for an interview.

http://goinswriter.com/memoir-writing-tips/

This is an interview with Marion Roach Smith, author of "The Memoir Project." She has also been teaching memoir writing for over 14 years.

Though a memoir is different from the personal narratives that my students will be writing, I found Marion had a lot of great advice that is applicable. One thing I learned was that the story should jump right into the middle of the action, and it should focus on a piece, or pieces of your life (not your entire life experience). She also points out that, even though memoirs include dialogue that may not be 100% accurate, she always makes sure that the intent of the interaction remains true to reality. She always tells the truth, even though it can be tempting to alter events and bend the truth to create something wittier or more snappy. In the end, all that matters is that the story we focus on ties to a bigger theme in life: growth, honor, love, etc.

This helped me answer my guiding questions. It gave me insight into what authors focus on when writing a narrative. It helped me figure out how to make writing compelling and interesting to readers.

#blog #interview

http://www.roanestate.edu/owl/describe.html

This is a website that walks you through the writing process. This page focuses on narrative and descriptive writing.

I learned that one of the most important things when writing a narrative is to write vivid descriptions. I always knew this was important, but I liked how the website explained exactly how to do so:

"Effective narrative essays allow readers to visualize everything that's happening, in their minds. One way to make sure that this occurs is to use concrete, rather than abstract, details."

Concrete details will make it easy for the reader to imagine what the author would be seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting, and hearing in that moment. This makes the writing easier to empathize with, thus making the story clearer and more real.

This resource helped me answer the guiding questions because it helped me with a very important element of narrative writing - focusing on vivid descriptions to make the moment come alive.

#website

http://udleditions.cast.org/craft_elm_characterization.html

This website gives a lot of detail about author's craft. It explores different narrative elements, explains what they are, and tells you how to incorporate them into a story.

I liked this website because I was able to learn a lot about the different ways you can develop characters in your stories. Of course, you can directly list character traits. However, you could also describe their appearance and manner, portray it through thoughts and motivations, use dialogue to reveal something important, and use their actions to reveal more about his/her personality. I also learned that showing others' reactions to the character can reveal more about their personality as well. Lastly, for fictional writing, you can give characters meaningful names. I especially like the examples of Sirius Black, although it doesn't quite relate for writing personal narratives.

This helped me answer my question about what are elements of author's craft. It also shows me how to use them effectively.

#website

I created this handy reference sheet of Author's Craft terms and examples. Not only do I access it daily, but I give it to students to use as a reference as

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Authors-Craft-Cheat-Sheet-and-Poetry-Stop-Jot-Sheet-656431

This is another free TeachersPayTeachers downloadable PDF. It is basically an Author's Craft "Cheat Sheet." It lists various elements of authors craft, in alphabetical order, and defines them. Many of the definitions also include examples.

I didn't actually learn anything new from this resource because I'm already familiar with the elements of authors craft included here (alliteration, allusion, assonance, hyperbole, imagery, metaphor, personification, simile, symbolism, and tone/mood). However, I wanted to include this in my resource collection because it's a nice cheat sheet to refer to - especially when I will want a simple definition to tell the students and/or write on an anchor chart.

This does help me answer my guiding questions because it helps me dig deeper into author's craft. It reminds me of what to look for in a mentor text so I can point it out to students as prime examples of what we can incorporate into our own writing.

#download #pdf #original #teacherspayteachers

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7-RC8er5CXTWDNocWVkaGpfdFE/edit

This is a free download of 10 author signs. Each page is dedicated to an author to gives students a little bit of background information about each author.

I learned of new authors through this resource. I had already heard of Robert Munsch, Patricia Polacco, Kevin Henkes, Gail Gibbons, and Shel Silverstein. However, this resource has introduced me to some authors I had never heard of: Faith Ringgold, Steven Kellogg, Eve Bunting, Lester Laminack, and Jan Brett. I also learned a few entertaining tidbits about their lives. For example, Patricia Polacco's family did not own a TV, so their entertainment was telling stories to each other. Of course that contributed to her storytelling abilities.

This helped me answer the guiding question regarding author studies. These are all great authors that teachers frequently choose to focus on in their classroom because their writing is a great entry point into digging deeper into an author's craft.

#creative #original

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