a thanksgiving PowerPoint template from: http://www.beautifulppt.com/

1. I Remember…
Thanksgiving
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2. My Favorite Thanksgiving Memory
• “It’s not easy to travel back into your memory and
gather details. But it’s worth it. The details help you
remember the very important chapters in the story of
your life.” – Sandy Asher, Author.
• When you write a short story about something that has
happened in your life – an experience, event, or a
special time – you are writing a personal narrative.
• A personal narrative should have a beginning, a middle
and an ending. The story should be organized in time
order: what happened first, second, third, and so on.
• Today, you will be writing a personal narrative about
your favorite Thanksgiving memory.
On the next two slides you will see
examples of personal narratives…

3. My Favorite Thanksgiving Memory
In 1939, Mrs. Mabel Bradley remembered a Thanksgiving party held during
her childhood in the latter part of the 1800s:
"One Thanksgiving night there had been a big celebration and a dance. My older
sisters, Sally and Fannie, each about sixteen, argued about who was the most
popular among the boys at the ball. Sally had two dresses and Fannie had three,
and in between dances, they would rush to their rooms and change quickly,
hoping that after each switch of costume, the change would add to their
attractiveness and popularity with the young men present. The quarrel lasted into
the following day, and while they were in the kitchen, they got to fighting, pulling
each other's hair, and scratching faces.
"Word was brought to father and he took my brother, James, and went to the
scene. He spoke to Sally and Fannie, but they kept right on, evidently intending
to fight to a finish. Father told James he was going to whip them and make them
behave themselves, as he could not permit fighting among his children.
"I was only about six years of age at the time, and did not witness the whipping,
of course, but I overheard the conversation as father told mother about it.”

4. My Favorite Thanksgiving Memory
A Mother Remembers Thanksgiving, Then and Now:
In 1962, I was so proud to be a member of the Charleston High
School Marching Band leading off the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
and then playing a halftime show for the New York Jets. I don't remember if
we even had any dinner but the knowledge that the entire State of West
Virginia was watching on TV just thrilled me to the core.
My second favorite Thanksgiving was watching the Macy's
Thanksgiving Parade and seeing my son marching with his high school
band in 1993, 31 years later. He's now a high school band director in West
Virginia and he remembers trying to march and play perfectly because he
knew his mother was watching. There was a real bond between mother
and son to have performed live on TV before the entire nation 31 years
apart.
That's a Thanksgiving memory not too many people have. Now we
make it a point to watch the parade together each and every Thanksgiving
because we've been there, done that.

5. Your Turn…
• First, organize your thoughts
– You can brainstorm and make a list of
ideas that pop into your head about your
favorite Thanksgiving memory or try
clustering
– You can use the “5 Ws” and answer the
questions – Who?, What?, When?,
Where?, and Why?
– You can use a graphic organizer, like a
story map (here’s another story map), a
story planner, a time-order chart, or a
personal narrative planner.

6. Make You Story Come Alive
• Describe what you remember about your
favorite Thanksgiving:
– What did you see, hear, feel, smell, taste?
• Compare it:
– What was it like?
– What was it different from?
• Tell why it is your favorite Thanksgiving:
– What makes this Thanksgiving so
special?
• Tell your story in the correct sequence –
or time order (the order in which things
actually happened). You may use words
like first, then, next, and finally.

7. The Beginning
• The beginning is your opening paragraph, or
introduction. The first thing you need to do is
make your reader interested in reading the rest
of your story. You can do this by using a “hook”
– for example:
– Ask the reader a question
• Have you ever…?
• Do you remember…?
• Can you…?
– Use a catchy phrase or quote
• “There is no such thing as too much dessert” is
what my family says on Thanksgiving.
– Begin with an interesting fact about your subject
• The first Thanksgiving may have been in 1621, but
the best Thanksgiving was definitely in 2006, the
year I made the cranberry sauce.
– Make an exclamatory statement
• Last year we had the greatest Thanksgiving ever!

8. The Middle
• The body, or middle paragraph, provides
support, details, and examples.
– Your story should be organized according to time
(first, next, then, finally)
– Use specific details – examples:
• Without details:
– My cousin is nice.
• With details:
Better! – My cousin Lucy loves to write friendly notes to her
classmates.
– Use colorful adjectives – examples:
• Not-so-good adjective use:
– My mom made some good spaghetti sauce.
• Colorful adjective use:
Better! – My mom made some delicious, spicy spaghetti
sauce.

9. A Word on Time Order
• It is easy to follow ideas in a story when
the facts are explained in the order in
which they happened. Here is a very brief
example of a story about building a tree
house told in time order:
First we used a rope to raise the
wood up into the tree. Next, our parents
helped us make a frame for the floor. We
nailed boards to the frame. Then the
walls and roof went up. Finally, to
celebrate, we had a picnic in our new tree
house!

10. The Ending
• The ending, or conclusion, wraps up or
sums up your thoughts and ideas – your
main points.
– For example, the essay we read about the
mother who remembers Thanksgiving
then and now has an the following
conclusion:
• That's a Thanksgiving memory not too
many people have. Now we make it a point to
watch the parade together each and every
Thanksgiving because we've been there, done
that.

11. Why Write Your Story?
• Many people write stories about their lives.
These are called autobiographies, or
memoirs.
• Writing stories about your life is something
everyone should do!
• If you write your story well, it may become a
treasured family heirloom.
• These stories can be like home movies in
print form!
• So…let’s get started!!!
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