Narrative Writing for class 4 English

Concept : Using Word & Phrases along with Onomatopoeia

In this concept, students will learn about narrative writing examples by using word and phrases along with onomatopoeia. They will also study some examples and common mistakes that needs to be avoided while using onomatopoeia. Students will study the role of transitional words and phrases in English.

In this learning concept, the students will learn:

• To identify onomatopoeia.
• To find transitional words and phrases.

All the concepts are taught to students of class 4 English with the help of examples, illustrations, and concept maps. You can go through them and assess your learning by solving the two printable onomatopoeia worksheets given at the end of the page.

Download the worksheets and check your answers with the worksheet solutions for the concept provided in PDF format.

Definition

• Narrative writing has a story, characters, and other main elements. Narrative writing has a narrator which tells a story.
• We use transitional words or phrases in narrative writing along with onomatopoeia. These words and phrases along with onomatopoeia will help the narrative to flow from one paragraph to the other.

What are Transitional Words and Phrases?

• Transitional words play the role of combining different information together in the story.
• These words also reflect the relationship between paragraphs or parts of a speech.
• Many transition words add details, reinforce ideas, and denotes agreement in the story.

Examples:

Transitional Words and Phrases

1. Finally, she decided to visit the mueseum.
2. In addition to cakes, he also makes delicious brownies.

What is Onomatopoeia?

• Onomatopoeia is a word that refers to the sound.
• Adding onomatopoeia to your writing engages the reader to listen.
• When a sound is similar to the pronunciation of a word, it is onomatopoeia. You will come across such words in poetry and comic books.

Examples:

Common Mistakes

Don’t confuse words of feelings and emotions such as hooray, ouch, oops, whoo-hoo, wow, with onomatopoeic words. These words express a sudden strong feeling of emotions through words whereas onomatopoeia are words that expresses the sound of something.

Examples:

Wow! I love the dress

 

Concept : Personal Recount Meaning in English

A personal recount is a narration of personal experience. The purpose of this narrative writing style is to recall an event for information or enjoyment. In this chapter, recount writing grade 4 students will know personal recount definitions, features and mistakes that could happen while writing them.

In this learning concept, students will learn the following:

• To write a recount with clear examples.
• Parts of recounts with specific and relevant examples.
• Structure of a personal experience recount.

All English grammar concepts for class 4 have been covered using examples, mind maps and illustrations. To assess the understanding of these concepts, students can easily access these worksheets. The solutions to these worksheets are also available in easily downloadable PDF format.

What is a Personal Recount?

• A personal recount is to recollect an event or an experience from the writer’s life in story form with more personal details.
• It is based on the writer’s own thoughts, feelings and experiences.
• The aim to write a recount could be to inform or entertain.

How to Write a Personal Recount?

• A recount is usually written or narrated in the past tense, since it is about an incident or an event that happened in the past. For example, if you were narrating a recount or writing it, it would go like this “it was the worst moment ever” rather than “it’s the worst moment ever”
• They are narrated in an order as it happened. This helps the reader to understand the context well. what’s going on. You can use transitional words like ‘firstly’, ‘then’, ‘next’, and ‘finally’ to show the order of incidents.
• Make use of descriptive language to help frame a picture in the minds of the reader. Use adjectives and adverbs. While writing think about how that moment or event affected your senses.
• Write an appropriate title. The title should be precisely the entire story in a few words. Ensure that it is something simple.

Parts of a Personal Recount

Writing a personal recount is to actually retell an activity or event that happened in your own life. There are three main parts of a personal recount which can be outlined in to a five-paragraph essay writing:

• The introduction
• The body
• The conclusion

Use the trifle diagram to organize your ideas before writing a personal recount.

The Introduction

• to catch the reader’s interest, you need a good start in the introduction itself.
• Use an interesting fact, anecdote to open the narrative.

Questions the reader might write about in the introduction.

• What is the story about?
• Who is in the story?
• Where is the setting?

The body paragraphs

• Focus on telling the events or experience in sequence order
• Mention the problem or conflict in the story. whether the problem is internal or external.it helps move the story forward.
• Questions the reader might have in introduction
• What is the main problem?
• What will happen in the end?

The Conclusion

• The final section or the climax part is usually coming to a resolution part.
• It marks the end of the story where the person brings change or changes himself or a moral is learnt at the end.
• What is the solution?
• What lesson learnt? You can also give a personal opinion.

Common Mistakes

1. Ensure you depict a real event that you were involved in personally. Do include accurate and plenty of details in the recount.
2. Write the recount in a first-person point of view. Since it is about events that happened in your own life, you must use first person pronouns like "I", "my", "mine" and "we." Since you have to detail on how you felt and what you did, you must write the story from your perspective.
3. Do not forget to use verbs since a personal recount describes the activities that happened. To describe those actions, use "action words," or "verbs." For example, if you write about the games you participated in a sporting event you can write: "I raced with others" or "I played". It is better to say that you performed these actions than just describing them without any actions.Brainstorm on some of the topics or events in your life and then structure according to the above points

 

Concept : Narrating an Experience for Class 4 English

Experiences are a part of your life. Know a few simple steps to follow while narrating an experience in narrative writing. In this chapter, students will learn how to write experiences smoothly after going through the chapter minutely. This is a major aspect of narrative writing skills in English.

In this learning concept, the following are covered:

• Know to describe your experience.
• Sequence to follow while narrating an experience.
• Detailed examples of writing experience in English.
• Point of view to use to write your experience.

All English grammar concepts for class 4 have been covered using examples, mind maps and illustrations. To assess the understanding of these concepts, students can easily access these personal narrative worksheets. The solutions to these worksheets are also available in easily downloadable PDF format.

What is a Experience?

Experience is an incident or a moment something that forms a part of your life. It could be a good, bad or an unforgettable experience. They comprise of a problem, or conflict or happiness or a small yet valuable moment. They are filled with emotions and feelings that change throughout the experience.

How to Describe an Experience?

If you want to share your experience with your friends or classmates or family, how would you write it. An experience essay is usually familiar to you already. It is just how you convey it to the readers that matter.

Let us have a look at few pointers below:

1. Start by making a note with ‘Wh’ questions. The answers to those ‘Wh’ questions will provide you with an introduction, body and conclusion. It can include Who? Where? What? When? Why? Which? How?
   • Use the information above to write sentences about your experience.
   • What it is?
   • When and where it occurred?
   • What happened?
   • What was exciting about it?
2. Enhance the sentences:

   Add information that will thoroughly engage the reader. You can mention anything unusual, amusing about your experience.

   Example:

   The place was excellent.
   Instead, you can enhance the sentence: The view from the hotel was spectacular.

3. Try to convey your feelings about the place at certain times or at various places: fascinated, disappointed, enchanted, overwhelmed etc.

   Example:

   We were fascinated by the historical places there
   Describe using sensory details to interest the readers.
   Use adjectives, similes or metaphor to keep the readers engaged and make your writing interesting.

4. Arrange the sentences into paragraphs- Once you have lot of details to write, arrange them into proper paragraphs. Describe what happened. Just put your sentences into a proper order. Use paragraphs to put your facts separately and help the reader to understand what exactly you want to convey.
5. Your description about the experience must have a beginning which is an introduction, a middle or body, and an end that is the conclusion.

• Your description should have a beginning (introduction), a middle (main body), and an end (conclusion). Use linking words to connect your ideas.
• First Paragraph – Introduction: The answers to questions like Who, when, where will provide all, you need an introduction.
• Next Paragraphs – Body: The answers to questions what and why will form the body part. This is the longest part of your writing as it contains the main details of your experience. There is no limit on the length of it. However, do start a new paragraph when the topic changes. Say for example you are writing about a holiday trip. You can mention each place in each paragraph. You can also list the place with small descriptions and put them in one paragraph.
• You can divide your paragraphs depending on the activities you did there. For instance, trekking, sightseeing, eating out etc.
• Final Paragraph – Conclusion: This should conclude everything in a few lines. It could be a repetition of the ideas in the introduction. If it is about a holiday trip then you can mention that you had a wonderful /memorable/bad holiday that you would tell/not tell others to visit.
• Give a suitable title to your description of an experience.
• Use linkers, for example, immediately, at once, meanwhile, in the meantime, in the end, at the same time, as, after that, before that to connect your ideas.
• Go back the memory lane so that you remember what happened exactly, when and how it affected your heart and mind. As you describe your experience, you should feel nostalgic.

Example of How to Write an Experience

My First Walk to Home from Schoo

“Goodbye, darwaanji!” Preeti and I said as we walked out of the school gate. Ayesha was my neighbour and a junior to me in school. We realized that our school bus has left. We held hands and started thinking what to do.
Few steps away I could see another school girl walking with her mother. I told Preeti to let us follow them as they live near our home.
Both of us walked on the left side of the road that had a footpath. We didn’t leave our hands. “Don’t worry, Preeti. We will reach home in sometime.” I said. She smiled, but I could understand she was a little nervous as we were walking by ourselves.

Preeti and I walked down the pathway following the lady and her daughter. Preeti stumped on a stone and fell down. Thankfully nothing happened. In the meanwhile, we lost track of her. We saw a crossing, stood with elders and managed to cross the road. I asked the policemen the way to a junction near my home. He showed me the way. “The walk is exciting Priya?” Preeti said. I smiled and said yes. I held Preeti’s hand very tight and said “I’ll show you the way”. I was proud to be walking my friend.

We passed big trees and a park. Just then, I heard a bark of a dog and saw it walking down the street. It was a black fierce looking street dog with long, sharp teeth. “Woof!!!” it barked. It again barked. I didn’t want my friend to get scared. She grabbed my hand tighter. I shooed it away with a stone.
We took off down the road quickly. After a while, I spotted that lady with her daughter. We could see our yellow school bus from a far distance. I realized that finally I am nearing my home.
“Come on,” I said, dragging Preeti along. We reached the steps of her building and saw her mom was waiting for her. “We did it!” I told her. I gave her a high-five and we both smiled. Inside, I felt proud as we were safe and it was a new experience.

Common Mistakes

1. Don’t introduce new ideas in the conclusion.
2. Pay attention to the minute details. When describing an experience, do not forget the small details that usually go unstated. Remember, it is these small details that give a personal touch and form your entire experience. These tiny details would be making it even more interesting to the reader.
3. Use first person point of view like I , me, my , mine.
4. Since you are describing about a past experience, ensure that you write it in past tense.