Ask students to choose a narrative they have written or one from the online resources above, that they wish to tell to the class. Discuss how it is not possible to tell a story exactly the same each time and how the construction of stories aids the memory. If students need help with story sturcture, see Step 5 of the 4th Grade Procedure about using Story Maps . Print, duplicate, and distribute the Personal Experience Narrative Checklist . Review the task, explaining that students must plan to include all of the Quality Indicators in their retelling.
Students rate themselves in practice sessions, then retell stories to a peer.
Classmates listen for the variations from the original in the retelling, check the Quality Indicators on the list, then write comments in the Audience Feedback section. Teacher can use the Checklist for grading students when they perform before the whole class or other audience. Often folk artists tell personal experience narratives in genres such as story quilts, paintings, or sculpture. Other visual folk artists such as Clementine Hunter or Henry Watson also tell their stories through paintings. Study the work of one of these artists, perhaps with the help of a visual arts specialist, and paint one of your own personal experience narratives.