UNIT 3: NARRATIVE ESSAYS
WRITING PROCESS STEP 1: STIMULATING IDEAS
Exercise 1: Thinking about the topic
A. Discuss the picture with a partner
- A diver has just finished his work. In my opinion, before he works he feels
scared or curious but when he is working he has a keen interest in prosperous sea.
After finished work he feels proud himself because he had an impressed experience. B.
First, when I was 12 years old, my mom and me take part in a charity activity in
Cu Chi District. In there, we met lots of the poor, orphans and lonely elderly
people so we felt pity for their fate. And due to this reason so I always save my
money to help the poor and I learn many lessons after this trip. Second, I played a
dangerous game in Dai Nam tourist area. It’s a thrilling game and when I was
playing this game I felt scared and I shout loudly. It’s give me a dangerous
experience that I have never had.
Exercise 2: Reading about the topic
Exercise 3: Understanding the text 1.F 2.T 3.F 4.F
Exercise 4: Responding to the text
1.terrible, difficult, carefully
2.yes, I think the experience affected Carter’s personality because this job made
Carter become a responsibility person
3.This isn’t a good job for children because children get in touch with many poison
4.The most interesting sentence in the passage is “Covered with poison, they had
to be washed separately from the other clothing, so we didn’t change them every
day. It was particularly disgusting to put them pack on in the mornings”. It is
interesting because it made me thinking about the serious of that job and it need a
clearly process to finish produced. Exercise 5: Freewriting
The moment that I remember first of my childhood summer is I visited my
grandparent ’s house for 1 month. That’s an unforgettable memory of my mind.
Everyday, I waked up at 7 a.m and had a delicious breakfast that my grandma
made it. After that I always hang out with my cousin, we are play lots of games
such as logo, card, cooking and special we also play family rolling game. Then in
the afternoon my father came with me go fishing. Those memories make me remember until today. Writing Process Step 2
Exercise 1: Brainstorming ideas A. Event What I thought before What I thought after Charity activity I felt excited because I When I’m seeing the joy can help lots of the poor of people receiving gifts. I felt that all the hard work was worth B.
Last Saturday, I went to a live music concert that my school organized. I had the
best time at that concert. I was astounded by the musical beauty and paid close
attention to the artists' performances. My favorite singer, MONO also attended.
The school hall served as the stage for the concert. I arrived at the location by 4:00
pm, and it started around 6.30 pm. To watch the full concert, I had to wait more
than two hours to get the first row. So that I can enjoy the music and see my idol
clearly. I got to the music concert with some of my best friends and my classmates.
We all sat together in the same row. In fact, it was better for us because the front
seats had noisier sound. I had a great time at the concert.
Exercise 2: Identifying audience and purpose. A. Audience and Purpose 1.d 2.a 3.b 4.c B.
My sister will read my essay. She already knows about my experience because I
study far from home but I also have video calls with her every day. Therefore, My
relationship with my reader as my sister informal because we are siblings. In my
opinion, they will expect the lessons or the messages that I write in my essay. I
think the way I write suit for ages.
Exercise 3: Brainstorming vocabulary A 1.run (away), survey (in) 2.scared, curious, troubled B.
Hurry: in her hurry to write, she had several misspellings in the translation.
Warn: She warned me to drive carefully
Exercise 4: reading a student essay
The writer kissed the friend’s grandfather’s handand then told the little body not to
huge and kiss thegrandfather. The writer felt embarrassed because of acultural misunderstanding.
Exercise 5: Examining the student essay A.
1. the writer’s family and culture has strict rules for respecting grandparents. This is an important information
2. because he saw a little boy hug and kiss grandpa.
3.the writer learn thar the good manners are not the same indifferent countries. B. 1. two sentences
2.My parents taught me that I should respect grandparents more than anyone else
because grandparents had lived the longest. Hugging or kissing grandparents was
disrespectful. Instead, I was told to greet them by kissing their hand. 3. two sentences
I thought that everyone lived and thought just as I did. I soon found out this is not true
4. I was confused, I sat down and tried to figure out what had happened. Just then,
a little boy ran to my friend’s grandfather and jumped on his lap.
5.I explained my customs to her, and she explained hers to me. I learned that good
manners are not the same in different countries. It was a positive lesson.
6. a. the writer’s friend in the story. Exercise 6: Writing an outline I.Introduction
A. Briefly mention the event you will be attending
B. Highlight the significance or excitement surrounding the event II. Preparation
A.Discuss the anticipation and excitement leading up to the event
B.Mention any necessary preparations made ( getting tickets, planning transportation) III. Arrival at the event
A.Describe the atmosphere upon arrival( the buzz of the crowd, decorations, musics)
B.express initial impressions and emotions experienced IV.Event activities
A.Detail the diffirent activities or attractions at the event
B.Share personal experiences and interactions with others
C.Highlight any standout moments or performance V.Conclusion
A.Summarize the event experience and its significance to you
B.End on a positive note, expressing gratitude or anticipation for future events.
WRITING PROCESS STEP 3: DEVELOPING YOUR IDEAS
Exercise 1: reading a student essay
The scary secret is that the girls didn’t listen to their parents and were robbed when they went out.
Exercise 2: Examining the student essay
1. yes , it got by writer’s sentences
2. we had already decided to go out and explore this strange and beautiful city by ourselves
3. He describes that day and robber clearly.
4. the writer do this to give a strong impression for the readers
5. She should obey her parents and she will become an obedient daughter.
Exercise 3: Identifying time adverbs.
The adverbs are suddenly and very:
-Suddenly, he was fell while he was walking -The house is very big
Exercise 4: using subordinating conjunctions
2.People waited a long time for mail before it arrived
3. As soon as they saved enough money, they took a great vacation
4. She thought carefully about which gift to buy before she brought the more expensive one
5. She paid for my college after she retired
6.He went straight to his lab as soon as he got up in the morning
Exercise 5: Asking detail questions about an outline
2. Where do you play this game? What is thing affect to you try it?
3. Why do you go first? Where it is? How can you do it?
4. How ways do you jumped over the pommel horse? What do you feel after paly it?
5. Who do you learned by? What are things do you learned? How can you do it?
Exercise 6: Adding details to your outline
Some questions that my partner writes: What is it happened? When? What did you do at that time?
Exercise 7: Writing a first draft
Last summer, I volunteered at a local homeless shelter, and it was a profoundly
transformative experience. Serving meals, listening to their stories, and witnessing
the resilience of the individuals I met left an indelible mark on my soul. Each
encounter shattered my preconceived notions about homelessness and taught me
the importance of empathy and compassion. This charity experience taught me to
appreciate my privileges, advocate for social justice, and use my resources to uplift
those in need. It illuminated the inherent kindness and strength of the human spirit.
As I left the shelter, I carried with me the stories and lessons learned, determined to
continue serving others and fostering a more compassionate and equitable society.
Exercise 8: Peer editing a first draft
-Her favorite part of essay is “ This charity experience taught me to appreciate my
privileges, advocate for social justice, and use my resources to uplift those in need”
- Can she know a detail address?
WRITING PROCESS STEP 4: EDITING YOUR WRITING
Exercise 1: identifying background action
The verbs that describe background actions are was shining, were singing, were
playing, was playing, was hanging, was brewing, was talking, were discussing, was feeling.
Exercise 2: using the past continuous to describe actions in progress.
2. People was supporting the president
3. A storm was coming, and raining afterward
4.my grandma was settling down abroad
5.people was working hard in company.
Exercise 3: Setting the scene with background details 1.
It was an ordinary day at school, I arrived home, wearing a tired and hungry
expression, and was immediately greeted by the enticing aroma of the meal my
mother had been preparing. Excitement surged through me as I prepared cups and
chopsticks, arranging them on the table, eagerly anticipating my father's arrival.
Meanwhile, my mother was diligently cooking rice, filling the kitchen with its
comforting scent.Then I prepared tools to eat, arranged them on the table and
invited my father and mother eats. Eating together as a family was a cherished
tradition, strengthened our bond, and provided an opportunity to share the stories of our day. 2.
It was a cool and rainy night , I had a high fever in late of night and my father
discovered it and he was rushing out to buy medicine for me. At this time, my
mother was cooking porridge to help me eat better. I feel very appreciative of the
love my parents give for me. That's time I felt I had to value my health and realized
the lessons : not stay up late, eat healthy and study moderately.
Exercise 4:identìying time clauses with the Past Continuous 1.S 2.I 3.S 4.S 5.I 6.I
Exercise 5: Using subordinating conjunctions
2.My parents were traveling in Indonesia while visiting my relatives
3.The professor was correcting papers when students sat down and took the exam
4.Ken was working on the electrical system while Lisa was teaching students at the secondary school.
Exercise 6 :Editing a Paragraph Rain->raining Checked-> check Look->looking
It becoming-> it was becoming
The plane taking-> the plane was taking
Exercise 7:Editing your first draft and rewriting
Last summer, I volunteered at a local homeless shelter, and it was a profoundly
transformative experience. Serving meals, listening to their stories, and witnessing
the resilience of the individuals I met left an indelible mark on my soul. Each
encounter shattered my preconceived notions about homelessness and taught me
the importance of empathy and compassion. This charity experience taught me to
appreciate my privileges, advocate for social justice, and use my resources to uplift
those in need. It illuminated the inherent kindness and strength of the human spirit.
As I left the shelter, I carried with me the stories and lessons learned, determined to
continue serving others and fostering a more compassionate and equitable society.
Review: Putting It all Together
Exercise 1:Using subordinating conjunctions
1.Graduation day was very busy, we went to the auditorium for the ceremony after
we came home and prepared the food for the celebration dinner
2.The chef went to the store to buy all the ingredients before she came to the restaurant.
3.I was learning to ride a bike while I had a lot of bruises and cuts on my legs
4.writing became easier for him after he started doing it more frequently
5.I was in grade school when I used to think I would never learn to play tennis.
6.I never enjoyed eating vegetables when I was young later on, I started to like the taste
7.My brother was living at home while he taught me math.
8.I was afraid of the water before we moved to a house near a lake
9.My parents were visiting Paris while the bought a beautiful ring
10.The cowboys were taking the cows to the trains while they sang to the animals to keep them calm.
Exercise 2: Reviewing the simple past and past continuous 1.was walking 2.was looking 3.think 4.imagined 5.arrived 6.noticed 7.was looking for 8.was hearing
Exercise 7: Editing a paragraph Wait->waiting Was felt->felt
Hurrying along clutching->hurrying along and clutching Wave->waving Carried->carrying Running->ran