My Once Upon a Time, Lesson 1: Stories Live in Photographs

Lesson 1 — Stories Live Inside Photographs

What we learned today: Personal narrative is a true or imagined story told from a personal point of view — it uses literary tools to make a moment feel real and meaningful. The story can be true, partly true, or invented. We also looked at how the five literary elements — characterization, setting, plot, figurative language, and emotional/persuasive language — work together inside a single story. They are never separate boxes. They work like musical notes in a song.

What we practiced: We compared three texts — a news article, an encyclopedia entry, and a personal narrative — and discovered what makes personal narrative different from both. We read Grandfather’s Journey aloud and heard the unit prompt for the first time. We annotated the teacher’s model story in five color-coded groups and found sentences where two elements work at the same time.

What belongs in your Story Notebook from this lesson: Your definition of personal narrative in your own words; One sentence from the teacher’s model story where two elements work at the same time — name both

Mentor text used: Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say — a life told through photographs; belonging and longing

If you missed this class, do this first: Review the unit prompt: Write a story inspired by a photograph. Your reader should finish it and feel something. Obtain a copy of the teacher’s model story and underline examples of each of the five elements using different colored pens. In your Story Notebook, write your own definition of personal narrative and copy one sentence where two elements work at the same time — name both elements.

IMPORTANT: Bring a photograph to Lesson 2.