1. Narrative Essay: You are telling a story!
A. This is a specific style of writing in which you are telling a story about somebody--you, a family member or a public figure.
B. A narrative is a written account of connected events
C. In this case, the connected ‘events’ are the personal story and the research into the mental health disorder
D. You will do this by weaving together either a) information gained from your interview(s) and research if you are writing about yourself or a family member ; OR b) your research on the disorder and the life of the public figure.
E. The paper should not read like an encyclopedia entry, rather, a personal account that includes information from the interviews (if applicable), your research and your personal reaction and response to what you learned.
F. Your best bet will be to read through the sample essays (linked on Its Learning) I have provided to get the feel and flow of a narrative essay.
2. Purpose and Audience
A. Purpose: To destigmatize mental illness for all who would read your essay
B. Audience: A reader who is skeptical about the seriousness of mental illness
3. Introduction (approx. ½-1 page)
A. Can be one or multiple paragraphs
B. Hook: Open the paper with a story, a statistic, a quotation, or a question--something that grabs the attention of the reader
C. Background: You must clearly identify the subject of the paper (who) and the mental health disorder(s) that will be discussed
D. Statement of purpose: Think of this as your ‘argument.’ You will explain how/why the essay will allow the reader to destigmatize the mental health disorder.
4. Body of the Paper (each paragraph approx ½ page in length)
A. Paragraphs should be:
i. In a logical order that makes it easy to follow your train of thought
ii. Fully identify and explain the causes, symptoms and treatment of the disorder
iii. Seamlessly blend the personal story of the subject of the paper with scholarly research on the disorder
5. Conclusion (approx ½-¾ of a page)
A. Open by explaining the importance of the topic
B. Re-address the significance of destigmatizing mental illness
C. Explain what you have learned from the experience of researching and writing the essay
D. Think about what you want the reader to walk away with after finishing your paper
6. What else?
A. Paper Details
i. Intro=3-page minimum
ii. College Prep=4-page minimum
iii. Honors=6-page minimum
iv. Spacing=Double
v. Font=Times New Roman
B. Annotated Works Cited page:
i. Follows MLA format
ii. Is in alphabetical order
iii. Intro=4 source minimum
iv. College Prep=5 source minimum
v. Honors=8 source minimum
C. Parenthetical citations
i. Quotations
ii. Stats
iii. Any ideas that are not your own
D. Proofreading
i. Check for spelling, grammatical, capitalization errors
ii. Check transitions between paragraphs
E. Let me help!
i. My prep periods are 2, 4, & 8