CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.6

By Anonymous (not verified), 4 March, 2026

Revising Personal Narratives

Once you draft your personal narrative, take a break and come back to it to see it freshly. When you revise, you make sure the people, places, and events are clearly described and the writing captures the experience in a vivid way. These activities will help you revise.

Revising to Add Sensory Details

To help your story come alive, you can add details about what you saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched. These are called sensory details.

Sensory details help you show readers what is happening, rather than just telling them. You can collect these details in a sensory chart.

See

Hear

Smell

Taste

Touch

bright pink, yellow, and red dresses

sparkly suits

big green chilis in white sauce

beat of guitar and trumpets

laughter and fast conversations

yummy smells coming from the kitchen

soupy and spicy green pepper

delicious tacos

flaky pastries

high fives

Watch the video "Sensory Details."

Hide video

See

bright pink, yellow, and red dresses

sparkly suits

big green chilis in white sauce

Hear

beat of guitar and trumpets

laughter and fast conversations

Smell

yummy smells coming from the kitchen

Taste

soupy and spicy green pepper

delicious tacos

Touch

flaky pastries

high fives

Add sensory details.

Read the first draft of your personal narrative. Think of sensory details that you could add to make the writing come alive. Record the details in a sensory chart. Then add them to your personal narrative. Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.

By Anonymous (not verified), 4 March, 2026

Editing Personal Narratives

After making big changes to improve your personal narrative, you need to make little changes (editing) to correct any remaining errors. You'll look for problems with sentences, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, usage, and spelling. The following activities will help you edit your narrative.

Editing Dialogue for Quotation Marks

Dialogue uses quotation marks. These special marks go before and after the exact words of the speaker.

“Yum,” I said.

Manny’s dad said, “Welcome to the fiesta.”

Periods and commas that follow the speaker’s words always go inside the quotation marks.

“It’s time to change into our costumes,” said Manny. “Follow me.”

Question marks and exclamation marks go inside the quotation marks when they punctuation the dialogue.

“Are you ready for this?” asked Manny.

“Wow!” I said.

Watch the video "Punctuating Dialogue."

Hide video

Insert quotation marks.

Insert quotation marks before and after the speaker’s words. Use the examples on this page for help. (Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.) The first one has been done for you.

By Anonymous (not verified), 4 March, 2026

Revising Personal Narratives

Once you draft your personal narrative, take a break and come back to it to see it freshly. When you revise, you make sure the people, places, and events are clearly described and the writing captures the experience in a vivid way. These activities will help you revise.

Revising to Add Sensory Details

To help your story come alive, you can add details about what you saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched. These are called sensory details.

Sensory details help you show readers what is happening, rather than just telling them. You can collect these details in a sensory chart.

See

Hear

Smell

Taste

Touch

bright pink, yellow, and red dresses

sparkly suits

big green chilis in white sauce

beat of guitar and trumpets

laughter and fast conversations

yummy smells coming from the kitchen

soupy and spicy green pepper

delicious tacos

flaky pastries

high fives

Watch the video "Sensory Details."

Hide video

See

bright pink, yellow, and red dresses

sparkly suits

big green chilis in white sauce

Hear

beat of guitar and trumpets

laughter and fast conversations

Smell

yummy smells coming from the kitchen

Taste

soupy and spicy green pepper

delicious tacos

Touch

flaky pastries

high fives

Add sensory details.

Read the first draft of your personal narrative. Think of sensory details that you could add to make the writing come alive. Record the details in a sensory chart. Then add them to your personal narrative. Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.

By Anonymous (not verified), 4 March, 2026

Editing Personal Narratives

After making big changes to improve your personal narrative, you need to make little changes (editing) to correct any remaining errors. You'll look for problems with sentences, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, usage, and spelling. The following activities will help you edit your narrative.

Editing Dialogue for Quotation Marks

Dialogue uses quotation marks. These special marks go before and after the exact words of the speaker.

“Yum,” I said.

Manny’s dad said, “Welcome to the fiesta.”

Periods and commas that follow the speaker’s words always go inside the quotation marks.

“It’s time to change into our costumes,” said Manny. “Follow me.”

Question marks and exclamation marks go inside the quotation marks when they punctuation the dialogue.

“Are you ready for this?” asked Manny.

“Wow!” I said.

Watch the video "Punctuating Dialogue."

Hide video

Insert quotation marks.

Insert quotation marks before and after the speaker’s words. Use the examples on this page for help. (Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.) The first one has been done for you.

Subject: Thanks for the Vacation Pictures! Dear Ms. Nathan, Thanks for attaching your vacation pictures! You look great in them! Wow, traveling to Yosemite Park sounds cool. And it’s nice you and Dr. Nathan are doing something special every weekend. That’s great that you are playing the Mozart Concerto in C, even though you are playing an easy version. Yes! I am proud of you. I am in Level 3 in piano. Morse School is really looking great. They are almost done remodeling. I wish you could see it. I think we’ll get to move back in soon. My new teacher is Ms. Porter.