Students will start working on a personal essay. At the end of this lesson, students are going to:
- Add literary elements to their essay.
- Analyze the tone, structure, and style of a personal essay.
- Examine how literary elements improve a personal essay.

- In what ways does text interaction encourage thought and action?

- Inference: A judgment based on reasoning rather than on a direct or explicit statement. A conclusion based on facts or circumstances; understandings gained by “reading between the lines.” 
- Tone: The attitude of the author toward the audience and characters (e.g., serious or humorous). 
- Voice: The fluency, rhythm, and liveliness in writing that make it unique to the writer. 

- Maya Angelou. (2009). I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Ballantine Books
Alternatives materials: 
- Anne Frank. (1996). The Diary of a Young Girl. Anchor.
- Elie Wiesel. (2006). Night. Hill and Wang.
- Natalie Goldberg. (2010). Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Shambhala.
- writing folder

During the lesson, concentrate on how to use fiction elements in a personal essay. Assess students' understanding of the components of fiction using the following checklist: 
- The student's essay satisfies the requirements specified in the prompt.
- The elements of fiction are skillfully employed in students' writing.
- When necessary, give each student personalized feedback and extra guidance or practice.

Clear instruction, active participation, and scaffolding 
W: Have students complete an exercise in creative writing to make the connection between the elements of fiction and nonfiction, especially the personal essay. 
H: Ask students to write about a life event that stands out to them. 
E: Help students understand that the structure of a narrative is a natural writing style that entails introducing the characters, setting, and events (plot) sequentially. 
R: Encourage students to write personal essays as a way to deepen their grasp of literary devices. 
E: To review and assess their writing assignments, students should be encouraged to store them in a writing folder. 
T: Offer opportunities for students to collaborate in pairs, small groups, and large groups.
O: This lesson's learning activities include pair work, large-group instruction and discussion, and individual application of the material.

Main question: What is the role of literary elements in enhancing a personal essay?

Say, "Assume you work as a reporter for a newspaper. Consider a life experience that stands out as a memorable event. This might be something that happened recently or in the past. Now, list some common questions that people might have regarding this experience. What kind of questions would they be?"

Ask the following questions, then record them on the interactive whiteboard or board:

What happened to whom (the main character)
At what time did the incident occur?
Where did the incident take place?
What precisely took place?
How did the incident take place?
What makes this occasion noteworthy?
Who is recounting the incident?

Part 1

Read a text that serves as an example of a memoir with elements of fiction, as mentioned in the materials.

Ask students to compose a few "story starters." On the board, write the following sentence: What is the event that you remember the most?

Say to them, "Consider this question since you will write about your most memorable experience soon. Once I say "write," you have precisely three minutes to write about your most memorable experience. Don't be concerned about errors. Just write." (After engaging in the freewriting exercise, you might want to read what you wrote out loud.)

Say "Write." Three minutes later, say, "In the next few seconds, complete your last sentence. After that, read over what you wrote for two minutes. Remember to make any necessary adjustments as you can."

Invite volunteers to present their written work. After that, assign students to read aloud their responses in pairs. The majority of student stories are structured to reveal the plot (introduction, one or two turning points, and possibly a crucial turning point) as well as the main character, setting, and point of view (typically first person). Students will hear a range of tones (from serious to humorous) and styles (from memoir to description to story). One of the main objectives of this lesson is to discover this variety.

Pose a question: "Did you notice any similarities in the writing as you listened to your classmates?" Many of the elements of fiction will be present in the stories written by most students. The purpose of this activity is to teach students that fiction is a part of all storytelling.

Say, "The purpose of this story starter was to assist you in beginning your essay. Let's try a different story opener."

Choose a new prompt from the list below:

Write about a life-altering experience that you had.
In your life, who is the most significant person, and why?
Write about the location you found most interesting.
Tell us one thing about you that not many people know.

Part 2

Ask students to respond with a third-choice prompt or another story starter. Give them instructions to store these exercises in a writing folder. Natalie Goldberg's book Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within has this writing exercise as well as more writing exercises.

Extension:

Let students select their preferred writing prompt and proceed with composing the initial version of their essays. Ask them to edit their writing through peer review. You can evaluate students' writing skills by asking them to turn in a final draft.

For many college applications, the personal essay is a crucial component. Display multiple college applications for the class to examine how the personal essays of the students could be utilized in their college applications.