A Time I Tried Something New — Personal Narrative — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 4th Grade narrative writing writing prompt.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet4th Grade · English · Narrative WritingA Time I Tried Something New — Personal Narrative — Answers
Plan
Spend five minutes planning. Short notes are fine.
- AI was very nervous.
- BMy knees shook as I gripped the rail.
- CI felt nervous that day.
- DBeing nervous is not fun.
Answer: My knees shook as I gripped the rail.
It shows the feeling through an action the reader can picture.
Answer: Jumping off the high dive at the city pool, on the first Saturday of summer.
Answer: "You can do it!" my sister yelled from the water below.
Answer: Standing at the end of the board, the water looked tiny. I counted to three twice before my feet finally left the board.
Answer: Before: scared, with shaking knees. During: my stomach dropped. After: proud and ready to do it again.
Answer: Being scared does not mean I cannot do something. Sometimes the scariest part is the waiting.
Write
Model answer: The High Dive. "You can do it!" my sister yelled from the water below. I was not so sure. My knees shook as I climbed the ladder, one wet step at a time. At the top, the pool looked as small as a bathtub. I walked to the end of the board and curled my toes over the edge.
Success criteria:
- An opening hook that draws the reader in
- The story focuses on one important moment
- Feelings are shown through actions and dialogue
- Dialogue uses quotation marks, with commas and periods inside the closing quotation mark
- A new paragraph for each new part of the story
- An ending that reflects on what the writer learned
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.