Personal Narrative: Pre-Writing activity - Free Printable

Let’s walk through this step by step.

This worksheet is helping you plan a short personal story — something that really happened to you. The goal is to pick one small moment (not a whole day or week, just a tiny part of it) and organize your thoughts so you can write about it clearly later.

Here’s how to fill it out:

1. Small Moment: Think of one specific thing that happened — like “I dropped my ice cream cone,” or “My dog jumped on me when I got home,” or “I finally solved a hard math problem.” Write that in the top box.

2. Who was there? List the people (or pets!) who were with you during that moment. For example: “Me, my little brother, and our mom.”

3. Where were you? Say where it happened — like “in the kitchen,” “at the park,” or “on the school bus.”

4. When did it happen? Give a time — like “last Saturday afternoon,” “during lunch yesterday,” or “right after school ended.”

5. What happened? This is the main event! Break it into 5 steps so you remember the order:
- Step 1: What started it?
- Step 2: What happened next?
- Step 3: Then what?
- Step 4: What came after that?
- Step 5: How did it end?

Example (just to show you how it works):

- Small Moment: I spilled juice on my shirt at breakfast.
- Who was there? Me and my dad.
- Where were you? In the kitchen.
- When did it happen? This morning, right before school.
- What happened?
1. I poured orange juice into my cup.
2. I tried to carry it to the table.
3. My cat ran between my legs.
4. I tripped and spilled the juice all over my white shirt.
5. Dad laughed and helped me clean up.

Now it’s your turn! Pick your own small moment and fill in each box honestly — no need to make it big or dramatic. Small moments often make the best stories.

Final Answer:
Fill in each section of the worksheet with details from one small real-life moment you experienced. Start by choosing the moment, then list who was there, where you were, when it happened, and break down what happened into 5 clear steps.