Narrative Essay: My First Day in Secondary School – JSS1 English Lesson Note (First Term)

A narrative essay tells a story about something that happened to the writer. It describes events in the order they happened, usually in the first person (“I”) and in the past tense. A good narrative essay has an introduction, a body that tells the events, and a conclusion that shows what the writer felt or learnt.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• say what a narrative essay is;
• name the three parts of a narrative essay;
• list the events in the sample essay in the order they happened;
• identify the writer’s feelings and what the writer learnt from the experience;
• write a narrative essay titled “My First Day in Secondary School” about their own experience.

What are the features of a narrative essay?

Tips for writing a narrative

• Use the first person (“I”, “my”) because you are telling your own story.
• Use the past tense: “I walked”, “she told me”.
• Use time words such as first, then, after, later and that evening.
• Say how you felt: excited, nervous, shocked, proud.
• Write in paragraphs and keep to one story.

Sample essay: My first day in secondary school

The clock struck 6:30. I was in bed at home in Ibadan, and it was time to get up. When I heard Mummy coming towards my room, I jumped out of bed at once. It was the first day of secondary school. I was excited because I would wear my new uniform and meet new friends. I was also a little nervous because I did not know what the new school would be like. I brushed my teeth, ate my breakfast quickly, and thought of nothing except the special day ahead.

Daddy drove me to school. He asked me many questions and told me what to do after school, but I hardly heard him. Walking through the gate and looking around the school compound, I kept telling myself, “This is my time, now let me make it happen.” After the first two lessons, the day was going well. I had seen many of my friends, and the teachers were kind.

At break time, I went to look for the toilet. Behind the block, I saw one of my closest friends, Tunde, standing with a few other boys. They were whispering that they would climb the back fence after break and run away from the afternoon lessons. I was shocked. I did not know how to react, so I walked away quickly and went back to class.

That evening, I told my parents what I had seen. They had taught me to stay away from bad influence and had warned me that any mistakes I make now will show in the future. I knew Tunde’s plan was a poor decision and that I should not follow it. After a few weeks, we were no longer close friends. I learnt that there will always be people who try to pull me away from the right path, and that I must stay on it.

Studying the sample essay

• Introduction: the first paragraph, which gives the time, the place (at home in Ibadan) and the writer’s feelings (excited and nervous).
• Body: the ride to school, the first two lessons and the break-time event.
• Conclusion: the last paragraph, which tells what the parents taught and what the writer learnt.

Evaluation

1. At what time did the writer’s day begin?
2. Who did the writer hear coming towards the room?
3. Why was the writer both excited and nervous?
4. What were the boys behind the block planning to do?
5. In which tense is the sample essay mainly written?
6. Which part of the essay tells what the writer learnt?

Answer key for teachers

1. 6:30.
2. Mummy (the writer’s mother).
3. Excited because of the new uniform and new friends, and nervous because the writer did not know what the new school would be like.
4. To climb the back fence after break and run away from the afternoon lessons.
5. The past tense.
6. The conclusion (the last paragraph).

Assignment

Write your own narrative essay with the title “My First Day in Secondary School”. Use three or four paragraphs, with an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Write in the first person and the past tense, and say how you felt.