Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Inbound 12144642660965758
Inbound 12144642660965758
Creative Nonfiction
Quarter 2 – Module 9:
WRITING A PIECE FROM A
MEMORABLE REAL-LIFE
EXPERIENCE
Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any
work of the Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government
agency or office wherein the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such
work for profit. Such agency or office may, among other things, impose as a condition the
payment of royalties.
This English Learning Kit is developed by the Schools Division of Iloilo and to
be utilized by DepEd Region VI - Western Visayas.
Introductory Message
Grade 12-Creative Nonfiction 2
Competency: Writing a Piece from Memorable Real-life Experience
(HUMSS_CNF11/12-IIg-j-20)
Welcome to Grade 11/12 Creative Nonfiction!
The English Learning Kit is a product of the collaborative efforts of the Division
of Iloilo Secondary English Teachers Association (DISETA) and the Division English
Coordinators Association (DECA) writers, illustrators, layout artists, reviewers, editors,
and Quality Assurance Team from the Department of Education, Schools Division of
Iloilo. This is developed to guide you dear learning facilitators in helping our learners
meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum.
The English Learning Kit aims to guide our learners in accomplishing activities at
their own pace and time. This also aims to assist learners in developing and achieving
the lifelong learning skills while considering their needs and situations.
The English Learning Kit is developed to address the current needs of the
learner to continue learning in the comforts of their homes or learning centers. As the
learning facilitator, make sure that you give them clear instructions on how to study and
accomplish the given activities in the material. Learner’s progress must be monitored.
The English Learning Kit is developed to help you, dear learner, in your needs to
continue learning even if you are not in school. This learning material aims to primarily
provide you with meaningful and engaging activities for independent learning. Being an
active learner, carefully read and understand to follow the instructions given.
TARGET
TRY THIS
ACTIVITY 1
LIFE’S LESSON
RECALL
ACTIVITY 2
SCRAMBLE CRAMBLES!
Directions: You only have to unscramble the following sets of letters to form terms
related
to forms of creative nonfiction. Write your answers on your notebook.
1. harpygobi ______________________
(Clue: It portrays the experiences of all events occurring in the life of a person.)
2. aegloretuv ______________________
(Clue: It is a piece of writing about travel.)
3. eimmor ______________________
(Clue: It came from a French word that means memory or reminiscence.)
Easy, right? You are correct that a biography portrays the experiences of all
events occurring in the life of a person. It is a little bit different from an autobiography with
reference to who writes it. A travelogue, on the other hand, is a travel account. It can be
write-up about a place, culture, festival, or food. When you write a memoir, you are
reminiscing a particular event in your (or someone’s) life. Take note that a memoir is
centralized or focused on a particular life-changing event occurred on a specific time and
place. Now, let us discuss the essays. A reflective essay is a write-up that examines and
explores life experiences. It does not only recount a specific experience but also how he
or she has changed or what he or she has learned from that experience. A narrative
essay is an essay that tells a story; thus, it should have the same elements of prose:
character, theme or motif, and dialogue. Bear in mind that the plot should be
chronological.
DO THIS
Born Gorgeously
“Aarrrgghhhh! Arrraaaaaay! Goryo, I swear! I…won’t let you… Aarrrgghhhh!
Come near me again! Arrraaaaaay! And don’t even dare! Aarrrgghhhh!”
My mother’s ear-piercing wails at two o’clock in the morning of February 17,
2001 made the frenzied bats bump into each other. Outside the bedroom where she
laid, the beads of sweat on the forehead of my father drizzled over my elder brother
and sister because of fright and thrill. After a few more of mother’s screams, a
baby’s shrill cry was heard. Tiya Ising was cleaning me up when…
“Ay, Goryo, your son is your chip off the block! Takya really adores you very
much!”, the midwife sniggered as if she found my resemblance with my father
ridiculously hilarious.
I was baptized in May 2001 when the butterflies and the flowers were the
most radiant and splendid. My brown eyes grew wide the moment I heard my
mother’s peculiarly soft voice.
“Gorgonio. Gorgonio Junior will this sweet baby’s name be.” And the priest’s
shoulders shook with suppressed laughter while pouring my head with so much holy
water that it flowed down the altar to the pews. That moment, I realized that God
must love comedies of errors.
So, with or without a choice, you should call me “Gorgy” because it was
never sinful to be born GORGEOUS! (And I…thank you!)
Butt out, stomach in, breast out, I strutted like a future Miss Universe to our
classroom. The door met me with our godly teacher in Grade 3, Mr. Chavez. He
looked like as if an Apollo on earth. I was dazed to the ground as if I were
hypnotized… and I must have a heart attack that day! Then suddenly… Gorgonio Jr.
Sacramento Reyes echoed through the four walls of our classroom and my fairy tale
world grazed, crushed, and vanished. There it all ended my colorful dreams with Sir
Chavez, all because he mentioned my god-forsaken full name.
I was in the tenth grade when I experienced to have butterflies in my
stomach…again! It was Cholo of Grade 10-STE. He swept me off my feet when he
won the title Mr. Campus Teens of our school. Cholo was a perfect guy: drop dead
gorgeous and smart! One fateful day, he sent me to seventh heaven when he held
my 24-inch waist and just like a romantic movie, he held my gaze and everything
went to a slow motion! As if the crimson leaves of the umbrella trees slowly inched
their way to the ground and I swear that I heard the angels sing! How wouldn’t I
drool when I held his perfect nose, perfect teeth, perfect hair, perfect face in my
gaze as hot as a brand?
“I love you, Cholo…” I breathed.
Questions:
1. What is the full name of the narrator / author of the story?
3. Why do you think is the gender of the narrator / author? What are the facts used in
the write-up that made you say so?
4. Do you think everyone, including you, was born gorgeously? Why or why not?
EXPLORE
E
Grade 12-Creative Nonfiction 8
Competency: Writing a Piece from Memorable Real-life Experience
(HUMSS_CNF11/12-IIg-j-20)
Great! You did a wonderful job in
providing possible answers in the first
activity. Now, let us connect your
responses to the following questions.
Write your answers in your CNF
notebook.
3. How can this activity develop your understanding of writing a piece from a
memorable experience?
An example of autobiography:
When I was three and Bailey four,10we had arrived in the musty little town,
Grade 12-Creative Nonfiction
wearing
Competency: Writing a Piecetags on our Real-life
from Memorable wristsExperience
which instructed--"To Whom It May Concern"--that
(HUMSS_CNF11/12-IIg-j-20)
we were Marguerite and Bailey Johnson Jr., from Long Beach, California, en
route to Stamps, Arkansas, c/o Mrs. Annie Henderson.
WHAT IS A MEMOIR?
I. DEFINITION
A memoir, objective and anecdotal in emphasis, is a collection of memories that
someone writes about his or her own life. The definition of memoir is very similar to that
of autobiography; in fact, many consider memoirs to be a subset of the genre of
autobiography. There is a key difference, however: an autobiography can cover an entire
span of a life, whereas a memoir is usually centered on a specific part of a life. The
memoir might cover an important turning point in a person’s life, or a particularly
memorable story or group of touchstone events.
II. WRITING A MEMOIR
You don’t have be someone great to be able to write a memoir. In fact, these
famous memoir writers started from being a novice writer, only that they have great
stories to tell and lessons from these stories have made them what they are right now.
Yes, now is the time for you to share your great stories with life-changing lessons. But
first, these are the tips in writing an effective memoir.
1) Put your audience in your shoes. There goes a rule-of-the-thumb line in writing
any effective article: Show, do not tell. Instead of telling your reader that you were born in
the month of December, for example, you might say “I was born when the chilly air
wafted the aroma cooked ham and the tunes of “Jingle Bells” and “Oh, Come All Ye
Faithful.”
3) Add the impact in your life today. Since a memoir is reminiscing a life-changing
experience, it must have an impact in your present, on what you are right now.
5) Do not lie. Facts make fiction a nonfiction. Since personal narratives capitalize on
facts, as a writer, you should include only the facts. Yes, you are thinking that it might be
boring but, remember, elements of fiction such as dialogue and descriptions will bring
your work to life.
6) Do not lose your voice. It is believed that a write-up mirrors its author. You pen
down yourself, your personality, your attitude, your tone towards your subject. You only
have to be consistent with your voice.
Here is an example of a memoir. Kindly read it and complete the activity that
follows.
An example of memoir:
Every human being with cognitive functions under the control of sanity aims to
step on the podium of winners. This desire is understandable since triumph is naturally
sweeter than heaven filled with red velvet cakes while losing, on the other hand, is as
bitter and sorrowful as a bachelor and widow during Valentine's Day.
Even I - a confessed deviant of norms had a grandeur of daydreams relating to
personal victories that drowned my thoughts with confetti and deafened my ears with
imaginary yet thunderous applause. It may sound pathetic, but I truly believed that I was
born and coded with the same winning genes that made Michael Jordan or Napoleon
Bonaparte compelling and victorious characters.
Fueled by unparalleled delusions of grandeur, I decided to join a journalism
contest where I never practiced nor studied any form of technique and topic related to the
process of writing journalistic texts. I believed that whether I prepare or not, the outcome
would be inevitable: me emerging victoriously with an ear-to-ear smile carved on my
visage.
But fate had other plans while reality was slapped me with a five-fingered wake-up
call.
I did not win anything. It was a harsh realization. The twin demons of sudden
abysmal self-esteem and societal pressure have haunted and terrorized my spirit and
shattered my core.
But I learned valuable lessons. Having talent and self-belief alone would never
makeNonfiction
Grade 12-Creative a person win. A king's diamond crown 12 is powerless when placed upon the head of
Competency:someone
Writing a Piece from Memorable
who trained Real-life
to beExperience
a jester. And an idle brain will always be the devil's
(HUMSS_CNF11/12-IIg-j-20)
playground.
After tasting defeat, I practiced and worked hard. I poured my soul in my pen and
WHAT IS A REFLECTIVE ESSAY?
I. DEFINITION
A reflective essay is an analytical practice in which the writer describes a real
scene, event, passing thought, memory, or interaction and adding a personal reflection
on the meaning of the incident in his/her life. It is similar to a journal entry only that it
requires better coherence, structure, and mechanics. The writer primarily examines
his/her life for him/her to provide a platform to recount a particular life experience and to
explore how he/she has changed or learned from the said experience. To put it simply,
reflective essays constitute a critical examination of a life experience.
II. WRITING A REFLECTIVE ESSAY
Reflective writing can be presented in various formats, but you will most often see
it in a learning log format or diary entry. Diary entries in particular are used to convey
how the author’s thoughts have developed and evolved over the course of a particular
period. The format may also depend on the target audience. It could be academic or
journalistic or personal. To cap it all, just remember that just like any other academic
papers, your reflective essay should have an interesting introduction, a substantial body,
and an effective ending.
Once you have chosen the topic of your essay, it is really important you study it
thoroughly and spend a lot of time trying to think about it vividly. Write down everything
you can remember about it, describing it as clearly and fully as you can. Keep your five
senses in mind as you do this, and be sure to use adjectives to describe your
experience. At this stage, you can simply make notes using short phrases, but you need
to ensure that you’re recording your responses, perceptions, and your experience of the
event(s).
A great way to start reflecting is to pick out some reflection questions which will
help you think deeper about the impact and lasting effects of your experience. Here are
some useful questions that you can consider:
1) What have you learned about yourself as a result of the experience?
2) Have you developed because of it? How?
3) Did it have any positive or negative bearing on your life?
Recently, photos of Sunshine Cruz and her daughters Agelina, Chesca, and
Sam circulated on social media platforms, and many people have been
objectifying them publicly. Sadly, I saw my students and friends do the same. I was
genuinely disheartened with such behavior.
Sunshine could be anyone's mother or wife. She is no different from your
parent, who raised you well to be educated. Her hands are no different from the
hands that held you when you had your first step. How could people afford to
disrespect her at a time when she's most proud of her children?
Her daughters could be anyone's sister or girlfriend. They could be your shy
classmate in the corner who's not really shy but is traumatized when you catcalled
her, first day of class. They could be my two female maritime students in a room of
20 male cadets, looking uncomfortable whenever prostitution is made fun in class.
How could people afford to objectify such children when they are just budding to
be the most empowered women they could be?
Sunshine could be any woman. Sunshine could be anyone.
I recently questioned myself if I failed to make my friends and students
understand that women deserve the same respect men demand from them. Are
we a generation believing that clothing or its lack thereof is an invitation rather than
self-expression? Is weaponizing women's confidence against them to justify our
carnal desires still a thing? Or is it just the patriarchy?
Whatever that is, I know that my voice is quieter than the louder forces
against me – bigotry, misogyny, and fragile masculinity.
I call for boys to act like men. The world needs you. Use your balls for the
right battles.
-An excerpt from Elijah Jose C. Barrios’ Facebook post
Personal narratives are personal accounts of experiences put into writing using
the conventions of fiction such as literary devices, dialogue, plot, and style but putting
facts as paramount element.
There are various forms of personal narratives such as autobiography, memoir,
reflective essay, and literary journalism.
An autobiography is true, self-written life story spanning from birth to the present.
A memoir, a contested subtype of autobiography, is an objective and anecdotal in
emphasis, is a collection of memories that someone writes about his or her own life.
Quite a little different from autobiography because a memoir only limits to a particular
experience or time in one’s life.
A reflective essay, similar to journal entry, is an analysis of a real scene, event,
passing thought, memory, or interaction and adding a personal reflection on the meaning
of the incident in his/her life. As an academic piece, it requires better coherence,
structure, and mechanics than a journal entry.
Activity 5
ROLL IT!
Directions: In a piece of paper copy the diagram below. Then, cut out the cube template
below and assemble it. Roll it like a dice and answer whatever questions the
face shows. Do the activity thrice so you will have three answers for the
question below. No repetition of answers, please. Write your answers in
your
CNF notebook. Do not forget to attach your assembled cube when
submitting
your output.
1 thing
I learned
1 thing
I learned
R
LEARN MORE
Activity 6
MIRROR, MIRROR ON MY EARS
Directions: Listen to your favorite songs and choose one song that has the most impact
on you. Complete the organizer below with your answers. Write your
answers
in your CNF notebook.
Stanza / Part of the Song that Strikes The meaning of the song
Me the Most: developed me as a person by:
________________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ ___________________________
_____________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ _______________________
________________________________ ___________________________
_____________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ _______________________
_____________________________ ___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
____________
My life experiences that I can relate the Skills / values / perspectives have
____________________
song with: I acquired through the meaning of
________________________________ my life experiences and the song:
________________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ ____________________
________________________________ ___________________________
________________________________ ___________________________
___________________________
_______________________
3) If you have the luxury of a computer and printer, print your output on an
8.5x11 (short-sized) white paper. You can choose from these font styles:
Arial, Tahoma, Verdana, Times New Roman, Bookman Old Style, or
Century Gothic. The font size should be 11 or 12. Line spacing is 1.15 and
“moderate” margins. Don’t forget the pagination on the lower right part of
the pages.
4) You may also want your output handwritten. Do not forget to paginate
your paper.
5) The output shall have a cover page with the title Nostalgia: A Story from
the Heart and your name in the next line followed by your grade and
strand and section (if applicable).
events
included in the
autobiography
and it is not
particularly
inviting
to the reader.
Many events are Some events are Events are placed Events are placed
not in a logical not in a logical in a logical order, in a logical order
order. There is order, and this but it is evident and the way they
little sense that distracts the that events were are presented
Organization
details merely tell; tell; few of the vivid; literary details are so
the work needs literary devices devices are well- vivid that makes
literary devices to confuse the used. the reader
create an effect. reader. experience the
scenes; literary
devices are
employed very
effectively.
ACTIVITY 2
SCRAMBLE CRAMBLES!
1. biography 4. reflective essay
2. travelogue 5. narrative essay
3. memoir
Explore
1. Answers may vary.
2.
a. Facts and elements of fiction
b. Dialogue, plot, style, figurative language, figures of speech, sound devices,
among others
c. Chronological
d. Humor
3. Answers may vary.