Basic 4 · Ghanaian Language · Creative and Free Writing
Writing a Story About a Past Event
In this topic you will write a one-paragraph story describing a past event.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Plan a story about a past event
- Write a paragraph using past tense and time words
- Check and improve your paragraph
What you already know
- Punctuation in narrative writing
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
- Strand
- Composition Writing
- Sub-strand
- Creative and Free Writing
- Indicator
- B4.4.2.1.1-2 – Write a one paragraph story describing a past event
Introduction
Think about a special day: a visit to the market, a festival, or a family celebration. You can write about it in one clear paragraph.
1. Planning
| Question | Example answer |
|---|---|
| What happened? | I went to the market |
| When? | last Saturday |
| Who was there? | my mother and I |
| What did you see and do? | we bought yams and fish; it was busy |
| How did you feel? | happy and tired |
2. A Model Paragraph
"Last Saturday, my mother and I went to Kejetia Market in Kumasi. The market was very busy and noisy. We bought yams, fish and tomatoes. My mother bargained with the sellers. In the evening, we went home tired but happy."
3. Time Words
first, then, next, after that, later, finally, in the evening
4. Checking
- Did I use the past tense?
- Did I use capital letters and punctuation?
- Are my events in order?
New words
- paragraph
- A group of sentences about one idea.
- past event
- Something that already happened.
- time words
- Words that show order, like first and then.
- bargain
- To discuss a lower price.
- draft
- A first version of writing.
- edit
- To check and correct writing.
Summary
- Plan your story with who, what, when and how.
- Write one paragraph in the past tense.
- Use time words to show order.
- Check and edit your work.
Class activity: My Past Event
- Look at the photographs of a local market or festival.
- Plan and write a paragraph about a past event in your Ghanaian language.
- Swap with a partner to check punctuation.
You need: Printed photographs of a local market or festival, Locally made story-planning cards, Exercise books, Pencils
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. A group of sentences about one idea is a…
- A. Paragraph
- B. Word
- C. Letter
- D. Song
Show answer
Answer: ParagraphThat is a paragraph.2. Which is a time word?
- A. Finally
- B. Yellow
- C. Chair
- D. Happy
Show answer
Answer: FinallyIt shows order.3. Which sentence is in the past tense?
- A. We bought yams.
- B. We buy yams.
- C. We will buy yams.
- D. We are buying yams.
Show answer
Answer: We bought yams.Bought is past tense.4. A story about a past event uses the past tense.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueIt already happened.5. Time words make the order of events unclear.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseThey make order clear.6. To discuss a lower price is to ______.
Show answer
Answer: bargainShoppers bargain.7. Write the first sentence of a story about a festival.
Show answer
Answer: E.g. Last year, I attended the Homowo festival in Accra.Use the past tense.8. Why should you check your paragraph after writing?
Show answer
Answer: To correct mistakes in tense, spelling and punctuation and improve clarity.Editing improves writing.
Homework
- Write a paragraph about a past event in your family.