Dear Grade 8s 

I hope that you are enjoying your time at Alexandra High School. 

Please enter these notes into your transactional writing notebook (the 72 page book).

A Diary is a journal organized by date where you express your thoughts, feelings, opinions, and plans. So, be as candid as you can. Because this journal is your safe place. If you don’t know where to start, then start by writing about your day, about yourself, etc. 

The following are some of the items that can be found in a diary entry:

*Start with "Dear Diary"

*Include the date 

*Describe the places where the events happened. 

*Write in the past tense. 

*Use pronouns such as I, my, and me to show that the events happened to you. Diary entries are personal. 

*Talk about how you were feeling or what you were thinking about when the event happened. 

*Colloquial language may be used. 

*Generally has an informal tone. 

Please refer to the attached image to view an example of a diary entry format and its various components. 

EXERCISE:

Choose ONE of the following topics and write your own diary entry. Planning must be done (mind maps may be used). Word count: 160-180 words. 

**Take note that when a question requires you to write TWO separate diary entries the word count is divided between the two. For example: entry one is 100 words and entry two is 80 words. 

TOPIC 1:

You have been invited to accompany a friend to a live performance of one of your favourite artists. Write ONE diary entry on the evening before the event and ONE entry after the event

TOPIC 2:

Pick your favourite fiction book and pretend you are the main character. Write your diary entry from their point of view using their voice.