Name | Description |
Narrative Writing: A Lesson Learned the Hard Way in “Thank You, M’am” | In this lesson, students will read Langston Hughes’ short story “Thank You, M’am,” analyzing the impact of plot and character in developing the story’s theme. After reading the story, students will use details gathered from the text to write a narrative that predicts/portrays what would occur if the characters met again. |
A Close Reading: An Excerpt from A Corner of the Universe | In this lesson, students will read an excerpt from A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin. Students will explore how a character's point of view can influence how events are described and shape a text. Upon completion of the close reading activities, students will practice their narrative writing skills by creating an original dialogue between the main character and her mother. |
A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative | This two-day lesson, "A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative," by Traci Gardner, is provided by ReadWriteThink.org, a website developed by the International Reading Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, with support from the Verizon Foundation. In the lesson, students view an image that tells a story and brainstorm the possible event or situation the image illustrates. Each student then writes a narrative from the point of view of one of the characters, revealing the character's thoughts/feelings and the events that led up to the image or the events that will follow. |
Choose Your Own Adventure: A Hypertext Writing Experience | This lesson prepares students for a summative assessment in which they co-author a narrative modeled after Choose Your Own Adventure stories. After reading one or more adventure stories, the teacher will facilitate discussion of the second person point of view while helping students identify the story's literary elements including setting, character, plot, and conflict. Students will then meet in literature circles to brainstorm ideas for their own group Choose Your Own Adventure story. Web authorizing software needed if wanting to post on the web. Groups create their own websites. Parts of the story can be hyperlinked to each other and uploaded to the internet. Graphic organizers, links to online Choose Your Own Adventure-style stories, and a rubric for students to conduct self-assessment are provided in this web resource. |
The Secret Life Continues: An Extension of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" | After students read James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," they will write a narrative of a daydream to add to the text using narrative techniques and incorporating multimedia elements. |
Planning and Producing Plot | Students will plan a fictional narrative focusing on the parts of the plot diagram- exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. They will create a storyboard to illustrate each element of their fictional narrative. |
Positive Steps: Using The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens | In this multi-day lesson, students will work collaboratively to conduct brief research and create a presentation on one of the habits, from the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. After sharing their multimedia presentations with the class, students will determine which one is most important to them personally. Students will write a response to explain how that habit can provide a positive personal impact. |
Name | Description |
Do You Want to Build a Story? | Learn how to set up your story through the elements of exposition. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice setting up your story idea by establishing the characters, setting, and conflict. |
Name | Description |
Creative Writing Through Wordless Picture Books | Wordless picture books can help students who struggle with writing narratives. In this teaching idea,"Creative Writing Through Wordless Picture Books" by Dr. Laurie A. Henry through ReadWriteThink.org, students verbally create stories to accompany wordless picture books. They then transfer their stories to writing by first attaching sticky notes to pages and later combining the sticky notes to form the complete narratives. This teaching idea also links to an online interactive story map, which might be helpful for students as they work to generate story ideas. |
Name | Description |
Analyzing an Autobiography through "Rosa Parks: My Story" | This sixth grade unit on Rosa Parks is a thorough examination of an autobiographical novel and includes the study of author's purpose, main idea, and fact and opinion. It includes a student packet, graphic organizers, a pacing guide, and a unit assessment with sample responses. |
Name | Description |
Do You Want to Build a Story?: | Learn how to set up your story through the elements of exposition. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice setting up your story idea by establishing the characters, setting, and conflict. |