Narrative writing
CURRICULAR OUTCOMES
- Talk about and represent the actions of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts
- Identify the main characters in a variety of oral, print and other media texts
- Identify and explain connections among events, setting and main characters in oral, print and other media texts
- Identify and discuss main characters, plots, settings and illustrations in oral, print and other media texts from diverse cultures and communities
- create narratives that have beginnings, middles and ends; settings; and main characters that perform actions
TEACHING METHODS
During the teaching of this unit, students learned about various parts of a story: beginning, middle, end, problem, climax, solution, characters, settings, and so forth. For the Gr 1-2 class, the focus was more elementary and basic. Stories were read to the class each day, as we discussed those elements in each of the stories that we read. Art was utilized whenever possible. For the story creation, students were to draw their own character and describe him or her to be used in their final writing piece. The same was done for setting. I used a sensory motors approach for the Gr 1-2 class, in which they used shaving cream art to create their own setting. Story planners were used for the Gr 3-4 class. I taught conventions and grammar as needed, while employing use of SMART board activities and short worksheets.
One lesson which students enjoyed very much was an approach I took to teaching story settings. I had a student look at a scenery (setting) and describe it to the rest of the class. Other students, who were unable to see the photo, were at their desks drawing what they they heard being described. After students finished their artwork and colours, we discussed some of the differences and why certain elements were missing. This made students realize the importance of describing a setting carefully, letting the reader know important details or visual imagery the student wanted to bring from the mind into their writing.
One lesson which students enjoyed very much was an approach I took to teaching story settings. I had a student look at a scenery (setting) and describe it to the rest of the class. Other students, who were unable to see the photo, were at their desks drawing what they they heard being described. After students finished their artwork and colours, we discussed some of the differences and why certain elements were missing. This made students realize the importance of describing a setting carefully, letting the reader know important details or visual imagery the student wanted to bring from the mind into their writing.
LESSON PLANS
Lesson Plan - Capitals & Punctuation > PowerPoint > Worksheet (Capitals) > Worksheet (Punctuation)
Lesson - Describing Characters > Character Worksheet > Character Traits
Lesson - Story Planning > Story Planner
Lesson - Using Strong Verbs > List of Synonyms - Strong Verbs > Mystery Boxes for Weak Verbs
Resource - Draw the Setting