How to Teach Narrative Writing for Powerful Classroom Instruction
How to Teach Narrative Writing for Powerful Classroom Instruction is a continuation of episode 7. In episode 7, we explored the first three steps in a narrative writing unit. In this episode, we will explore steps four through six in a narrative writing unit.
If you have not listened to episode seven, take a listen before listening to this episode.
The writing process is hard work that is often overlooked. Students just want to write and be finished; guiding students through the writing process can be tedious at times as engagement and motivation can falter.
Walking students through this process will keep students engaged and save the teacher time when it comes to grading and providing feedback.
This episode and the series of episodes in the Narrative Writing series are designed as a guide, crafted with the middle school classroom in mind. Whether you are a seasoned educator seeking fresh ideas or a novice teacher eager to embark on this writing adventure, this guide will equip you with the tools to guide your students toward becoming proficient storytellers.
Want More? Read the blog post
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Melissa Burch 0:00
Hey friends, welcome to Annotated ELA I'm so glad you're here because today we are picking up where we left off in episode seven. In episode seven, the first three steps in narrative writing were covered, and today we are going to explore steps four, five and six. If you want a plan for narrative writing, download the narrative writing scope and sequence at annotated ela.com/episode8, the link will be in the show notes. Let's get to it friends.
Melissa Burch 0:32
Step four in the narrative writing process is to brainstorm it's time to start coming up with those topics. Whether students are writing personal narratives or fictional stories, getting started is always the hardest part. Prompts and sentence starters are ways to get students thinking. And don't forget to have students revisit the quick writes or other writing activities that were completed prior to the brainstorming, because intentionally brainstorming before getting in to the writing and brainstorming part, is a great strategy. Students can keep all of these quick writes and pre- writes in a notebook where they keep their reference tools or in a binder; depending on how you choose to do it. But brainstorming now, it doesn't have to be from scratch, you can have your students revisit some of the quick writes you might have already done with them if you chose to do that. If not, that's cool too, just have them start brainstorming ideas and topics that they are interested in. So as students brainstorm, they can make lists of topics for narratives, they can share with their peers or get into groups to brainstorm, and meet with the teacher. Use the brainstorming time to check in with the students, and have quick conferences or chats with them to get a status of the class so that you can see where everyone is in the brainstorming process. It's also a really great time to help students who are struggling with a topic to help get them on track and find something they're interested in writing about. Students may also be struggling because they think it has to be an epic topic or story; that it needs to be some major life event. If it's a personal narrative or if it's a fictional story, they might think they need to make up some big grand adventure, or they might just feel that their ideas are not good enough. Remind them that small moments can have a big impact on the reader, and that any story they have to tell can be interesting. Students need to have a topic that excites them because not being into the topic will make the entire writing process a struggle.
Melissa Burch 2:41
On a side note, personally, the curriculum that I have provides a writing prompt at the end of each unit that we do, and the prompts for each unit are less than engaging. So to combat this, I argue the standards, if the writing assignment meets the standards, then the students should be able to use a different prompt. After all, I am teaching the standards. So I argue the standards. And lucky for me, this has been approved. So my teaching partner and I, along with students, have revisited, revised, and drafted some prompts that are more engaging for the students and also meet the standards. I bring this up because if you have a required prompt or some sort of required curriculum, and you're not seeing the engagement and motivation from your students that you would like, consider developing a new prompt if you can, and even have your students help. Choice and voice will motivate students every time.
Melissa Burch 3:43
Step number five and the narrative writing process is to have a plan, map out the story. Now that students have ideas, it's time to map it out. Mapping out and drafting an outline ensures that there is actually a story to tell. It can also be a guide or a reference as students begin writing the story. When it's time to do that first draft remind students that they do not have to have the whole story figured out at this point. Because this could also be a sticking point for them, and it could be a painful transition to map out their ideas if they feel like they don't have it all figured out it might stop them from even starting. Just remind them that the planning is an outline of the general plot points and big ideas. When students plan have them outline the conflict, the sequence of major events, climax, and resolution. They should have a beginning, middle, and end. Feel free to let students draw as they're planning as well. Sometimes this helps them visualize and get a deeper understanding of what the story is. It's also a chance for students to consider characters and settings, so if they have an idea of characters and setting, have them map that out as well. And setting is always something to have them draw, it really helps with the visualization piece of their story.
Melissa Burch 5:08
Step number six in the narrative writing process is to do the first draft. Now that students have brainstormed and planned, it's time, time to write it. This can be painful because even with all of the planning, students might still feel like they have to have it all figured out before they start writing. Many students also think that the first draft is the final draft, the process of writing is hard work and it takes more than one draft. But as writers, we hide all of that work with our final draft, and so students are often confused or unmotivated, or unwilling to work through the process of writing because it's hard. So just remind them that this first draft is just that, a first draft. Getting students out of the mindset can still be difficult. So instead of calling it a first draft, try calling it a fast draft, and have students write the fast draft as quickly as they can. While still touching on the major plot points and elements of their story map. This can be messy and details might be missing, but this is okay. This is exactly what a first draft should be. It's all about progressing through the process and having a starting point, not about having it all figured out. After students have written the fast draft, it will be time to start the writing workshop. Join me next week as we explore the final three stages of the narrative writing unit.
Melissa Burch 6:43
Let's recap what we covered today. Step four is to brainstorm ideas,. Students need to have an idea about what they want to write. Step number five is to map it out and have a plan. This step shows students that there is a story to tell and it acts as an outline for their major plot points, and for their drafts that follow. Step number six is to have students craft a fast draft of their narrative or story. It might be messy, and details might be missing. But this is a starting point for the process that will follow.
Melissa Burch 7:16
I hope you found this helpful today and I truly appreciate you spending your time with me every single week. If you want a scope and sequence don't forget to download the narrative scope and sequence. The link is in the show notes. Until next time, friends. The magic is in the process.
