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TEACHING FICTIONAL
NARRATIVES
NYBRIA JOHNSON
TIFFANY ANDERSON
CANDACE THOMPSON

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A44M6liYPXo

Intro. Info.
Narrative

fiction constitutes the bulk of what

is read in most English and language arts
curriculum, yet writing narrative fiction
remains among the least often experienced
genres in our classrooms

TASK ANALYSIS

A key assumption behind a structured process approach is that

each writing situation poses its own demands and
expectations.

A task analysis also considers the task in connection with the

characteristics of the learners and the broader setting of their
writing.

Broader Setting includes:

Who will read it
What those readers expect
Which conventions are appropriate for the task and situation
What is appropriate for carrying out this writing in school

STAGE 1: GENERATING TASKSPECIFIC EVALUATIVE CRITERIA

Structured

process pedagogy involves

drawing students attention to the qualities
that characterize writing type they are
undertaking.
Different types of tasks call for different
qualities
Each task requires specific attention to
evaluative criteria

STAGE 1 CONTD
In

writing instruction, teachers typically

provide models of successful compositions
for students to not just imitate, but evaluate.

By

evaluating successful compositions it help

students:
Produce criteria
Determine which qualities they wish to
emulate in their own writing

+ STAGE 2: GATEWAY ACTIVITY:

ESTABLISHING THE SETTING & CONFLICT
ALWAYS

want to begin with a gateway or

introductory activity.

A gateway activity:
Give students a clear framework for the task ahead
Helps students develop a cognitive map, or schematic
understanding of the task
Stimulate student writing by furnishing a setting and
suggesting specific details

Stage 3: Language Lesson:

Attention to dialogue

Dialogue- A word that refers to what people say in a story.

Importance of direct and indirect quotations.
Ex: Daryl B. Trouble told me to go home. Indirect
Quotation
Ex: Daryl B. Trouble told me Go home, fool! Direct
Quotation

The first one was indirect quotation because the words

of Daryl were not reproduced and are summarized

The second one was direct quotation because it reported

exactly what someone has said.

Stage 4:From Group to Individual:

Drafting the Narratives
Story

openings
Begin with sound
Begin with a description of the setting

Have

Be

many options to begin a story.

creative!

Stage 5: From Individual to Group:

Peer Response to First Drafts

This step is critical in the learning process

Allowing students to first draft up their essays, and then share them with their
classmates allows for constructive criticism before turning them in for a grade

Fortunately, in order to keep students on track, there are steps that can be
followed in order to better assist students
The writer slowly reads the story aloud to his or her partner
Each partner tells the other, The things I like most about your story was
Each partner points out any essential story elements that are missing and
what might be included to make the story more engaging.
Each student reads his or her partners story silently. With the writers
permission, the reader corrects errors in spelling, punctuation, and
indentation, paying special attention to the conventions for punctuating
dialogue.

Stage 6: Completing and Publishing

the Narratives
Once

the processes listed in step 5 are repeated a

couple times, students move on to publish their
stories in a class collection.

This

stage also allows students to share their work

with other students by reading aloud to the class.

Activity: Writing your own fictional

Narrative!