Teaching a Narrative Step by Step

  1. Set Up a Writing Station: paper, blank postcards , envelopes, pens, pencils, sticky notes etc.22
  2. Use a Writer’s Notebook – each student needs their own notebook.
  3. Allow students to create a cover for their notebook
  4. Use prompt cards for the children who need a little help with starting their writing tasks.
  5. Dedicate at least 5 minutes every day to your students’ Writer’s Notebooks.
  6. Create a Writer’s Prop Table – a small table in your classroom, scattered with a collection of objects such as a key ,a toy dog, a post card, a shoe, a book, an old coin, an old map etc. This will help give children a starting point for their narratives.
  7. Direct Instruction- see my previous posts for this but basically it involves
  8. the I do (teacher modelling), we do ( guided practice) and you do (independent practice). This is the most important step! Spend AGES on it.
  9. When I was in college we were shown an idea where we cut up a piece of tect and the children had to reconstruct it in the correct order. It helps them to sequence events.
  10. Tips for leading shared writing sessions – focus your shared writing session on one or two elements of narrative writing. For example, focus on text structure, ideas, characters and setting or vocabulary.
  11. Keep it short.
  12. Use Think, Pair, Share
  13. Inspire your students through the use of visual prompts, props and feely bags.

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