An account of a sequence of events usually in the order that they occurred Narrative is the general term for telling a story What is a Narrative There are two main kinds of narratives Fictional ID: 692483
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Slide1
Writing a Narrative
Grade 7/8 Language ArtsSlide2
An account of a sequence of events, usually in the order that they occurred.
Narrative is the general term for telling a story.
What is a Narrative?Slide3
There are two main kinds of narratives:
Fictional (made up)Nonfiction
(true)Types of NarrativeSlide4
In a fictional narrative, the writer creates the characters, decides on the setting and plans the story to teach some kind of lesson to the reader.
Fictional NarrativeSlide5
In a nonfiction narrative, the writer learns about a real person or event and writes a story to tell the reader about that person or event in an interesting way.
A non-fiction narrative can also be used to teach the reader a lesson
Non-Fiction NarrativeSlide6
All narratives should have several characters, different settings, some kind of conflict and a message.
When writing it is important to plan out all of the elements so your narrative is complete and well thought out.
All NarrativesSlide7
Brainstorming
What makes up a narrative?Slide8
Clear
purpose (a message or lesson you want to leave with your reader)Planning
(brainstorming and outline)Organization (Sentences &
Paragraphs) and…
Beginning
(
Introduction
)
Middle
(
Body
rising action, climax, falling action)
End
(Conclusion)
Dialogue
(talking between people or characters)
Descriptive language
(create vivid images for reader)
What Makes a Good Narrative?Slide9
Purpose (why are you writing?)
Audience (who are you writing for?)Form (what is the best way to communicate your ideas?)
When writing you ALWAYS need consider…Slide10
Writing With Purpose!
A
narrative should always have a specific pointA narrative strives to teach a lesson or make
a specific point
A narrative
is
not
a diary entry – the story
always has a purposeSlide11
Writing With Purpose!
To write with purpose you need to plan
If you don’
t your story will ramble on and on, but it will have no clear purpose and no clear beginning, middle, and end.
A long story doesn’t equal a good story Slide12
Steps to Writing a NarrativeSlide13
Writing Prompt
Write a short narrative that illustrates the importance of following directionsSlide14
What Would You Expect From This
Prompt?
As the reader, you will expect to learn why following directions is important.As the reader, you will also expect there to be a twist in the action.Slide15
Example
Here’s how you could approach it…Slide16
Outline the Parts of the Story and Write Out the Story
An Informal Outline of the Story:
Two campers go camping and ignore rules They leave out foodAn animal finds the foodOne of the campers tries to scare off the animal
Campers learn to follow the rulesSlide17
Let’s
Read The Example
It was a wonderful week to camp in the great outdoors, even if some of their friends thought it was a strange way to honeymoon. Amanda and Jeff were looking forward to their week at
Banff National
Park in
Alberta.
Little did they know what a learning experience this trip would be. Oftentimes people do not follow simple directions. However, these campers learned just
how
important following directions can be. Slide18
Your Turn!
Write a short narrative that illustrates the importance of following directionsSlide19
Improve Your Dialogue
What is Dialogue?
It's the conversation that takes place between characters in a story.
You can tell more about your characters' thoughts and feelings if you include dialogue in your stories.Slide20
Let's look at a story without dialogue.
Sharing a room with her sister wasn't always fun. Kristi was tired of always cleaning up after her sister Ashley. Just because they shared a room, that doesn't mean they had to share the mess! Ashley was always leaving dirty dishes on her desk, and there were always dirty clothes under the bed. Kristi had tried to talk to Ashley about cleaning up the mess, but somehow talking didn't help. Slide21
Let's add some dialogue to that story.
Sharing a room with her sister wasn't always fun. Kristi was tired of always having to clean up their room.
"Ashley, you've left your clothes on the floor again! I'm not picking them up for you this time,"
remarked
Kristi.
"I'm sorry, Kristi, I don't mean to be a slob!" joked Ashley.
"I just don't notice the mess--really! I guess it just doesn't bother
me
,
” exclaimed Kristi.
"Well, it bothers me! You know it does," said Kristi.
"I'll try harder, I guess," sighed Ashley. "But I
can’t promise
anything. Neatness just isn't my thing!" Slide22
Your audience will have a better understanding of Kristi and Ashley after reading the conversation that takes place between them. It's more interesting to read...
AND
...it helps to understand how both Kristi and Ashley FEEL .
Dialogue lets you tell so much more about your characters.
It allows your readers to understand your characters more too.
Reminder
When writing dialogue you must remember to:
Use Quotation Marks.
Identify who is speaking.
Indent
each time the speaker changes.
Use commas
and other punctuation correctly
. Slide23
Where is the Punctuation?
Look at the example on your sheet.Take note of
what punctuation is being used and where it is being used.Slide24
Said is Dead!!!Slide25
Using a Thesaurus
A
thesaurus can extend your word power.
declared
exclaimed
questioned
replied
repeated
bellowed
shouted
responded
whispered
asked
Don't Say "Said," SaySlide26
Read the following story:
Paul and his dad were planning their first fishing trip of the year. Paul wasn't sure what to bring with him, so he asked his dad. His dad told him to bring his pole. His dad would bring everything else. His dad also told him to dress warmly because it's always cold in the morning near the lake. Paul told his dad he was excited about going and would have trouble sleeping.
Rewrite the story adding dialogue. Slide27
Check it Over!
Trade with a partner and look it over
Did they…Use Quotation
Marks.
Identify who is speaking.
Indent
each time the speaker changes.
Use commas and other punctuation correctly
.
Use
synonyms for ‘said’Slide28
Here's a sample of what your story
might look like.
Notice the quotation marks and commas. Check your story to make sure you have the correct punctuation.
Paul and his dad were planning their first fishing trip of the year.
"What should I pack, Dad?"
asked
Paul. "I don't want to forget anything."
"Just bring your pole, Paul. I've got everything else we'll need already in the car,"
remarked Paul’s Dad
. "Mom's already packed us a big lunch. We want to get an early start!"
"Should I bring a sweatshirt?" questioned Paul.
"Oh, it's always cool in the morning near the lake. You'll need more than a sweatshirt. You need to make sure you dress warm."
Paul headed up to bed.
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep, Dad. I'm too excited
!“ exclaimed Paul.Slide29
[
Being Unprepared] Because you have been sick, out of town, busy at work, or working on other homework, you didn't have as much time to study for an important test as you needed. Everyone going to school has been in this situation. Think of a specific test that you took that you felt unprepared for and narrate the events. Tell your readers about the preparation that you were able to do, the reasons that you didn't get to prepare as well as you wanted, taking the test, and any significant events that happened after you took the test. Your
narrative
should help readers understand what it felt like to be
unprepared and why it is a good idea to be more prepared.
PromptSlide30
[Standing Up]
Choose a time when you did something that took a lot of nerve, a time when you didn't follow the crowd or a time when you stood up for your beliefs. Perhaps your friends were urging you to do something that you were uncomfortable with and you chose not to cave into peer pressure. Maybe you took a stance on a political issue that was important in your community. Whatever you choose, think about the details of the event and write a story that tells about what happened. Your narrative should show your readers why you decided to make a stand or try something that took nerve, give specifics on the events, and share how you felt after the event.
PromptSlide31Slide32
Dialogue needs to:
Use Quotation Marks.
Identify who is speaking. Indent
each time the speaker changes.
Use commas and other punctuation correctly.
Use synonyms for ‘said’
ReviewSlide33
Why do we always have so much homework said Tim
I think it is because sometimes we don’t work very hard in class said Sally
I guess you’re right, sometimes I’m not very focused
We could all do better at that. Let’s hold each other more accountable
REVIEW: Fix the DialogueSlide34
Similes
Complete the following:
The sun sank in the west like…
The baby opened its mouth for food like…
When he left, it was quiet…
The shadow hung on the wall like…
His words were as painful as…
The sun on the water was like…
On roller skates she looked as awkward as…
The sky was as blue as…
The clouds rolled across the sky like..
After our huge dinner of fish and chips, we felt like…
Simile: A comparison using “like” or “as”
Examples:
My attention was as far away as love on a
battlefield
.
Her skin is pale as eggshells.Slide35
METAPHORS
A
metaphor is like a simile. That's because it is a comparison that is made between things, which is not always likely or obvious. We don’t use ‘like’ or ‘as’ in a metaphor.
We often use metaphors without realizing it. For instance, when we say that your parents 'bark a command' at you, you are comparing them to a dog, and hence engaging in metaphor!
Other Metaphors
A heart of stone
He has the heart of a
lion
You
are the sun in my
sky
You
are the light in my
life
Love
is a lemon - either bitter of sweet Slide36
Sensory LanguageSlide37
Good writers use sensory language
Sensory language addresses the five sensesWhen writing consider:Smells
SoundsSightsTastesTextures
Sensory LanguageSlide38
Write a 2-3 paragraph story about trip to the fair.Slide39
Create Metaphors
Try to write three metaphors for each of the following examples:
the sun an apple
clouds cheese
a cat the ocean
fog anger
LEARNING INTENTION: to understand that a metaphor is a word picture in which the writer replaces the thing to be described with another image. It makes a more direct and vivid comparison to a simile.
Examples:
The moon is a pearl from a necklace.
Slide40
Personification
Give the following items human characteristics:
wind refugee camp
night cold
moon war
LEARNING INTENTION: to understand that in personification, the non-human is identified with the human or given human characteristics.
Examples:
The steel beam clenched its muscles.
Clouds limped across the sky.
The pebbles on the path were grey with grief.
Cricket has been good to me.
The New Zealand dollar had a quiet month.
Life dealt him a heavy blow.Slide41
Onomatopoeia
Write onomatopoeia for the following:
gun sound wind
bomb tank
planes walking in snow
LEARNING INTENTION: to understand that Onomatopoeia is found in a group of words that attempts to replicate certain sounds.
We have words like
woof-woof
, or
bow wow
,
tweet-tweet
, and
cock-a-doodle doo
. However, these words are still the creation of the human mind.
Examples:
crackle, splat, ooze, squish, boom.
The tyres whirr on the road.
The pitter-patter of soft rain
.
The
mud oozed and squished through my toes.Slide42
IMPACT
Show Don’t Tell
To write what is happening in the story without explicitly stating it.
Telling sentence:
Joe was old.
Showing sentence:
Joe
creaked
when he moved, his arthritic limbs
bowed
beneath the weight of his
eighty years
Below are some
telling sentences
which simply state facts. Transform them into
showing sentences:
1. It was cold on the beach.
2. Dad was angry.
3. My friend is a great rugby player.
4. The house needed repairs.
5. The car braked suddenly.Slide43
Make every word count
Rewrite these sentences, eliminating all the unnecessary words to make each sentence more precise.
He looked at Mike. Mike was his brother.
The people that I would like to tell you about are my father and mother.
He let me know that the contest the Bulldogs were in resulted in a win for the Bulldogs.
In the vase were some daffodils. The vase of daffodils was on the table.
This recipe deals with and describes one method used to attain the desired result in the preparation of scrambled eggs.
You can improve your writing by removing unnecessary words. It is possible to eliminate unnecessary words but still retain the same information.
First Draft
The idea was thought of by Jim at four o’clock early in the morning. (14 words)
Revised
Jim’s
idea came at 4 am. (6 words)Slide44
Create Word Pictures
We can add details to a sentence to make an image more vivid and life-like.
Bland
The man had a hairy face.
Interesting
The hair on Mr
Smith’s
face didn’t grow smooth
and matted
as it does on most hairy-faced men. It
grew in
spikes that struck out straights like
bristles
of a
nail
brush.
Rewrite these sentences using details to make the image live.
The room was dark
The girl ran
His dog was unwashed and smelly
The lady next door is a busy body.Slide45
Focus on the Facts
We can add on sufficient information to help the reader understand better.
Example
A boat came to the island.
What kind of boat was it?
Who was aboard the boat?
What were the feelings of the passengers about
reaching
the island?
When did the boat arrive?
What was the purpose of the visit?
Read the following sentences. What questions would you ask the writer to ensure that all the essential information was given.
1. I don’t like school.
2. My aunt is in hospital.
3. We like going out for dinner.
Rewrite each of the sentences with
sufficient information.Slide46
Replace Overworked Words
For my birthday I
got lots of presents.
It was a
lovely
day.
We
got off
the train at Wellington.
My sister
got
fifty dollars a week.
In the war,
lots of
men got injured.
Feeling annoyed, the teacher
went
out of the room.
We had a
nice
holiday in Dunedin where we met many
nice
people.
LEARNING INTENTION:
To think of as many different ways as you can to express the same idea.
Example:
Mary is a
good
person.
Mary is a
lovely
person.
Mary is a
wonderful
person.
Mary is a
superb
person.
Mary is a
delightful
person.Slide47
Strong Verbs
By using strong verbs we can express movement and help to create a picture in the reader’s mind.
Well-chosen verbs can give writing power.
With throttles open all the way, big bad B
ruce
and his gang charge down the highway on their Harleys. Bruce blasts along the highway at top speed. Icy wind whacks into his face. He whacks it back, twice as hard. He zooms around corners and shoots up the straight. He pushes his bike to the max
.
from Big Bad Bruce by Dianne Bates
Write a description of the action in each of
these phrases
using strong verbs.
a man kicking a door
a lion stalking prey
a rabbit digging a hole
a getaway car speeding around a
corner
a
dog chasing a cat