Bringing our narratives to life!

 Identify story critical characters, settings, and objects  Determine between specific and general details  Identify irrelevant details  Use questioning to generate details  Elaborate on what feelings look like

Critical: extremely important In every story, there are certain characters, settings, and objects that are in some way extraordinary, interesting, or thought provoking. These are the things that an author would take the time to describe.

Use your resources and a partner to help you. Read each story plan and think about the characters, settings, and objects that would be most interesting to the reader. Follow the directions for color-coding your copy.

Reread YOUR personal experience narrative Identify the critical character, setting, and object in your story and color code them according to our handout (pg. 81).

The wheel barrow in the barn was his grandfather’s. How would you describe his wheel barrow?

The old wheel barrow at the back of the barn was way too big for the small boy to push on his own. Instead, he stood staring at its peeling red paint and ran his hand along the smooth, gray, weathered handles. He wondered if his grandfather had used it on the farm when he was a boy. It must have been almost one hundred years old and reminded him of something used way back in the olden days. Despite its age the wheel barrow was in very good shape. Someone must have taken very good care of it.

“Autumn is a beautiful time of year!” I said, gazing over the countryside.

Work with your group to ask detail generating questions to elaborate on your group’s critical character, setting, or object. Write an elaborative segment on your handout. Elect a spokesperson from your table to share out.

Ask detail generating questions that will help you elaborate on your critical character, setting, and object. Answer those questions by writing an elaborative segment about each. Reread your personal experience narrative with these additions. See our anchor chart when you think you are finished.

Critical: extremely important Irrelevant: not important Authors sometimes use description in a way that does not engage the reader, it may even cause the reader to become disinterested.

What details do you see that are irrelevant? I put on my nice red jacket and started up the mountainside. The grass was green and the sky was blue. After about an hour of steady hiking I paused and looked behind me. The view from the mountain was unbelievable! I was certainly far from the places I usually explored! I took a deep breath and continued to climb. Thank goodness for my brown leather hiking boots! Just then I saw the opening to a cave. I took out my gray metal binoculars and took a look. It would be cool to go in there, I thought. I crept inside and turned on my red plastic flashlight. The cave was spooky! But, what was that in the corner? It was a skeleton next to a big trunk. The skeleton seemed to be moving!

General: common to many; not special or specific in detail Specific: clearly and exact She wore a really pretty fancy cape. A cape of purple velvet trimmed in soft white fur covered her shoulders. The shutters hung crookedly and the windows were shattered. Faded paint peeled around the rickety front stairs. The old house was really a mess and looked like it needed some attention. What an interesting looking old man over there! The old fellow had a long white beard and bushy silver eyebrows curled in arcs above his golden colored eyes.

Reread your personal narrative and be on the look out for irrelevant and general details. If they are irrelevant, take them OUT! If they are general and needed, make them specific. Use your resources if you need help thinking of specific details.

“Show, don’t tell” It is always more powerful to “show” rather than “tell” Telling: Jack was really mad. Showing: Jack stamped his feet. His face turned a deep shade of red. He slammed his fist on the table.

Hayden was excited. Joe was really scared. Nathan was really cold. Molly was very sad.

Reread your personal narrative – is there anywhere that you need to show an emotion? Use your resources if you need help thinking of specific emotion words. Ask yourself, what would that look like? How can I show my audience? Make these changes to your story.