1. Teaching Narrative Writing Mr. Timmer Drakes Creek Middle School

2. Why teach narrative writing? Every student has a story to tell; we all have stories Become better readers

3. Students need the how, not the what… …Strategies …and activities

4. Parts of Writing: 1. Getting Started 2. Details and Figurative Language 3. Creating Dialogue 4. Feelings and Sensations 1. Smell, Touch, Sound 5. People and Action 6. Scenes and Settings

5. 1. Getting Started: What to Think About a. Write a story about an event that is important to you for some reason. Write about it in as much detail as you can so that someone reading it will be able to see what you saw and feel what you felt.

6. Model – Show an example Share Life or Death Discuss and dramatize it Outline the events  What initiates the action?  What is the character trying to do?  What are the results of the action and attempts? Examine specific details

7. My stories The time I got hit by a truck My summer trip to Wolf Lake Winning district for my golf team Getting pulled over at age 12 Scoring 30 to beat our rival Elizabethtown High

8. 1. What experiences have made you feel really happy or very sad? 2. What experiences have been very alarming or really frightening? 3. What experiences have made you feel proud of yourself? 4. What have been the most difficult tasks you have had to undertake? 5. What contests or games have you tried hard to win? 6. What experiences have made you feel ashamed of yourself? 7. What experiences have made you realize that you truly care about someone? 8. What experiences have made you laugh?

9. What needs to be explained about setting? What do we need to know about characters? What initiates or begins the action? What does main character attempt to do? What are the results? How does the character respond? What do characters say to each other? Questions to ask

10. Describing Sounds Indicate the source of the sound. Use words that imitate the sound. Break complicated sounds into parts. Describe the character and texture of the sound. Comparisons – Use figurative language or analogies to describe the sound.

11. Automatic dishwasher Automatic ice-cube maker Someone taking a shower Basketball player playing alone in a gym Gas-powered lawn mower Late-night sounds near your house Screen door slamming Sawing a plank in half 18-wheeler truck A sound of your choice (The sound of silence)

12. Crossing Senses Odors Fresh cut grass Exhaust fumes A beach A forest A locker room A bakery A shoe store Favorite food  Color  Shape  Weight  Temperature  Sound

13. Writing About People 1. Begin by showing a characterization of someone. 2. Discuss. What do you see? What does this say about the person? What other details do you notice? What about his face? What do you think he thinks of other people?

14. 2. Details and Figurative Language The Seashell Game Object of the game: Describe a shell so well that another student would be able to pick it out from a class set of shells. This game is about incorporating detail

15. 1. Seashell Game 1. Give each person (group) two shells. Tell them to choose one and describe it as best they can. 2. Pass the description and shells to another person (group). 1. They must choose which one the other wrote about. 3. The second “reader” underlines the details that helped him/her identify the shell. 1. Note best details.

16. On Their Own Students select their own shell and write a descriptive paragraph about it. Another student finds it among all 30-40 shells based on the description. Create a class display or museum.