W.5.3

1. W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. By Ms. Reynolds

2. I can… • I can write a narrative text.

3. Getting the Idea • Narrative writing tells a story. All stories have some parts in common: • Characters • Setting • Plot

4. Getting the Idea • Each story includes at least one character. Authors can develop a character in several ways. • You can begin by asking yourself what you want the reader to know about the character. What does the character look like? What would other characters think of this character? • The setting is the place and time in which a story takes place. The setting can depend on the the story you're telling. For a ghost story you might choose an old house at night. If It’s an adventure story, you might choose and ancient mythical village. • A narrative must also have a plot. A plot is a series of events that depends on a conflict, or a problem the characters have. Every problem must be solved with a resolution. The resolution you choose for the conflict will affect the story’s theme, or message.

5. Getting the Idea • After you have an idea about your plot, choose a point of view and narrator. • Point of view is the position from which a story is told, and the narrator is the character who tells it. • In a first-person story, the story is told by an I, while a third-person story is told about a he, a she, or even an it. • If you want to surprise the reader in some way, a first person narrator might be better. The I of the story is experiencing events for the first time, and so is the reader. • If you want the reader to know something that the characters do not, the third-person point of view is a better choice.

6. Make sure you keep the reader’s attention… • Once you have started writing your story, you have to try to make it as interesting as possible. • Begin by showing rather than telling. This means that you should try to show how it feels for someone to do an action, instead of just saying he or she did it. • Using the same words over and over can also make your writing dull. • Use a variety of words when possible. Try thinking in more specific terms when you write. • Instead of saying that someone sat down, think about how the character would sit. • If it is a large, tired old man, for example, perhaps he settled into his chair. • A small, energetic child might leap into her chair. Someone who is exhausted might collapse onto the sofa.

7. All’s well that ends well… • A good ending is hard to write, but a bad ending is hard to forgive. • Often, writers get so involved in their plot and characters that they forget to work out an ending that would affect the reader. • Try thinking about your story’s end before you start writing. You do not have to have all the details, but you should have a basic idea. • Is it a happy ending? A sad ending? You decide.

8. Figuring it out… • Figure out the plot, as well, before you get too involved in writing. The plot is your blueprint, or plan, for the story. You can use a graphic organizer to do this. • Look at the flowchart below. The first box introduces a problem. The middle boxes show the plot events. The last box is the resolution: the problem has been solved.

9. Let’s Practice… • Let’s read the story together. Follow along as I read it aloud. • Summer had arrived. It was time, once again, for Christie to go on vacation with her parents. This year, they decided to rent a house on the coast instead of going camping. At first, Christie was bored because the only things her parents wanted to do was read books and sleep. But then she met a friend. They went swimming. Then they made sandcastles. • Let’s rewrite this story so that it’s more entertaining…

10. Exit Slip • Your exit slips have been sent to your email. • If you can’t get online, the story is written below. Don’t forget to rewrite it so that it’s more interesting… • It was cold outside. Amiri was standing in the middle of a large field. She was taking a walk, because she wanted to be alone. Suddenly, she saw a figure in the distance. The person seemed to be wearing a red jacket. She wasn’t sure who it was. Then the figure came closer. She saw it was her cousin Ahmad. She was relieved. She had thought it was going to be her little brother. She and Ahmad kept walking.