Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

20 minutes	Part B: Developing Writing Ideas
50 minutes	Part C: Writing a narrative
20 minutes	Part E: Peer Feedback
5 minutes	Part F: Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Preparation: All students should have blank paper and a pencil with them for Part A of the activity.

Step 1. Before beginning the focused component of the lesson, provide students with the opportunity to activate prior knowledge so that they are able to build connections to existing understandings.

Invite students to consider the following question:

What do you know about fiction stories and how they are written?

Record student responses. If required, ask prompting questions such as:

What structure does a fictional story usually have?
What do we need to include when we write a story?
Can you tell me some examples of fiction stories?

Ensure that students comment on the following things:

Main character
Complication
Resolution

Explain to students that successful authors link the character’s personality with the complication so that it helps the character grow or change.

Part B: Developing Writing Ideas

Step 1. Before showing the following Faber-Castell Rocket Ship clip, explain to students that they will be watching a video to help them develop an idea for a narrative.

Grip Colour Pencils Rocket Tin speed colouring by FaberCastell (https://vimeo.com/231976038)

At the end of the video, we are asked "Where will we fly to next?" - This will be the narrative prompt for the lesson.

Step 2. Encourage students to develop a key experience or event for their story. They should try to avoid planning a series of events that happen one after the other (as this can be a little dull!).

Some examples of character and complication are:

The rocket ship crash lands on a planet - what does the character discover?
The rocket ship is prepared for take-off but doesn’t launch - what happens next?
The astronaut is missing and no one can drive the rocket - what does the main character do?

Some examples of ideas that are too large or complex are:

Rocket ship visits lots of different planets and makes a lot of new friends.
The astronaut visits many different planets and learns about them.
Different people have their own rockets and are all competing to land on Uranus first.

Step 2. Encourage the class to think about a main character and one important experience that will help that character grow or change. Provide students with paper, pencils and some time to sketch a main character of their story. Encourage them to imagine the details of the character, including the feelings and emotions they may experience.

Part C: Planning the Narrative

Step 1. Explain to students that they will be writing a narrative based on the idea they have developed. Before writing they will need to create a plan. Discuss the importance of plans to help organise ideas before writing and to ensure that the focus is kept clear while writing.

Display the example narrative plan and read aloud what is in each part. Explain that the plan is brief and only has key points to refer back to while writing.

Step 2. Provide students with time to complete their own narrative plans in their notebooks. During this time it will be important to roam and assist any students have difficulty translating their ideas into the format of the template.

Part D: Writing the Narrative

Step 1. Explain to students that it is now time to write the narrative planned. Emphasise that they will need to describe the character, setting and complication in detail to make the reader feel like they are there. When reading the text, the audience should be able to feel the mood that has been planned.

Provide time for students to write.

Part E: Feedback

Step 1. Students will work in pairs to provide peer-to-peer feedback. Some students will not have finished their story; partners can provide feedback on the parts that are complete.

Show students the peer feedback template. Explain that in pairs, they will follow the sequence below:

Read partner’s story.
Answer questions on the feedback sheet.
Discuss what they wrote with their partner. If what was written is different to what the writer wanted it to be, talk about how the story could be changed.

Step 2. Place students into pairs to provide peer-feedback. Like-ability pairs are suggested to ensure that feedback is suitable to each student’s level of capability.

Reflection

Provide the students with time to think about the following questions:

What did I do well in my writing today?
What was challenging for me?
What will I work on next time?

Differentiated Learning

Extension – Challenge confident students to develop ideas set in unfamiliar scenarios. This will prompt them to extend their development of ideas during the writing process as they will have to create the appearance of the setting and use effective language to communicate their ideas to the reader.

Provisions for Learning Support – Roam around the room throughout this lesson to provide to support to students as needed. Some will find it difficult to develop an idea, others will find it a challenge to scale back their idea and simplify it.

Teacher Reflection

Small Ideas, Big Stories (Narrative Writing NAPLAN)

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