Teaching Sequence

30 minutes	Part D: Writing the Narrative
15 minutes	Part E: Feedback and Reflection

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

Part A: Lesson Introduction

Step 1. Write the learning intentions and success criteria on the whiteboard so that the class can see it. These have intentionally been written in the first person perspective to assist students to internalise them as their own goals for the lesson.

Invite students to read them aloud.

Step 2. Explain that before writing our narratives, the class will work on developing a fictional idea from a prompt. A short clip will be used as the prompt.

Project the following Faber-Castell World Traveller clip and watch as a class:

World Traveller Connector Pen Colouring by Faber-Castell (https://vimeo.com/232283664)

Ask the students:

What does this video show?

Invite answers from the students and emphasise that the clip includes a passport and that the colouring of the passport implies that the person in the video has visited Australia.

Step 3. Invite the students to think about a journey of their own. Remind them that journeys don’t always require distant travel, journeys can take you interstate, to a new location (e.g. the city), to a new school, a new house, on a camping trip.

Ask the class:

What was unfamiliar or new on your journey?
Were there any challenges or problems that occurred on your journey?

Invite students to share their experiences.

Part B: Planning a Narrative Idea

Step 1. Explain to students that they will now need to develop an idea for a fictional narrative. They will need to develop an idea for a new character and their own journey. It could be in a realistic context, or it could be a fantastical context, it could involve travelling like in the video, or it could involve something changing in a character’s existing environment.

Project the Writing Plan Template for the class to see. Discuss that experiences of the central character in a narrative usually progress through several key stages:

Beginning in their ordinary world
A call to adventure
A series of challenges
A major trail or challenge
Acceptance of they way they or their world have changed
Returning home or to a calmer state

Explain that the path up and back down the page (the arc) demonstrates how the energy or tension of the narrative builds to a climactic points and then releases to return to the calm state.

Explain to students that in the box at the top of the page they are to show the central character by either sketching or describing them. Along the arc, they are to plan the experiences of the character at each point in their journey. They are to ensure they consider how the character develops personally through all of the experiences planned.

Step 2. Give each student a copy of the Writing Plan Template and invite them to complete the plan.

Step 3. Place students in pairs with others of similar ability. This will assist to ensure that feedback they receive is accessible to them and supports them at their level of capability.

Have students listen to their partner’s plan and think about whether:

The plan makes sense.
The experiences for each point on the arc suit the stage of the story.
The character develops personally throughout the story.

Remind students of the following tips when providing feedback:

Part C: Teaching Show Don’t Tell

Step 1. Refer back to the learning intentions and success criteria.

Explain to students that you are going to explore the technique of showing meaning in writing, rather than telling. State the following:

Showing rather than telling means describing feelings, actions or events rather than directly stating what they are.
You can do this by describing the scene and character’s behaviours.
You can also do this by using figurative language such as similes, metaphors and idioms.

Step 2. Display the Show Don't Tell Examples and read through them. Emphasise that the examples in the ‘Show’ column have allowed the writer to show the same meaning by alluding to it and that this allows the idea to be expressed in a more poetic way.

Part D: Writing the Narrative

Explain to students that they will now have time to write their narrative and that while writing they should focus on making use of the Show Don’t Tell technique.

Support - Use this time to roam around and monitor how students are progressing. Provide support to anyone who is finding it challenging to develop their ideas into writing.

Reflection

Step 1. Place students into pairs. Select partners of like-ability so that conversations support students at their level of capability.

Explain to students that when listening to/reading their partner's story they should be looking out for times they have used the Show Don’t Tell technique. They are to try and find three examples of its use in their partner’s story.

Step 2. Provide time for individual reflection.

Pose the following two questions to students and provide them with some time to consider them (questions also available on the Student Worksheet):

What did you do well in your writing today?
What would you like to improve as you continue working on this narrative?

Differentiated Learning

Extension – Receiving feedback from a like-ability partner will support individuals to continue extending and developing their ideas.

Provisions for Learning Support – Make yourself available to support those who need it during writing time.

Take it Further

Students could re-watch the Faber-Castell World Traveller video and create a passport to show their story in illustrations. They create a passport cover and then within it include illustrations to depict each significant point in their story. An illustration should be included for each point included in the story plan.

Teacher Reflection

What's Your Journey? (Narrative Writing NAPLAN)

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

Lesson guides and printables

Lesson Details

Skills

Curriculum Mapping

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