The key aspects of a Narrative are...

• Plot events follow a clear structure (e.g., orientation, complication and resolution).

• Characters come alive through their description, actions and speech.

• Setting gives the story a realistic sense of when or where the plot takes place. 

• Language is imaginative and used to engage the reader (adjectives, adverbs, imagery, senses, varied sentence structure).

When modelling how to write a narrative it is important to... 

• Focus on the importance of planning before writing: who is the main character? Where/when is the story set? What happens during the exposition/action/climax/resolution? Refer back to the plan frequently during writing.

• Break aspects of the writing down into shorter activities that allow students time to practice/plan using the target language before attempting the final piece (a descriptive setting paragraph focusing on the senses, write a short action sequence paragraph in present tense, up-level a character description using imagery etc).

• Demonstrate thinking skills out-loud when modelling writing each section: "When did I say I was going to set this story? What sort of things would I be able to see during that time? How do you think he said that? Would we be able to hear anything there?"

To the right please find a video lesson on writing narratives from Stephen Graham.