Narrative Writing Building Blocks

Block 1: What is Narrative Writing?: Students are introduced to narrative writing as storytelling with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Emphasis is placed on sequencing events in order so the reader can follow the story. Students also learn that narrative writing may include both fiction and nonfiction texts.

Block 2: Create a Beginning: Students learn how to establish a strong story opening by introducing the characters, setting, and problem. This section is structured into two sentences:

• Sentence 1: Introduce characters and setting

• Sentence 2: Present the initial event (the problem)
  Sentence stems are provided to support student writing development.

Block 3: Detailed Middle: Students focus on the events that occur after the problem is introduced. Instruction emphasizes chronological order and the use of transition words to connect ideas. The middle is structured into two sentences:

• Sentence 3: What happens after the problem

• Sentence 4: What happens next in the sequence of events

Block 4: Ending Your Story: Students learn to bring their narrative to a purposeful close. The ending is structured into two sentences:

• Sentence 5: The resolution or final event

• Sentence 6: The character’s feelings or closing reflection
  Sentence stems are provided to support students in crafting effective conclusions.

Block 5: Writing Full Narrative Pieces: Students apply their learning by composing complete narrative pieces. During the final four weeks of the unit, students produce two fiction and two nonfiction narratives to demonstrate mastery of narrative structure and sequencing.