Elementary Narrative Writing
Lesson plans and other teaching resources
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20 Mystical Bridges That Will Take You To Another World
Creative writing prompt: "I walked across the bridge and ..." The photographs of real bridges on this page are astonishingly beautiful. However, the page also carries ads that may not be appropriate for the classroom. Consider copying the photographs into a new file for classroom use.
27 Magical Paths Begging To Be Walked
Photographs of beautiful paths all over the world, showing a variety of seasons and geography, just waiting to inspire a poem or serve as the setting for a short story. Note: this page carries ads that may not be appropriate for the classroom. Consider copying the photographs into a new file for classroom use.
Action Chains
Students learn to elaborate on an event in a narrative by expanding their sentences into action chains. Expanding single actions into an action chain provides the reader with a more detailed picture of an event in a narrative. This lesson is designed for grades 3-5.
Active Beginnings
This 3-page printable handout focuses on crafting strong leads. It is designed for elementary students and requires Adobe Reader or compatible application.
Animal Legends: Integrating Art with Writing
Students use their own artwork as a story starter for a pourquoi tale or legend. Designed for grades 3-5.
Fictional Narratives
In this 5-lesson unit students analyze a painting (choices included) and construct a narrative in which the painting comes at the beginning, middle, or end. Includes lesson plans, rubric, art. Designed for grade 1.
Getting Hooked: Introduction for a Narrative
Students will be able to identify techniques for writing an introduction for a narrative and use them effectively. This lesson is designed for grades 2-4.
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood is now part of an elite group of fairy tale crime scene investigators. You remember Humpty Dumpty? He didn't fall. He was pushed. Or so it seemed at first. This idea will work on multiple grade levels.
Make Kids' Writing Shine: Using Beginnings and Endings to Teach Craft
Strategies to build elementary writing skills. Scroll down for revision and assessment ideas, resources.
Narrative Writing & Reading Core Skills Lesson Plan
Creating a story is like magic! Grab your magician's hat and wand for this activity. Teach core curriculum concepts of narrative writing (story creation) through the use of characters, setting, and plot. Also teaches skills needed to meet language arts reading and writing core curriculum standards that require the ability to describe characters, settings, and major events in a story. Designed for elementary students.
Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse
Students in grades 6-8 explore the implications of point of view in literature and write a narrative, retelling a traditional story from a different character's point of view.
Note: more ideas for teaching the personal narrative can be found on the Biography page .
Savvy Story Structure
Students learn to actively engage in reading by becoming more familiar with the elements of a story. Students will be required to think at a higher level and will enhance their understanding of selected passages and stories. Students should also begin to relate stories to their own lives. Designed for grades 3-5.
Using Personal Photographs to Spark Narrative Writing
The lesson plan asks students to bring in a photograph that has special meaning for them and to write about it. This will work on multiple grade levels.
Using Pictures to Teach Narrative Writing with
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Students respond to pictures depicting segregation. They write a story from the point of view of someone in the picture.