Students` Learning Outcomes
- Write simple, descriptive, narrative and expository paragraph’s
Information for Teachers
Narrative paragraph
- A narrative paragraph often tells a story. It has events told in proper order. It has actions, characters, a setting and a problem to solve.
Elements of Narrative paragraph:
- It tells a story covering 5 WH, what, when, where, who, how.
- What & How: plot of the story (beginning, middle and setting)
- Where: scene and setting.
- When: time in which story is set/happening.
- Who: characters
- Narration is a story that is written to explain what, when, and who did something.
- Narrative paragraphs are usually written in chronological order/sequence.
- Words like soon, later, then, after should be used to show the timing of the action.
- Topic Sentence: It is the main sentence or idea around which the development of the paragraph takes place.
- All paragraphs have an idea, the whole paragraph moves around the information related to that idea only.
- While the teaching the lesson, the teacher should also consult textbook at all steps where and when applicable.
Material / Resources
Writing board, chalk/marker, duster, worksheet, charts, textbook
Introduction
- Ask the students if they have ever heard stories from their grandmothers or anyone else.
- Ask for their comments e.g. what was so enjoyable about those stories?
- Relate this experience to the current lesson of narrative writing, saying that the story is a long narrative.
Development
Activity
(Whole class interaction)
- Brainstorming to find a topic that will be of interest to the class e.g. kittens, rabbits etc.
- Ask the students what they know about the topic.
- Ask them to make a story on the topic.
- Write down these words/ideas on the writing board.
- Remind them that a narrative or a story has to have a problem that is then solved at the end (sometimes it isn`t solved).
- Think of a problem: What if your kitten got lost or locked up in a cupboard, by mistake?
- How would the kitten feel?
- Who would rescue the kitten? Or will she find a solution to her problem herself?
- Write down the topic sentence which expresses the main idea.
- Add 3 more sentences using the information noted on the writing board (The ideas given by the students)
- Use transition device (then, after, later, as soon as, etc.) to show the order in which the events occurred.
- Write a sentence that would sum up the idea.
- Sample: rabbits, cute, white, running, hiding, many, red eyed, like balls of snow, many babies, took care.
- The students can construct a paragraph based on this topic sentence.
Topic Sentence: Once I had a rabbit.
- Allow students to develop a sentence in pairs to show the progression.
- A sample is given below:
Details: I found it in my backyard one day. I called him Snowy because he was like a ball of snow. I took good care of it. Snowy was always digging holes in our lawn. So then my parents told me to leave it in a forest so our lawn could be saved. I still miss my cute little rabbit!
- Teacher must write the definition of the narrative paragraph on the board.
- Ask the students to copy the definition in their note books with examples.
Activity 2
- Inform the students: A narrative paragraphs, has events.
- Divide the class in groups of 4-5 students.
- Assign a different topic to each group from those suggested by the class and noted on the board.
- Ask the groups to write a narrative paragraph on the demonstrated pattern, with each member contributing one sentence.
- Ask the groups to share their work with the whole class, by one member reading out the group`s paragraph loudly.
Sum up / Conclusion
- Ask the students to read out their paragraphs.
- Ask the students what a narrative paragraph is?
- They should be able to talk about the contents of the paragraph, besides the structure.
- Find the exercise related to the topic in the textbook. Students must do this exercise in the notebook or on the textbook.
Assessment
- This should be done through students` responses and written work.
- Through students` oral feedback and written work, determine whether they have been able to understand narrative paragraph.
Follow up
- Create a class story book by putting together students` stories inside a folder
- Present this book to the school principal and keep it in the school library, or share it with other classes.
- Give the book a title such as ‘Store time with class 3’.
- Write a narrative paragraph on ‘My Last Birthday’.
