Goals and Purpose
Session 1 – What Is Narrative Writing?
- Learn what narrative writing is and is not in order to identify the genre for your students.
- Analyze the genre, gaining an understanding of the structure and the craft involved in writing narrative.
- Acquire vocabulary related to narrative writing so that your students internalize it.
- Answer essential questions about teaching narrative writing so that you can help students understand why we tell stories.
Session 2 – Gathering Ideas
- Read mentor texts, using them to get ideas for your own stories.
- Draft your own narratives, including stories about a turning point, or first time, or important memory.
- Learn how to use your own writing to teach and inspire students.
Session 3 – Choosing and Developing an Idea with Significance in Mind
- Choose a piece of writing you want to develop, thinking about the meaning you want to convey to readers.
- Reflect on the importance of your narrative, and how to express your meaning.
- Use your own writing to help students unearth meaningful, true stories from their lives.
Session 4 – Planning and Drafting
- Work with a partner to plan and rehearse your writing, so that you can teach students how to work in partnership.
- Draft your story, using tips gained from working with fellow writers.
Session 5 – Revision
- Learn how to use mentor text to teach revision techniques such as elaboration, good beginnings, and satisfying endings.
Session 6 – Editing: Using Punctuation in Meaningful Ways
- Study writing with an eye on meaningful punctuation.
- Teach your students how to use punctuation to express voice and meaning.
Session 7 – Sharing Our Stories with the World
- Learn why it’s so important to share stories.
- Plan for new ways to have your students share with a wider audience.
Session 8 – Summary of Learning and Planning for Teaching
- Sum up your learning and make a plan for how to use this course to teach narrative writing.