“Stories create community, enable us to see through the eyes of other people, and open us to the claims of others.” -Peter Forbes
Why should we teach storytelling in our classrooms?
At its core, storytelling is much more than the sum of its parts. Sure...the characters, events, setting, problem, solution, conclusion are all valuable components of a story's structure but the act of storytelling and what stories can teach us about each other makes understanding the art of narrative writing more valuable in our classrooms than one might think.
Stories help us, including our students, make sense of the world. They allow us to connect to others in a way that reminds us that we are not alone. Storytelling also provides comfort and enables readers and listeners the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of someone else's experiences. Stories teach us to empathize with each other's struggles, to be compassionate, creative, innovative, and imaginative. They even have the power to ignite change.
In short, stories are fundamental part of being human.
NARRATIVE WRITING
Everyone has a story inside them and kids are no different. If you have ever asked an elementary schooler how their weekend was or if they had a nice birthday, you know EXACTLY what I mean. They'll go on and on about all of the people they saw, that activities they did, the treats they ate, and the dog they played with fetch with.
But, the best part is that they give us a sneak peek into the hearts and minds of these pint-sized storytellers.
That is why teaching your students to love stories and to become storytellers themselves is so important.
NARRATIVE WRITING STRUCTURES
Narrative writing details an event or course of events told over time for the purpose of sharing real or imagined experiences with others. Narratives are created to inform, enlighten, explain, entertain, and instruct, and they often have lessons for the reader that is meant to stay with them long after the story has ended.
Within narrative writing there are dozens of narrative text structures and, as with everything else, understanding their nuances can help teachers educate their students how to approach each one as both a reader and as a writer.
Examples of real-life narrative structures include:
Memoirs-a record of events written by a person with firsthand knowledge based on observations.
Autobiographies-the history of a person’s life told by that person.
Diary/journal entries-a daily record of a writer’s private thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and observations written solely for the author.
Letters-written communication between the writer and another person for the purpose of sharing private thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and observations.
Anecdotes-a short account of a particular event that is especially amusing or entertaining.
Examples of imagined narrative structures include:
Science fiction-fiction that draws on the imagination of the writer based scientific knowledge.
Realistic fiction-fiction that creates imaginary characters set in a place and time that could or did happen. This type of fiction is based in reality.
Fantasy-stories that take place in imaginary locations and include make-believe creatures and magic.
Historical fiction-fiction that creates imaginary characters set in a place and time in history; often depicting a significant historical event. This type of fiction is based in reality.
Adventure tales-fictional stories that feature travel; difficult quests, fantastic voyages, journeys to far off lands. This genre is also often combined with elements of fantasy. For example: the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, and the Endling series by Katherine Applegate.
Folktales-an anonymous story that is orally told over generations.
Fairy tales-a wonder tale that includes fantastic creatures, magical elements, and is characterized by happy endings.
Fractured fairy tales-stories that take a particular fairy tale and adds a modern twist; may include elements of irony or humor and a change to the characters, setting, and/or events.
Myths-stories that typically involve supernatural beings and explains the origins of humankind, the natural world, or social phenomenon.
Legend-a traditional story or group of stories told about a person, group of people, or place.
Fables-a short story that includes animals as characters that conveys a moral or lesson.
Mysteries-a story with a situation, incident, dilemma, or crime that is difficult or impossible to explain.
Dramas-a story with an exciting, emotional, or unexpected circumstances.
Plays- a story or literary work that is written with the intent of being performed or acted out using dialogue and stage directions.
Comic strips-a series of illustrations and interrelated panels that tell a short story told through character dialogue involving humor and/or satire and is often series.
Graphic novels-a full-length story presented in a comic-strip format. Graphic novels can be used present fiction and non-fiction material.
Fan fiction-unauthorized stories written by amateur writers, often fans, using copyrighted characters, settings, and/or situations.
Storytelling is a critical part of your students' academic and personal development.
Now, that you have a list of the different narrative writing text structures. Experiment with the different styles with your students. Read stories that use different structures and let students decide which styles they prefer. Use the published works as examples (exemplars) for your students to emulate as they learn to write their own stories and maybe even allow students to experiment with new ways of writing the same story.
Remember...stories are powerful. They are the best way for teachers to get to know their students. They give students a voice. Narrative writing (and reading) teaches children to love stories and to value the power of their own story as a way to share experiences and connect with others. Stories open our eyes to new ideas, cultures, experiences, points of view, struggles, sources of inspiration, and have the ability to change our world view including what we think is possible in our lives as well as the lives of our students.
Happy (Reading &) Writing,
