Narrative Text

Narrative Text: A story with characters, setting, and plot that is written mostly in chronological (time) order. This is usually fiction, but may also be nonfiction that tells a true story. Examples of narrative text are fairytales, novels, and short stories.

Narrative elements:

• Character - the people or animals that do things in a story
• Setting - the place and time that the action takes place
• Plot - the action of the story
  
  • Mostly or completely in chronological (time) order
  • Has a beginning, middle, and end
  • Usually contains a conflict (problem), problem-solving events, and solution
• Theme - the lesson or concept that the author wants the reader to learn or understand

• Identifying main characters, plot, setting, and theme.
• Summarizing a narrative passage.
  • Usually, a summary would begin with a sentence identifying the topic of the text and its focus. (For example: This passage focused on the adventures of three little pigs when they left home to live on their own as adults.)
  • Your summary should then state the main events of the narrative passage (in order!), along with important settings and characters. (For example: As they went into the forest, the three brothers each decided to build their houses out of different materials. The first little pig chose to build his house out of straw, and was quickly finished. The second little pig chose to build his house out of sticks, and his house was also quickly built. The third little pig, remembering that there was a wolf living in the forest, built his house out of strong bricks, even though it took more time and effort. When the wolf knocked at the first little pig's house, the pig refused to let him in. The wolf blew down the straw house, and the first little pig had to run for his life! The first little pig hid with his brother in the house of sticks, but the wolf soon came looking for them. The two pigs refused to open the door, so the wolf blew down the house of sticks. Both little pigs ran as fast as they could to their youngest brother's brick house. When the wolf arrived, the three pigs refused to let him in. The wolf tried to blow down the brick house, but it was too sturdy. Then he tried to come down throught the chimney, but the little pigs had built up a fire under a kettle of water, and when the wolf fell into the boiling water, he scrambled back up the chimney and left them alone for the rest of their lives.)
  • Your summary should end with a conclusion that ties your ideas together; this often tells the moral or theme of the story, or the end results. (For example: This story reminds the reader that planning ahead and working hard will make you successful. Or you might say: In the end, the three brothers decided to live together as a family in the brick house, where they were safe from predators.)
• Using graphic elements (photographs, maps, pictures, etc.) to better understand the text or to gain additional details.
• Identifying the text structure that is used within the narrative passage.
  • sequence
  • problem/solution
  • compare/contrast
  • description
  • cause/effect
• Identifying the problem and solution events.
• Restating the events in correct sequence.
• Interpreting (drawing conclusions about) characters' attitudes or feelings from the author's descriptions of their actions or physical appearance. (For example, if the author writes: "Phillip stood on corner of Fifth Street and Maple, anxiously peering toward the rising sun. He repeatedly felt in his pocket to make sure he hadn't lost his bus ticket, and clutched his suitcase with sweaty palms. When the bus finally appeared, Phillip closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and prepared to leave the only home he'd ever known." The reader should be able to draw conclusions about how Phillip felt, based on the reader's own experiences with similar events and the descriptions given by the author. Accurate conclusions about Phillip might include that he is nervous, a little bit excited, worried, brave, lonely, and determined.) Fifth grade students should be able to describe the character as more than just "happy" or "sad". Being able to name precise emotions is an important skill that students should be developing through their discussions with adults about both their own real experiences and experiences of book characters.

• Legend Literature

• Folktales
• Historical Fiction
• Modern Realistic Fiction
• Science Fiction
• Fantasy
• Myths
• some Biographies, if they are written as a retelling of the person's life