Teaching Writing: Children

Lesson 2: Teaching Narration

Presenting Their Work

Story Mobiles

Here's a fun way for your students to present stories they've written, and then, if you wish, retell them to the class. Making Story Mobiles will allow students the chance to reflect on a story they have just written, pick out the important parts of the plot, and create mobiles using those plot elements.

After each child has completed writing a narrative story, follow these steps and you are off to a great writing-art project.

Materials for each student:

several pieces of 12"x18" construction paper or tag board
yarn
art supplies of your choice such as crayons, markers, scissors, glue, paint
a hole punch
a coat hanger

1. Encourage each student to brainstorm a list of the most important parts of the story, or consult the story maps they used to write the story. The number of scenes each child should choose will depend upon the level of your class. A simple beginning, middle and end may be used, or ask students to choose several middle scenes if they have written longer stories.

2. Using art materials, have students illustrate these parts of the story, one scene per piece of construction paper.

3. When all illustrations are done, instruct students to punch two holes in the top and/or bottom edges of the paper, and connect the panels together in a vertical fashion to create a mobile. Use coat hangers for hanging the mobiles.

4. Hang the story mobiles around the classroom. When all mobiles are completed, let each student use his visual to retell his story to the class.

Narrative Ladder

Another way to practice with narrative elements is to create a narrative "ladder." Have students use the stories they've created for this activity.

Materials:

oaktag or tag-board, cut into 4x18" strips markers index cards hole punch yarn

1. Again, have students brainstorm a list of the elements of their narrative.

2. Have students take strips for each element: characters, setting, problem, events, solution and label each.

3. On the index cards, have students write the parts of their stories that reflect each of the elements and attach them to the oaktag.

4. When completed, punch holes in the top and bottom of each strip and connect them into a "ladder" to hang off the edge of their desks or around the classroom.

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