• My Account
  • My Cart
  • Checkout

Terrific Teaching Tactics

Make Learning Fun

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Shop
    • Wishlist
    • My Account
    • Cart
    • Checkout
  • For Teachers
    • Blog
    • Shop My TpT Store
    • Free Resource Library
  • For TPT Sellers
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Facebook Group
    • TPT Seller Courses
    • Coaching
  • Contact Me
  • 0 items

How To Teach Narrative Writing

Maybe you are a new teacher, or a seasoned one that is taking on a new role as a writing instructor, or maybe you just want to shake up your writing time this year…keep reading to learn more about what narrative writing is, tips to teach it, and some great resources to make it easier for you!

There are several kinds of writing tasks your students will need to write during their time in your classroom. These will include narrative, opinion, and informational pieces. These kinds of works are required from kindergarten to sixth grade if you follow Common Core Standards.

how to teach narrative writing

What is Narrative Writing?

So what exactly is a narrative?

A narrative is a written or spoken account of events. In simpler terms, it is a story.

In my opinion, narrative writing pieces are the easiest for students to write because they all have something they want to share with you. Whether it is about their summer vacation plans, what happened over the weekend, or their experience at the soccer game, students love to share with you. Getting them to write can be the trickier part.

narrative writing tips and tricks

5 Tips to encourage students to write narrative pieces

1. Let them pick the topic.

I know, I know. This goes against your need to control the classroom and what your students are learning but think about it. Aren’t you more willing to complete a task if it is on your terms?

Now, I don’t mean give them total freedom on topics. Obviously, it needs to be school appropriate, and it must lend itself to a narrative piece. I like to give them a theme, and then they can narrow it down from there into something that interests them.

Example: I would give them the theme of writing about their family. Then, they can pick if they write about their favorite family adventure or maybe a time that their family experienced something together that was sad or upsetting.

what is narrative writing

2. Share Examples of Narrative Writing

Having examples to share with your students gives them some expectations you want them to strive towards. Reading narrative writing mentor texts is an excellent idea as a lesson warm-up.

Having an example piece to show students is a great tool, and an even better tool is to write an example narrative piece together. If you have the time, this gives students the best chance at becoming excellent writers. They can see the process you go through and some of the strategies you use when writing.

what is a personal narrative? what is a fictional narrative?

3. Explain the Rubric beforehand

Give students a walk-through of the rubric and the expectations you have for them. I love to spend some time writing pieces of work that fit each score on the rubric. Draft a story that would receive the lowest score and discuss with your students why it scores low.

Then write a piece that scores the next score, and so on. Finish with a story that would get the highest score and show your students the process to receive that score. You want your students to be successful in the classroom, and showing them examples and the rubric is a good step.

how to teach narrative writing kindergarten

4. Break it Down

Break the writing process down into manageable steps. Hearing the teacher say that you have to write a five-sentence story is really daunting to a kindergartener or that they have to write three paragraphs to older students, etc.

Allow plenty of time in your lesson plans for students to complete the narrative writing in several steps over a few days.

I like these steps: brainstorm, draft, edit, revise, and final copy. Depending on your students and their needs, this may take a week or longer.

how to teach narrative writing first grade

5. Personal Versus Fictional Narrative Pieces

There are two kinds of narrative pieces that students can write: personal and fictional.

A fictional narrative is a story that comes from your imagination. Many students will love writing fictional stories because it allows them to let their creativity flow, and they can be silly. Example: The Day the Cow Jumped Over the Rainbow or The Monster That Lives Under My Bed.

Fictional stories are more fun, but some students may have trouble using their own imagination to create a piece that doesn’t mimic a movie, show, or video game they have played or seen.

A personal narrative is a story that has happened in your life. I find that these kinds of pieces are simpler for children to write because they just have to tell you about something that has happened to them. Example: Tell me about your summer vacation, tell me about your weekend, etc.

Personal narratives are a great resource for getting to know your students and learning more about their families, likes and dislikes, and personalities. Some students may be uncomfortable sharing their personal narratives if they have a rocky home life or have suffered a traumatic event. Don’t push them into sharing with the class but be a person they can trust to share with.

personal narrative vs fictional narrative

Resources to Help Teach Narrative writing

Now that you have some tips to help in your classroom. Check out these narrative writing prompts to make your life easier!

Kindergarten Narrative Writing Prompts Worksheets
First Grade Narrative Writing Prompts and Worksheets
Second Grade Narrative Writing Prompts and Worksheets
Third Grade Narrative Writing Prompts and Worksheets

Want to try a free sample first? Grab this freebie for your classroom! It’s a part of my free resource library, so I’m sure you’ll find some other free goodies that you love!

free narrative writing prompts

I hope this post was helpful in explaining narratives and that you got a few tips to help make teaching them a little easier! Comment below and tell me what tips you have for teaching about writing narratives.

Have a terrific day,

P.S. If you need some Narrative Writing Prompts for kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, or fourth grade, check out my post here!

Sharing is caring!

Sharing is caring!

«
»

Teaching Blog Posts 0

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hi, my name is Alex! I love creating fun, colorful, and engaging resources for the early years. I’ve taught 3rd and 1st grade and I’m passionate about creating interactive activities that engage all learners Read More…

Teachers

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Cart

Teacher Sellers

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Cart

For Teachers

Interested in FREE resources? Become a V.I.P.

Click here to join

For TPT Sellers

Interested in TIPS for TpT? Join the community.

Click here to join

Categories

Footer

Teacher Instagram

Comment SPACE and I’ll send you a link to these Comment SPACE and I’ll send you a link to these sentence writing worksheets! 👽🪐

#sentencewriting #sentencestructure #grammarlesson #grammartips #teachinggrammar #grammarlessons #firstgradewriting #firstgradeclassroom #firstgradeactivities #firstgradeliteracy  #firstgradeteachers #1stgradeteachers  #kindergarten2 #kindergartenwriting #kindergartenlife #kindergartener #kindergartenrocks #kindergartenfun #kindergartenhomeschool #kindergartenready #kindergartenactivity #kindergartenideas #kindergartencenters #kindergartenclass #teachingkindergarten #teachingkinder #kindergartenlearning #kindergarteners #kindergarteninspiration #kindergartentips
Do NOT just dive into your first writing unit! ❌ Do NOT just dive into your first writing unit! ❌

Even with second and third grade, you need to review foundational skills first! 

You’ll be surprised how many students aren’t using capital letters or punctuation. Their sentences won’t make any sense! They may still be struggling with handwriting or phonics 😬

Jumping straight into your writing unit will be a disaster for everyone! You’ll be frustrated with what your students produce and your students will hate writing lessons 🥲

Instead, put off your writing genres for a sec. Spend a few weeks focusing on teaching sentence writing ✍🏻

If you teach second grade, I do have a sentence writing unit I think will really help! 

Comment SENTENCE below and I’ll send you a link 🙂

#secondgrade #secondgradeteacher #secondgraderocks #secondgradeteachers #secondgradeclassroom #secondgradetribe #secondgradewriting #secondgrader #secondgraders #secondgradelife #secondgradefun #secondgradehomeschool #iteachsecond #iteachsecondgrade #iteach2nd #iteach2ndgrade #2ndgrade #2ndgradeteacher #2ndgraderocks #2ndgradeclassroom #2ndgradeteachers #2ndgrader #2ndgradewriting #2ndgradefun #2ndgradelife #2ndgraders #2ndgradehomeschool #2ndgradeadventures #iteach2 #secondgradeliteracy
If you’re a 2nd grade teacher, this is for you! If you’re a 2nd grade teacher, this is for you! 

My new personal narratives writing unit is here! 🎉 

If you like the look of this cute craft, comment UNIT below and I’ll send you a link so you can check out the unit 💗

 #Writingcurriculum #writingprompts #writingteachers #writingteacher #writinglessons #writinglesson #writingcenter #writingactivity #writingactivities #secondgradeteacher #secondgraderocks #secondgradeteachers #secondgradeclassroom #secondgradetribe #secondgradewriting #secondgraders #secondgradelife #secondgradefun #2ndgradeteacher #2ndgraderocks #2ndgradeclassroom #2ndgradeteachers #2ndgrader #2ndgradewriting #2ndgradefun #2ndgradelife #2ndgraders #2ndgradeadventures #iteach2 #secondgradeliteracy
Whatever you do, don’t just jump into your narra Whatever you do, don’t just jump into your narrative unit or whatever genre you’re supposed to teach first.

Start with drawing and labeling for a while. Focus on teaching phonics and then take the time to explicitly teach sentence writing.

This will take a few months and that’s okay!

It is not developmentally appropriate to tell your kindergarteners to write a narrative straight away. ❌

Take it slow and teaching writing will be far more bearable! 🙌🏻

#Iteachk #iteachkinder #iteachkindergarten #iteachkinders #iteachkindy #iteachk12 #kindergarten #kindergarten2 #kindergartenteacher #kindergartenactivities #kindergartenclassroom #kindergartenwriting #kindergartenteachers #kindergartenlife #kindergartener #kindergartenrocks #kindergartenfun #kindergartenhomeschool #kindergartenready #kindergartenactivity #kindergartenideas #kindergartencenters #kindergartenclass #teachingkindergarten #teachingkinder #kindergartenlearning #kindergarteners #kindergarteninspiration #kindergartentips #kindergartenathome
Comment DOLLAR and I’ll send you these cute acti Comment DOLLAR and I’ll send you these cute activities for only $1!

#firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #firstgradeclassroom #firstgradeliteracy #firstgradeteachers #firstgraderocks #firstgradewriting #firstgradeart #firstgradecrafts #firstgradetribe #firstgrader #firstgraders #firstgraderesources #firstgradecenters #1stgrade #1stgradeteacher #1stgradeart #1stgraderocks #1stgradeteachers #1stgrader #1stgraders #1stgradelife #1stgradefun #iteach1st #iteach1 #iteach1stgrade #iteachfirst #iteachfirstgrade #iteachfirsties
Comment FALL and I’ll send you a link to these a Comment FALL and I’ll send you a link to these adorable crafts which are perfect for September, October, and November bulletin boards! 🍁 

They are no prep and also good for writing centers! 

#bulletinboardinspiration #bulletinboardfun #bulletinboardswag #bulletinboard #bulletinboards #bulletinboardideas #bulletinboardsofinstagram #bulletinboardidea #classroomdoordecor #classroomdoor #classroomdoors #fallbulletinboard #classroomdecor #classroominspo #classroomideas #classroominspiration #classroom #classroomideas #classroompinspirations #classroomsetup #classroomdecorations #classroomdisplay #classroomdisplays #classroomdisplayideas #elementaryclassrooms #primaryclassroom #classroomgoals #classroomdecoration #classroomfun #classroomdesign #classroomactivities
Guess what? TPT is having a sale right now! Commen Guess what? TPT is having a sale right now! Comment SENTENCE and I’ll send you a link to my sentence writing unit which is 25% off for a limited time ✏️ 

#sentencewriting #sentencestructure #grammarlesson #grammartips #teachinggrammar #grammarlessons #firstgrade #firstgradewriting #firstgradeclassroom #firstgradeactivities #firstgradeteacher #firstgradeliteracy #firstgradeteachers #iteachfirst #iteachfirstgrade #iteach1st #iteach1stgrade #iteachsecond #iteachsecondgrade #iteach2nd #iteach2ndgrade #secondgrade #secondgradewriting #secondgradeliteracy #secondgradeteacher #secondgradeteachers #secondgradeclassroom #2ndgrade #1stgrade #1stgradeteachers
Comment DOLLAR and I’ll send you these lined wri Comment DOLLAR and I’ll send you these lined writing templates that are only $1! 

#secondgrade #secondgradeteacher #secondgraderocks #secondgradeteachers #secondgradeclassroom #secondgradetribe #secondgradewriting #secondgrader #secondgraders #secondgradelife #secondgradefun #secondgradehomeschool #iteachsecond #iteachsecondgrade #iteach2nd #iteach2ndgrade #2ndgrade #2ndgradeteacher #2ndgraderocks #2ndgradeclassroom #2ndgradeteachers #2ndgrader #2ndgradewriting #2ndgradefun #2ndgradelife #2ndgraders #2ndgradehomeschool #2ndgradeadventures #iteach2 #secondgradeliteracy
Comment FALL and I’ll send you a link these cute Comment FALL and I’ll send you a link these cute writing crafts 🍁🍎

#fallbulletinboard #firstgrade #firstgradeteacher #firstgradeclassroom #firstgradeliteracy #firstgradeteachers #firstgraderocks #firstgradewriting #firstgradeart #firstgradecrafts #firstgradetribe #firstgrader #firstgraders #firstgraderesources #firstgradecenters #1stgrade #1stgradeteacher #1stgradeart #1stgraderocks #1stgradeteachers #1stgrader #1stgraders #1stgradelife #1stgradefun #iteach1st #iteach1 #iteach1stgrade #iteachfirst #iteachfirstgrade #iteachfirsties

Pinterest

TPT Seller Instagram

You can’t sell it if it isn’t posted! Tell me You can’t sell it if it isn’t posted!

Tell me in the comments, how many products do you have on your computer right now that you’re procrastinating from posting? 😂

 #Peteacher #peteachers #peteachersofinstagram #peteacherlife #healthteacher #healthteachers #iteachpe #iteachhealth #artteachersofinstagram #artteachers #artteacher #artteacherlife #artteachersofig #iteachart #musicteacher #musicteachers #musicteachersofinstagram #musicteacherlife #musicteachersrock #musicteaching #iteachmusic #socialstudiesteacher #socialstudiesteachers #iteachsocialstudies #teacherlibrarian #scienceteacher #scienceteachers #scienceteachersofinstagram #scienceteacherlife #iteachscience
Have you ever thought about becoming a virtual ass Have you ever thought about becoming a virtual assistant?

You can do this alongside your TPT store (to supplement your income) or instead of running a store (if it lights you up)! 🎊

My friend Chloe Tascoff is like the VA version of me 😂 she loves helping teachers become VAs! She's been on my podcast twice (if you want to see what she has to say).

Anyways, I'm SO excited to see that she's lauching a program to help teachers become VAs. 🙌

If you're a seller, you know how hard it can be to find good help sometimes! Chloe is gonna make sure she creates QUALITY VAs in the TPT space and I'm all for it.

FYI - She's a massively successful VA herself (6 figures a year), so she knows her stuff.

Anyways, be sure to check out Virtual Assistant School For Educators (VASE) that's open for the next two weeks! It's a beta launch (so at its most affordable).

I really think Chloe knows what she's talking about so I'm gonna share my affiliate link in my stories. I very rarely do affiliate stuff but honestly I wanna support Chloe AND as a seller I want quality VAs in our space!

Comment below with any questions and @teachervamentor Chloe Tascoff and I can answer them :)

#Teacherhustle #teachersidehustle #teacherbusiness #teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors
A sense of paralyzing dread hits me when I see the A sense of paralyzing dread hits me when I see the email! 😂

Let me know in the comments how it makes you feel 😂

#Teacherjokes #teacherjoke #teacherfunny #teacherfunnies #teachingjokes #teacherhumor #teacherhumour #teachinghumor #teachermemes #teachermeme #teachingmemes #teachingmeme #teacherquotes #teacherquote #teachingquotes #teachingquote  #teacherlaughs #teachertribe #teachertalk
Little Lily May is precious but oh so time consumi Little Lily May is precious but oh so time consuming 👶🏼😂

With such limited time to juggle everything, I have made the tough decision to take a hiatus from the podcast for a while 💔

This also means I’ll be a bit quieter when it comes to emails and Instagram posts.

Listen in to the farewell episode if you want to hear more about my decision.

The good news is that I’m still going to be around on Instagram stories and in my Facebook group. 

I hope you understand! 

Let me know in the comments if you can relate. If you are busy these days, have there been things that you’ve had to press pause on?

#Teacherhustle #teachersidehustle #teacherbusiness #teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors
Are you too nervous to record reels, TikToks, FB l Are you too nervous to record reels, TikToks, FB lives, or course videos?

Instagram stories are a great way to get confident on camera on a much smaller scale! 📸 

Listen in to this week’s episode of The Terrific Teacherpreneur podcast to hear all of my tips! 

Tell me in the comments with an emoji, how confident are you on camera? 
Are we talking 👍🏻🙌🏻🎉 or 😬😭🥺?

 #Igteachers #igteacher #instateacher #instateachers #instagramteachers #instagramteacher #teachersofig #teachersofinsta #teachersofthegram #teacherig #teacherinsta #teacherinstagram #educatorsofig #educatorsofinsta #educatorsofinstagram
I earned $2.70 my first month on TPT! 😂🤦🏼 I earned $2.70 my first month on TPT! 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

I shared these kind of fun facts during last week’s podcast episode! 

As I was recording, I contemplated whether I should do an episode for years three and four and five and six etc someday, what do you think?!

#Teacherhustle #teachersidehustle #teacherbusiness #teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors
Has this ever happened to you? 😂 #Teacherjokes Has this ever happened to you? 😂

#Teacherjokes #teacherjoke #teacherfunny #teacherfunnies #teachingjokes #teacherhumor #teacherhumour #teachinghumor #teachermemes #teachermeme #teachingmemes #teachingmeme #teacherquotes #teacherquote #teachingquotes #teachingquote  #teacherlaughs #teachertribe #teachertalk #teacherhustle #teachersidehustle #teacherbusiness #teacherpreneurs #teacherpreneurship #teacherpreneurtribe #tptsellers #teacherauthors #tptauthor #tptauthors
I’m SO embarrassed to admit this but… I used I’m SO embarrassed to admit this but…

I used to be anti flatpack. As in I ‘didn’t think you should pay to flatten and secure resources when you can do it for free’ (ten million times slower 😂).

I remember arguing with someone in a Facebook group about it 🤦🏼‍♀️😬

I had some real mindset issues back then around investing in my business. I wasn’t buying good quality clip art and I didn’t understand why people took courses or got coaching.

I didn’t treat TPT like a business and my sales reflected that 😭 thank goodness I came out the other side!

When I think of hugely successful TPT sellers, they always have a business mindset. 

Anyways, we are constantly growing and evolving as business owners.

I’m willing to admit that I was wrong and I don’t mind laughing about it either! 😂

Is there anything that you realize you were wrong about when you first started? 

#Iteachscience #spedteachers #iteachart #musicteachers #iteachela #mathteachers #iteachreading #socialstudiesteacher #iteachlanguagearts #eslteachers #iteachpe #middleschoolteachers #iteachhighschool #primaryschoolteachers #iteachprep #prekteachers #schoolslp #schoolcounselorsofinstagram #iteachk12 #iteach345 #iteach789 #teacherfollow
How often to pin always seems to change but SEO ha How often to pin always seems to change but SEO has always been important! 

My advice is to focus on the fundamentals of Pinterest. 
Focus on the things that are important and will always be relevant! Stop worrying about strategy and focus on great content and SEO 🙌🏻

 #Eslteacher #eslteachers #eslteaching #eslteachersofinstagram #ellteacher #spedteacherlife #spedteachersofinstagram #frenchteacher #frenchteachers #frenchteachersoninstagram #spanishteacher #spanishteachers #spanishteachersofinstagram #canadianteacher #canadianteachers #frenchimmersionteacher #secondaryteacher #secondaryteachers #secondaryteaching #schoolprincipal #schooladministrator #iteachesl #iteachphonics #iteachreading #iteachfrench #languagesteacher #iteachspanish #iteachspecialed #specialeducationteacher #specialedteacher

Copyright © 2023 · Website + Branding Design by Christi Fultz

Save 10% on your first purchase! Use the coupon code TERRIFIC10 at checkout. Dismiss