Being the last of the genres of writing learnt, expository writing instruct, inform, define or to explain a concept or idea. It provides facts, statistics. It involves process analysis (steps to performing a particular task) and content analysis (information provided on a topic). 

Expository writing includes transitional words or phrases, sequencing of paragraphs, a topic sentence (main idea) and main points (supporting details).

Ideas to be developed are critical in this type of writing. 

When engaging students in expository writing, get students to generate lots of ideas specific to the topic. Using varied interactive activities can help to generate ideas. One example is to use pictures to begin expository writing. Put them in order. Discuss with students to help get them to write. Also, reading samples of writing to students can generate ideas.

This genre of writing takes many techniques:

-Causes and Effect

-Problem and Solution

-Comparison/Contrast

-Illustrations/Examples

-Description

-Definition

-Sequence

 A topic can take many different techniques. For example:

Topic: Transportation

It can either be writing using examples or transportation used or a description of the various types of transportation in our country.

Be sure to have students exposed to the different types of techniques.

To get students to write, at first, give them topics to which they are exposed or to which they can relate. Example: Why do I come to school everyday? (Reasons for coming to school) or The importance of helping at home can be a topic. 

Teachers ought to develop sentences with students before they begin to write on the topic. 

Teachers ought to most importantly, engage in modelling of this genre of writing.

Mini lessons are also a great way of focus on needed areas of weakness of students to develop good writing skills.

In lower grades, one paragraph may be sufficient for students to write on a topic. Topic sentence and supporting details must be included.

In the upper grades. students should write at least 2 paragraphs. 

Sample format for expository writing:

1. Main Idea (expressed as a topic sentence)

   a. supporting details 1

   b. supporting details 2

   c. concluding sentence

Remember, expository writing takes a lot of practice and effort. Teacher who actively engage their students in expository writing will gradually develop strategic and independent writers. It is always important to first focus on topics that students can relate to. In that way, they will be able to write and produce ideas on a topic as they become better writers in the writing classroom.

Quote: "Start writing no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." -Louis L'Amour.

The Basis of Argumentative Writing

In this LIT102 classs session, my lecturer Ms. Polius started with a mini lesson on how to go about teaching argumentative writing. For me, this was fantastic! I got to see first hand from a knowledgeable teacher good ideas for teaching argumentative writing and gained some insightful information on what it is all about. 

Essentially, she taught that when moving onto another genre of writing, always refer to those learnt so far, outlining comparisons and differences. My lecturer also stated that I ought to emphasize why writers engage in argumentative writing, provide samples of this type and explain the features and characteristics. When beginning the lesson, she stated the objectives to me as an imaginary class.

In the prewriting stage, I learnt that good writers:

Choose a topic

Identify purpose, audience

Brainstorm ideas

Organize ideas

Write a first draft

When having to choose a topic in the classroom, teachers can give students the option of a scenario which will in turn help them to choose wisely. the topic can be in the form of a question or a statement. 

Brainstorming (Possible topics):


-Should children be banned form drinking soft drinks?
-Soft drinks should be banned.

Ask students to choose their side: agree or disagree. Moreover, some students may be in the valley of decision. That is okay. It can be ruled as undecided. Allow students to be engaged in discussion, before any actual writing can be done. Hvae them divide themselves into 3 categories: Agree, Disagree, Undecided in the classroom to take their stance on the topic.

The audience in this case: school children, soft drink lovers, the public.

The purpose: to persuade the public, school children of the need to stop drinking soft drinks.

Students who agree:

Soft drinks are not healthy for children.
It causes them to be hyperactive.
The plastic bottles do not help to promote a cleaner environment.

Students who disagree:

Soft drinks are cheaper to purchase.
 It can cause job losses.
It may lead to poverty/crime.


In this stage, I was shown a layout of a graphic organizer which will facilitate organization of ideas (for upper grade students):

Introduction: a hook.
                    : state position. (agree or disagree)

Paragraph 1: 1st reason.
                      give supporting details

Paragraph 2: 2nd reason.
                   give supporting details

Conclusion: re-emphasize position/may ask audience to take a particular action/ summarize main points).


For the lower grade students: 

Paragraph 1:
state position
give reasons.

In the lower grades, it was advised that one paragraph will be sufficient for writers.


As an imaginary primary student (Grade 5), I was asked by my lecturer to write a first draft on: Soft Drinks Should Be Banned. Here is what I came up with(remember at primary level, drafts do contain errors!):


In St. Lucia, many children drink soft drinks whcih make them ver sick. they shuold not be allowed to drink soft drinks. Sift drinks should be banned for 3 reasons, people will get health problems, they get diabetes and suffer from heart problems. They can get really ill. It would be a sad moment for their families. They can be a part of activities like healthy people. 

Secondly, soft drink lovers are the ones who litter often. After they finished drinking their soft drink, they throw the plastic bottles anywhere. These people keep the environment really dirty. Soft drink bottles are even found on our sandy beaches. Don't they know that they  can harm sea animals? these animals like turtles can choke on the botles and die. People should learn to keep the envirnoment clean.



Argumentative writing is not about fighting or offending or criticizing others. It is about presenting an idea or topic and choosing a stance. Students must be able to defend their topic by providing supporting details/evidence. 

Remember, whether you like it or not, every individual's idea should be RESPECTED.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, 

How I wonder what you are! 

Up above the world so high, 

Like a diamond in the sky. 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, 

How I wonder what you are! 

    Remember those good old days of poems and rhymes? Surely. I do! Twinkle, twinkle, little star was one of my favourite rhymes! 

Poetry

  Poetry is a unique form of writing. It allows one to express ideas and feelings in a distinctive style and rhythm. Poetry is unfortunately one of the most neglected art forms in the classroom. All is not lost! Students need to be exposed to poetry as a genre of writing from the early grades.

   In my LIT102 class, I learnt that students may have poetic ability. It is therefore necessary to teach poetry from the lower grades so that students can develop a love for it. Poetry can be used to teach different concepts. Poetry can be used to express ideas. Anything which comes to mind can be expressed in the form of poetry. 

Three vital elements must be considered by a poet:

1. Context- motivation for the poem and the personal experience that causes someone to write.

2. Time- a particular existence: example slavery, elections, a disaster and so on. 

     Theme- the message which the poet wants the audience/reader to learn.

3. Persona- the person, object or animal in the poem. Essentially, it reflects who or what the poem is about. It can be a pet that speaks or it can be the use of "I" by the poet himself.

There are many different types of poems. Some include:

-Haiku

-Cinquain

-Acrostic

-Limerick

-Rhymed

-Lyric

  Here is one of the poems which I created as part of my LIT102 class sessions:

Dear Children (Acrostic)

C-hildren are dear to us all,

H-ow humble they can be!

I-nteracting with all whom they meet,

L-iving life so wonderfully!

D-oing things in their special way,

R-unning, laughing, talking all day.

E-ach one is a shining candle,

 N-ot even life's problems can put out their flame.

Miss May (Limerick)

I met an old lady one day,

Who said that her name was May.

She stared right at me,

Then smiled happily,

But her teeth looked like sheep in the hay.

  Teachers should allow students to create a collection of poems for classroom display, for class/ school magazine and so forth.  However, poems do not only have to be written. It can be performed. Teachers must use creativity in the classroom in order to drive that love for poetry in students. Poems can be sung, dramatized, recited. 

  

  As I reflected on my younger days, I remember my book of poems. My poems were mostly spiritual in nature. I remembered when I used to just sit with the book and pen in my hand and simply write anything which comes to mind and heart. Some rhymed. Some did not. We also need to teach students that poems do not always rhyme. Over time, I now have a collection of poems which I can now use to inspire and to educate students of writing in my future class. 

  In order to create poetry, many types of literary devices can be used:

-Onomatopeia

-Simile

-Metaphor

-Alliteration

-Personification

  In essence, make poetry come alive in the classroom. Give it much attention as with descriptive writing, narrative writing and the other genres of writing. Be sure to use poetry when teaching various concepts or topics in the class. Gradually, good students become good poets who definitely will become good writers. I am sure to develop great poets in my future classroom who will express themselves confidently with the use of poetry, as I am a great poet myself.

My Philosophy of Writing

"My philosophy can only be explained by me"- Gisele Antoine.

This is my personal quote which I have formed based on my lesson in LIT102 on the the knowledge of philosophy. So basically, what is a philosophy?

A philosophy is a set of reflective statements of your personal views and beliefs. 

Basically, a philosophy speaks volume to what a person believes in.Only this person is able to define and explain what he or she believes. My philosophy may not necessarily be another person's philosophy. Therefore, what is my philosophy of writing?

I have been guided by a set of questions from my LIT102 writing class, in order to explain my philosophy.

Some of these questions are:

What do I mean by writing?

How do I perceive writing instruction?

What role do I see myself playing as a teacher in the teaching-learning process?

What instructional approaches, strategies, activities and experiences must I utilize to enhance writing in the classroom?

What goals will I set for myself as a teacher of writing?

For the most part of my life, writing has always been a passion for me. From time to time, I would write about any topic or experience by which I am inspired. To me, writing is composing words on paper with a pen or a pencil. In my opinion, what words cannot do through the mouth, writing can do with the pen. No one can tell me how to think or feel. They may not think or feel like me, but with the pen I know that I am in total control.

My perception of writing instruction is quite simple. To me, it involves careful planning. In the planning stage, learning outcomes and objectives must be realistic, measurable and can cater to students, writing needs. Teachers ought to use the Language Arts Curriculum as a guide, so they are knowledgeable about what to teach and which activities are appropriate for specific writing lessons. Furthermore, teachers can gain a better insight of writing instruction by attending workshops, having professional development activities, attending lectures by Curriculum specialists and other relevant officials in the Ministry of Education. When I actively engage in proper planning as a teacher, this is determined by the adequate activities to be used, the realistic learning objectives to be met, the resources to be used, the development of my lesson and so on. Therefore, the planning process plays an integral part in writing instruction.

Most importantly, I have a great role to play in the writing classroom. To enhance the teaching-learning experience, various strategies and approaches must be utilized. It must be taken into account that each student’s learning style be it kinesthetic, visual or auditory must be in incorporated into the strategies and approaches in providing writing instruction. Such strategies and approaches include scaffolding, teacher demonstrations, literature based approach, process based approach, drama and the student centered learning approach. Albert Bandura (1971) posits that “most human behaviour is learnt observationally through modelling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed…” To support this view, I totally agree that teacher modelling helps students gain a complete understanding of how to express their ideas and how to structure their writing.

Based on my philosophy of writing, I intend to use the aforementioned initiatives in my future classroom to help students evolve into strategic and independent writers. On a professional level, I also intend to seek advice from mentor teachers, attend writing workshops, become academically certified in different areas of writing, just to name a few. With these said, perseverance, hard work and patience, along with specific knowledge and skills in writing are a stepping stone to helping students become better writers for the classroom and for their future goals.

Once again, my philosophy is what I believe in, what's yours?

Homonyms

In this session, I studied homonyms. I was a bit familiar with the my background knowledge on the subject, but certain questions asked by my lecturer had me thinking quite a bit. I will now share all that I have learnt in this class.

Homonyms can be divided into two branches of study: homophones and homographs.

-phones deal with same sound/pronunciation in words and also, the words have different spelling.

-graphs deal with same spelling of words, but their pronunciation may be different.

From this, I noted that homophones and homographs are the opposite of each other. Homographs are critical for comprehension in reading.

In order for students to understand homophones, it must be taught in CONTEXT. Allow the students to become familiar with the words and their meanings which are used in sentences.

Below are two activities on homophones. The second activity can be done after both words in each section have been taught using sentences. I intend to use these in my future writing classroom. 

In my LIT class, we identified various homophones and homographs. We also used them in sentences. Some are:

allowed/aloud

plane/plain

peer/pear/pair

eight/ate

present/present

desert/desert

Students tend to spell these words incorrectly, especially homophones. As mentioned before, students need to use the words in context. They can be given these words for the week with concentration on homophones or homographs. 

More importantly, students need to be taught spelling rules and generalizations, to be able to spell words correctly.

We analysed some reasons for which students are not able to spell words correctly. Some are:

1. The students may not have been taught spelling rules and generalizations.

2. Carelessness/Forgetfulness.

3. They depend a lot on letter-sound association.

Upon reflecting whilst in this class session, I am now aware that there is a lot of work to be done in helping students become successful. Some areas mentioned here, I have overlooked in my past teaching experiences. These areas I will provide more attention to in my future classroom. I never understood why students could not spell well and this session have allowed me to gain much insight. I will definitely go back to the classroom to implement various strategies and activities to promote learning. 

Here are some spelling activities which I made for use in my classroom:

                                   Vocabulary Word Card

Word Tic Tac Toe

Spell Wizards

The first code in number one spells the word "manners". Students ought to find the letters and create a word them using puzzle pieces. It is very vital that teachers explain the use and demonstrate how to go about using the activities to students. That way students not only enjoy, but they recognize the importance of these activities.

Students will enjoy these activities as it moves them away from the traditional pen and paper writing from calling out words to them. Be sure to create activities and use words at students' level.

Quote: "Practice with patience and persistence."

Words Their Way: First-Grade - Day 1 of a Sort

I would love to be your frend becuz you are very helpful and adoorable. Looks familiar? Yes, it does. Spelling errors. Sometimes, we as teachers spend little time in teaching spelling  through their rules and generalizations. Spelling is key to reading and understanding a text.

I appreciated this lesson because a saw spelling in a completely different light. This lesson has helped to analyse spelling of words on a need to read and understand basis, especially in sentences and paragraphs. I will share with you all that I have learnt:

• The ability to spell is critical to becoming an effective writer.

• A writer must be able to get a message across to readers, by encoding ideas/spelling correctly.

• Comprehension of text is usually affected, when a writer cannot spell words correctly.

• Teachers must not let students become dependent on them to spell words every time. Teachers must equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to spell well. They will then become proficient spellers eventually.

• Students tend to invent their spelling. Do not discourage them from doing this, especially in the early grades. They use their schema to help them.

• Spelling of words need to be addressed according to students' needs. 

In this video, you will see a class of Grade 1 students who are engaged in a group activity using a word sort. The teacher uses guided practice to help students identify words with vowel digraphs. I searched for videos which demonstrated spelling activities. It was a good lesson. 

In my observation, there are many lessons/topics which can be made from this actual activity:

1. Teacher can create a spelling word list on each set of words for the week. Each sets of words should be spelt at the end of each week.

2. Sentence structure from the book should be taught. Students can identify how sentences are formed as they read the story.

3. Students can create their own sentences using the words from the word sort.

As students become more familiar with words, in many ways than one, they are more than likely to spell the words correctly. I liked the fact that the teacher used another student's word list to help the other student identify his error of omission. Teacher and student, as well as student and student collaboration took place.

I also noted that in the writing classroom, spelling is a very essential part of writing. Teachers must always develop activities to help students become better spellers to be confident about their writing. A good speller becomes a good writer and a good writer is a good reader. 

As teachers, we need to think deeply about the spelling instruction we provide to students (do so by answering these questions on your own):

1. Are we teaching spelling via spelling lists only?

2. Do we teach spelling for transfer? Do we teach spelling in a way that allows students to transfer skills from one content area to another?

3. What kinds of strategies do we use to teach spelling?

4. Will one strategy work for all words? Do all words fall under the same pattern?

5. Do we analyse common spelling errors that students make and address these errors as well? eg. omission of silent letter nit as opposed to night.

If you answer in the negative to some or most of these, then you as a teacher, or even a parent need to work assiduously to help the child learn to become a proficient speller.

I also learnt about the 5 stages of spelling development. These are pre-communicative, semi-phonetic, phonetic, transitional and the correct stage. 

In this class, it was clearly understood that students spell and write words phonetically, rather than conventionally.

In essence, the teaching of spelling was like an eye opener for me. I was used to the traditional way of giving a list for the week and calling out these words at the end of the week. It is our job as teachers to continuously research about the different areas in writing. We need to expose ourselves to different strategies and methods of having students to become better writers.

By the end of the lesson for the week, the student should have written this:

I would love to be your friend because you are very helpful and adorable.

They blew the  dust off an album and sat down to look at pictures they had not seen for decades.

As a freelance Writer, I am inspired by many things in life which I use to develop my stories. Read on. I hope you like..Comments are welcomed..

The Album Tells All

It was one of the most difficult times which a person never forgets. Tina’s grandparents were the structure of the family. They always lived life to the fullest and made them all enjoy life in the simplest ways. It all ended soon than they expected. They were definitely not prepared for this.

After some weeks of endless pain and grief, Tina and her cousin Molly went to Grandpa Allen and Grandma Suzie’s house in Chicago, USA, to clean up their belongings, as Tina’s mother had requested. Sadly, they both passed away in a tragic road accident near the hotel about 2 months ago. They had no idea until they saw the 7p.m news on television. The two were on their way to the Heavenly Paradise Hotel in Chicago to celebrate their 51^st anniversary when tragedy struck. Tina and her parents rushed to the Precious Life Hospital in the blink of an eye. Her mother cried uncontrollably, because it now dawned on her that her mother, her best friend, was gone.

From living to lifeless, Tina and her parents never got a chance to say goodbye. The sight of their lifeless bodies in the morgue remained as a permanent scar which has left a deep wound in their heart forever. Unfortunately, as time went on, they never got to know who the driver was. It turned into a hit and run case. Burying her grandparents and her mother’s parents became the scariest and most painful thing they ever had to do. Eventually, the family’s slow healing process was just as evident as the dark of night.

On September 10, 1997, Tina’s mother asked her to go to their now unoccupied home, two blocks away, to pack up their belongings and tidy up. She was planning on selling their house. Every smile, every joke that her mother made, had disappeared. She lost weight tremendously and her skinny appearance could attest to the fact that she had undergone a great moment of depression. Her eyes slowly withered, which seemed like a ghost town, pale and gloomy. Tina and her dad continuously did all that they could to cheer her up. They had to remain strong for her sake.

Tina went the following day with Molly to their grandparents’ home. Molly is her favourite cousin. She is tall, fair skinned, with long brown hair, black eyes and is not quite thin. She is very helpful and reliable. They are like best friends. They both went there in the afternoon. The place seemed dull, dusty and gloomy.

“I can’t believe they’re gone,” Tina expressed sadly.

“Yes, me too. It feels like a dream.” Molly replied.

“So where do we begin?” Molly asked.

“Let’s begin in the bathroom. We will clean the easiest places first.” Tina added.

They went to the bathroom with a plastic bag to pack the soap bars, soap dishes, towels, skin cream and other supplies. They both scrubbed the walls with soap and water. Next, the ladies moved to the living room. This task was getting quite tedious.

“I’m famished. What time will we finish all this?” Molly inquired.

“I know. I think we should clean the living room now and then stop. We can do the rest tomorrow if you’d like.” Tina explained.

“Agreed! 100%!” Molly exclaimed.

All the chinaware and glasses were placed in boxes. They unplugged the television and radio. The ladies sneezed a lot because of the dust. They dusted and wiped every corner. To the left of the television was a bookshelf with many books. Grandpa Allen loved airplanes. He worked as a Maintenance Technician for over 18 years. Among the pile of books was an album. Tina slowly picked it up and wiped out the dust. She told Molly to come over and sit on the chair as they have a look. It had been decades since this album was opened. Not even their grandparents took much time throughout the years to catch up on fond memories. Tina and Molly reminisced on old times. As Tina flipped the cover page, she saw a picture of young Allen holding his model MH370 airplane.

“Oh, look at him. We will definitely miss our cheerful grandpa.” Molly uttered in a soft voice.

Tina breathed heavily and flipped the page again. There was a picture of their family reunion in Grandpa Allen’s big backyard. The extended family came from different parts of the world to celebrate. The two could see grown folks dancing, children playing, their parents talking, laughing and cooking. It was a fun filled moment. Then, the two looked at the following page together. Surprisingly, Molly saw a picture of herself on the hospital bed surrounded by Tina, her parents and her aunt and uncle.

“Hey! How did this happen? How old was I?” She asked in a surprised tone.

“I think you were in 7^th grade. Some boy at school pushed you so hard that you fell and broke your leg. You were in the hospital for about 8 days.” Tina replied.

“Ok. I don’t think I remember this at all. Well thank God I have my wonderful leg back.” She replied. They laughed for a while there. Again, Tina flipped the third page. She saw she and Molly dressed up as what seemed to be elves and as they were hugging each other. They were holding their gifts. Tina got a pink toy phone and Molly got a medium sized remote controlled toy car. There was a well-lit decorated Christmas, with gift boxes underneath, to the back of them.

“Here Molly, look at us with our gifts. We must have been 8 years old at the time. This was my best Christmas Day ever!” Tina told her cousin.

“Yes. We even had Santa. I wonder who exactly he was. Hmm, come to think of it, I think he was my dad.” Molly said.

The two ladies had a good time looking back at old pictures. Tina became a bit teary-eyed, while Molly tried to comfort her. These past years had some really fond memories which they will cherish for a lifetime. Molly then decided to finish up the cleaning tasks in the living room, as Tina went for a short, soothing and calm walk around the house. It seemed that the memories were taking a toll on her emotions.

After a few minutes, Tina returned to help Molly finish up. They put the album in one of the boxes so that old memories would recreate new ones. They wanted the family to continue the legacy of fun, joy and a life full of activities. They packed everything in a corner of the living room.

Suddenly, Tina expressed: “I think we are all done for now. Let’s leave everything else for the next day or so. Mom will get a driver to clear them from here.”

“Sure, will do. Anytime you need me just let me know.” Molly replied.

They locked up the door, then left for home. It was now becoming a slow grieving starting point to a dreadful scary ending for the family.

THE ALBUM

Their younger days

                   

Their home, now unoccupied



                                      

A Drafted Piece-A Drowning At Sea

Here we can see that the student has written the first draft of the story: A Drowning At Sea. 

We as teachers need to encourage students by emphasizing that the first draft is never a perfect draft. For this reason, they need to create multiple drafts in order for their final piece to be a perfect for the audience to read. Note that this stage does not focus on spelling. In this stage as multiple drafts are required, these will follow into the revising stage, where ideas are added or taken away. Information is further enhanced in this stage. Therefore as teachers, we should model writing for students, so they can also develop the passion that we have for writing. Each stage must be model so students can gain the skills necessary to create a structure in their written pieces. 

In my observation of this written piece:

- Characters' emotions are not clearly expressed.

-There is very little dialogue.

-Characters' personality is not mentioned.

-Some details in sentences need to be developed.

-More transitional phrases need to be used.

-Some figurative language need to be expressed in piece.

These are just a few ideas which need to be taken into consideration to enhance the story a lot more. You, the reader, can identify other areas of need which I have not identified. Remember, all these observations are normal for the first draft. It is the teacher's duty to address these issues and to make the story come alive and to be clearer, as they teach students through mini lessons, videos, mentor texts, modelling and so on. 

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/drafting

Above is a link to help teachers gain some insight about drafting. (Left click on the above link, which then allows you to go to link.)

Fable: The Little Red Hen from Speakaboos

Narrative Writing

In this session, I learnt about narrative writing. It is one of my favourite types of writing because it allows me to stretch my imagination to capture the reader's interest in a creative way. Also, I love writing about different narrative topics. I get to explore my creativity and writing skills. 

This type of writing tells a story. The story may be fact (real) or fiction (imaginary). There are 5 elements of narrative writing:

1. Characters- animals, objects or people in a story.
2. Setting- the time of day in the story, where the story takes place, weather conditions in the story.
3. Plot- The sequence of events and the mood of the story.
4. Conflict-the challenge or problem in the story.
5. Resolution- the way in which the problem was solved.

*Theme- the lesson/moral/message to be learnt from the story.

A story map is a tool used to help organizing ideas for narrative writing.

In the video above, you can have an idea of what a narrative story should be like. You can now identify each element in the video and write down details in the story map. In addition, you can include the theme (if any) into the map. Description of the characters' moods have not quite been expressed. Be sure to add some details there. You can also change to story around with your students. Creativity is key! Create your own little class fable!

In class, my lecturer and I discussed the fable: "It's Mine!" It was a nice fable which had a very valuable lesson to learn. Each element discussed are as follows:

Characters:

3 toads: Hilton, Rupert and Lydia.

Setting:

dusk, dawn, Rainbow Pond, small island, next morning.

Conflict:

3 frogs argued all day for things which they thought they owned.

Plot: 

Each frog argued for something in Rainbow Pond which wasn't his or her own.

At some point the clouds began to change.

They became afraid and cold when rain started to fill up their island.
They tried to find a place of safety.

Resolution:
They realized they were not on a rock but on a large toad.
The sun came out and the water was gone.
They frogs were happy together.
They now shared everything in Rainbow Pond.

Theme:
When the frogs co-operated with one another, they were all able to find shelter in the story.

Personality determines the plot and how problems will be resolved. Personality should come into play in a story as in allows a change in the make up of the story.  The setting may begin in one place and end in another place.

In the classroom, teachers need to immerse students in narrative writing. Typical examples are replay, retell, innovate stories read to them. Activities include: grand conversations, draw, dramatize, use scripts, prompts, Youtube videos, etc..

Teachers should also use electronic versions to help students develop a love for writing.

Teachers ought to ask students what they want to write about. They can also have a class story based on any topic chosen. It is also important that students add moods and emotions to the characters and create dialogue in their narrative piece. It help keeps the reader engaged and makes the story more alive and vivid.

Planning story writing with students is essential in the writing classroom. Using the story map is great for planning and easily helps the students create all elements of the story. 

In guided practice, the teacher can have students be placed in pairs or groups to develop the conflict and resolution. Teacher may want to add ideas after students have done so.

Above all, remember teacher modelling is key to set the foundation for narrative writing.

I will now show ideas which were develop for a story in a class setting.


Here we can see a topic has been created in the writing classroom. It is wise to move out of the vague, general topics (as in A Day at the Beach). A Drowning at Sea is more much specific and vivid.

Prewriting Stage:

Details of each element have now been included in the story map, using the top. It was a fun filled activity!

         

Theme: It is never wise to play old tricks/Children must always be obedient to parents.

A great lesson taught. I would advise teachers to use this strategy in your classroom. Let students think on a topic familiar to them. That way, they are less likely to have writer's block. Use as much sensory details, dialogue and emotions as possible. Allow them to work in groups to create their stories. You will definitely see some really good ideas coming into play. Allow students to act out their stories. Make the learning classroom fun! More importantly create a collection of class fables/novels to showcase their work. 

This session has help me tremendously on how to go about teaching narrative writing.

Quote: "If a story is in you, it has to come out." -William Faulkner.