Step-By-Step Success: Teaching Fictional Narrative with Explicit Writing Instruction

Fictional Narrative, Storytelling, and the Impact on Childhood

I used to think the most important writing unit I taught was the expository and research unit. With all the 21st-century initiatives in our schools, it seemed clear that teaching kids how to research and write about their findings was the most crucial skill.

However, after years of experience and reflection, I can confidently say that our narrative unit is by far the most important writing unit that I teach. It’s no coincidence that it’s often the first unit introduced in upper elementary schools.

Storytelling is woven into the fabric of human existence. From ancient cave art depicting hunting and gathering stories to the rich emotional landscapes of modern narratives, storytelling has evolved but remains central to our experience. This tradition is vital to child development, beginning with language acquisition and comprehension. Storytelling helps children learn new words and phrases, express themselves, and understand traditional story structures.

Without storytelling, children might struggle to develop a vocabulary beyond their immediate needs. Research shows that children who are spoken to and read to more during their formative years have significantly better outcomes across the board.

As children transition from listeners to storytellers, they enhance their creativity, imagination, and social-emotional skills. They build empathy through the characters they create and encounter in their narratives.

As childhood progresses, kids move from oral storytelling to writing their own stories. This transition offers numerous benefits. Studies reveal that writing proficiency is a major predictor of overall academic success. Children who engage in writing outside of school are three times more likely to have above-average reading skills.

Teaching Fictional Narratives in the Upper Elementary Classroom

What is a fictional narrative?
A fictional narrative is a type of writing that tells a story.

Why teach fictional narratives in elementary school?
Teaching fictional narratives at the upper elementary level offers many benefits, especially when it’s the first writing unit taught:

• Decreases writing anxiety by using familiar structures.
• Supports idea generation, creativity, and risk-taking.
• Connects reading and writing, helping students and parents see their interdependence.
• Builds empathy through reading and creating stories.
• Enhances critical thinking through developing rising action, climax, and resolution.

Are You Teaching the Key Components of a Fictional Narrative?

Here’s a quick rundown of the key components you should include in your writing unit:

• Plot: The sequence of events in the story.
• Setting: Where and when the story takes place.
• Characters: The people or beings who drive the story.
• Conflict: The central problem or challenge.
• Theme: The underlying message or main idea.
• Lead and Exposition: How to effectively introduce the story.
• Dialogue: Conversations between characters.
• Transitions: Show the sequence of events.
• Rising Action: Building tension to maintain readers’ interest.
• Suspense: Creates tension and uncertainty.
• Climax: The peak of excitement.
• Falling Action: Leads to the resolution.
• Resolution: Concludes the story satisfyingly.

Additionally, you’ll want to discuss with students:

• What makes a story compelling
• How to plan and outline a story
• Assessment criteria for fictional narratives
• Drafting, editing, and revising processes
• What a final draft should look like

How to Teach Fictional Narrative

At The Teacher Next Door, we highly agree with the latest research that writing must be taught explicitly. Explicit Writing Instruction means that teachers are directly teaching each of the components of a piece of writing before assessing them. 

Prior to any instruction, teachers should issue a pre-assessment that simply asks students to write a fictional narrative. This pre-assessment can be used as a means to: 

1. Understanding where each students is at with his or her writing abilities 
2. Determine students’ understanding of story elements and structure 
3. Group students when delivering small group instruction 
4. Compare proficiency before instruction and after

Explicit Writing Instruction means that lessons should be taught to all students in the classroom in a whole group setting first. Teaching each component of a fictional narrative in a step-by-step way allows students time to practice in a low-stakes environment. 

Once Explicit Writing Instruction has been delivered, formative assessments and observations allow teachers to decide which students need additional support through scaffolded small group instruction.

It is highly recommended that students are taught each component of the fictional narrative first and are provided with grade level appropriate, well-written examples before being asked to write a fictional narrative themselves. 

As a formative assessment, students should go through the entire writing process while writing their fictional narratives. It is vital that students are provided with the grading rubric prior to beginning along with any necessary writing, editing, and revision checklists. 

Once graded, final drafts can be compared to the student’s pre-assessment to compare growth from beginning to end of the fictional narrative unit. 

It may also be useful to have students grade their own pre-assessments prior to writing their final draft to reinforce what to include in a fictional narrative while simultaneously reflecting on how far they’ve come as writers. 

How to Scaffold for Students Who Need Support

Once you identify students needing extra help, group them for targeted small group instruction.

What To Use During Small Group Instruction to Scaffold:

• Targeted Practice: Practice very specific components of narrative writing like a hook, choosing a setting, creating an outline, etc. 
• Graphic Organizers: Teach students how organizers can structure their thoughts and ideas before writing.
• Sample Fictional Narrative: Review an example of a fictional narrative together and identify and label the components. 
• Editable Checklists and Rubrics: Teach students to self-monitor and review their writing using a checklist. This is often beneficial for students who need executive functioning support. 

Tools Teachers Need to Teach Fictional Narratives: 

To support Explicit Writing Instruction and small group work, have these resources ready:

• Posters and Visual Aids displaying narrative components.
• Practice Pages for identifying, revising, and creating story elements.
• Checklists for self-monitoring progress.
• Writing Rubric for clear expectations and fair assessment.
• Digital and print resources for flexibility.

How Students Can Be Successful with Fictional Narratives

By following the Explicit Writing Instruction process and teaching each narrative component step-by-step, you equip students with the tools they need to write independently. Building confidence and fostering creativity are crucial aspects of this process. The more comfortable students feel with writing, the more likely they are to take risks and integrate writing into their daily lives.

Teaching fictional narratives not only enriches students’ writing skills but also prepares them for future success. Embracing storytelling in the classroom supports students’ growth academically, emotionally, and creatively.

What to Do When Your Writing Curriculum Lacks Resources for Teaching Fictional Narratives: 

If you’re like thousands of teachers who lack the resources to fully teach a fictional narrative unit and provide students with the explicit practice that they need to grow as writers, you can do one of two things: 

• Use the article above to create a checklist of resources that you can pull from your writing curriculum. Make note of any additional resources that you’ll need and create them for yourself throughout the year. Be sure to save these resources for future years and you’ll find yourself coming back to them once you see the success from Explicit Writing Instruction. 
• If you’d prefer done for you resources that are aligned to the Explicit Writing Process detailed above, grab The Teacher Next Door’s Explicit Writing Instruction Fictional Narrative Unit.
  • It contains everything you’ll need to teach, provide students with independent practice, and scaffold for small group instruction in print AND digital form for maximum flexibility.
    

Lorna has been using The Teacher Next Door’s writing resources in her classroom and had this to say: