1. An Overview of Narrative Text

The fairy tales, fables, myths, and novels you remember from childhood — from “The Three Little Pigs” to “Charlotte’s Web” — are all forms of narrative text.

Narrative text tells a story, and can be either fiction or nonfiction. It typically has a beginning, middle, and end.

In writing narrative text, authors generally use a predictable structure known as story grammar. This structure includes elements such as the setting, characters, problem, and resolution. By following a familiar text structure, the author helps readers understand what is happening and when, and keeps them engaged.

Elements of Narrative Text Structure

Presented with permission from Comprehension: Knowledge to Practice (Gillis & Eberhardt, 2020)

Element	Example
Setting	Where and when the story takes place
Characters	The people, animals, or creatures who act out the story
Initiating event or problem	What happens to cause a response that sets a series of other actions in motion.
Reactions or feelings	The character’s feelings about what happened
The plan	What the character plans to do to achieve their goal
Actions or attempts	What the character does to carry out the plan
Consequence	What happens as a result of the plan and attempts
Resolution	How the character feels about the consequence

Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension

These graphic organizers provide a scaffold for teaching narrative and informational text structures.

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