1. An Overview of Narrative Text
Narrative Text Skill Explainer
What is 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 |
Why is learning about narrative text structure important for reading?
Knowing the elements of a narrative text, and being able to recognize them while reading, allows readers to make sense of the text and make predictions about what’s to come (Hogan et al, 2011).
For example, when students identify the setting in a story as "a hot, sunny day at the beach," they can anticipate that the setting will play a role in the important events in the story.
Graphic organizers can help make these story elements visible for students.
Graphic Organizers for Reading Comprehension
These graphic organizers provide a scaffold for teaching narrative and informational text structures.
These graphic organizers provide a scaffold for teaching narrative and informational text structures.
What does the research say?
More to Come!
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