Ep 64: A Special Narrative Writing Project For The End of The Year

Raise your hand if you cringe at the thought of teaching narratives. If you’re waving your arm around over there, we totally get it. Though creative and fun, the genre can be an excuse for students to write an illogical and disjointed story that feels impossible to give feedback on. 

Unfortunately, narratives can turn into overwhelming ramblings because it is challenging to provide structure for students while still allowing their creativity to flow freely. As teachers, we often believe that students want endless freedom to write about whatever they want; but truthfully, students flourish with boundaries and structure. 

In today’s episode, Jessica shares the model text that changed the way she taught narratives. She discusses her experience using the short story, Up North at the Cabin, to help her students structure their own narratives and hone their figurative language and transition writing skills. Jessica even shares her favorite way to publish students; finished narratives and guess what? It’s online-friendly, too! 

Tune in to hear:

• [01:10] The book that dramatically improved Jessica’s students’ narrative writing
• [02:25] A bit about the book, Up North at the Cabin
• [03:20] How to use this text to guide your students’ writing
• [05:30] How structured transitions help form a beautifully-written narrative
• [07:45] An easy and creative way to publish students; stories–even online!
• [11:10] A FREE figurative language cheat sheet for you!  

Click here to listen now!

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