Discovering Writing Territories

Narrative writing is important because it validates the lived experiences of all children, and it invites students to share moments, whether they are big, small, good, or bad, from their everyday lives in the writer's workshop. When we teach narrative writing in this way, we send the message that writing can be about any topic. Not all students will relate to going on extravagant vacations or riding horses, but everyone can write about topics like going to school or going to bed. It can be that simple! You don't have to write about a momentous occasion for your words to be valuable.

A Small Moment Narrative Story is a great place to start with students. The idea behind this kind of writing is that the author takes a small moment and digs deep to find key details that bring the scene to life on the page. Below is a draft I wrote about my own experience frying eggs for breakfast. Modeling this for beginning writers helps them to see opportunity to write and describe an experience that may seem mundane, but one that is actually full of beautiful detail. I might share my narrative with students with the hope that they would be inspired to write about something small from their daily lives, such as what they ate for breakfast.

Small Moment Narrative

Why do pots and pans always make the most noise when you're trying to be quiet? It's Monday morning once again. I place my frying pan on the stove top with the heat on low and pull the carton of eggs out from the fridge. Crack! Crack! I gently smack the two eggs on the side of the counter just enough to break the fragile brown shell. I release the eggs into the frying pan and the familiar sizzle quickly fills my ears. Now, we wait.

Sssss. The eggs sizzle and jiggle as I flip them over, revealing golden brown crispy edges. You would think that after all these years, I would hate eggs by now. Eggs have served as a loyal part of my breakfast routine since my fifth grade year and I'm 23 years old now. I don't see that changing anytime soon, though.

Helping students find their voice as writers

Many strategies exist that can assist students in generating potential topics for writing and finding their voice as narrative writers. The goal is to direct students toward a place where they are comfortable and confident in sharing their voice as a writer. Many of these strategies can be paired with a mentor text to provide examples of an author utilizing a particular strategy.

Heart maps - Students create a map of their heart with each box/section representing something or someone that is important to them. This page in the writer's notebook can be referred to throughout year as a source of ideas for writing topics.
"Things I Love" lists - Students create lists of things they love. The list could be as short as 5 things or as long as 100! The same can also be done with things they dislike. This is a quick and simple way to generate topics for writing.
Gratitude journaling (Pasricha, N. (n.d.). - Throughout the day/week, students think about one thing they are thankful for. Ask students to imagine that they are looking at themselves in the mirror when they are their best selves and to create an entry based on that.
Appealing to the Senses (Dorfman, Cappelli, & Hoyt, 2017, p. 84) - To utilize this strategy, students have already selected their writing topic. Using the five senses, students add details to their writing based on what they see, hear, feel, smell, and taste during the experience they are describing. Alternatively, the teacher could implement this strategy during whole-group instruction using an experience shared by the entire class (field trip, playground time, PE, etc.).
Your Turn Lesson adapted from Drawing and Talking to Find Topics (Dorfman, Cappelli, & Hoyt, 2017, p. 84) - This lesson uses the mentor text Shortcut by Donald Crews to help students generate topics for future writing. Students are engaged in this exercise through drawing, collaborating with partners, critical independent thinking, and thoughtful reflection. View the full lesson here!

References

Dorfman, L. R., Cappelli, R., & Hoyt, L. (2017). Mentor texts: teaching writing through childrens literature, K-6 (2nd ed.). Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

Moore School, B. (2015, October 7). Retrieved from https://twowritingteachers.org/2015/10/07/why-narrative-writing-matters/.

Pasricha, N. (n.d.). Awesome is Everywhere: Are You Ready?