Figure 2.2: Student narrative writing checklist.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/literacy for a free reproducible version of this figure.
• Content:
• I show I am knowledgeable about _______ (historical time period, text, biography subject, era, or othe=r).
• In my biography, I demonstrate understanding of the obstacles my subject faced and how he or she overcame them.
• In my _______ (biography, historical fiction, or other), I write factually about characters (or individuals), settings, and events using multiple credible resources that I reference in a works cited document.
• In my myth, I reflect the culture of the _______ civilization.
• Word choice and description:
• I use precise nouns and domain-specific vocabulary, as appropriate.
• I avoid repetition and vague language. I use lively verbs and precise nouns and adjectives.
• I use synonyms to add variety and avoid redundancy.
• I avoid forms of the verb to be (for example, is, are, was, were). Instead, I use action verbs.
• In my memoir (or personal narrative), I use descriptive detail and figurative language to vividly explain how the episode (or situation, event, or memory) impacted my life.
• My dialogue is natural and intentional to enhance the plot.
• Grammar and conventions: I edit my writing to ensure proper—
• Word usage
• Sentence syntax
• Paragraph usage
• Pronoun-antecedent agreement (for example, “Everyone brought his or her book to class.”)
• Ellipses usage
• Active versus passive voice (for example, “The helpful child washed dishes” instead of “The dishes were washed by the helpful child.”)
• Conventions for dialogue punctuation
The excerpt for a mystery writing task in figure 2.3 shows a checklist example that addresses skills specific to a genre.
Figure 2.3: Mystery checklist excerpt.
After students write their narratives, they can create a PowerPoint, Prezi, or Keynote and present it to the class or read their stories aloud. Either way, they can include something stylistic or visual—for example, a prop or costume—and employ speaking techniques—voice modulation, inflection, tempo, enunciation, and eye contact.
When students share their narratives, ask the audience to critique the presentation using a checklist like the one in figure 2.4, which can promote active listening and engagement. It can also serve as an instrument to guide students as they prepare for their presentations.
Figure 2.4: Narrative audience critique.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/literacy for a free reproducible version of this figure.
The writing checklist can serve as an instructional tool to set expectations and the purpose for learning; therefore, it is critical to introduce it effectively so students own it. However, help them become aware of what narrative elements of the genre entail before you introduce the checklist so they are familiar with the terminology. Conduct two activities that serve this purpose—one that familiarizes students with the characteristics of the genre and narrative writing in general and another that orients them to the expectations for what they will eventually write.
First, I’ll focus on a lesson you can conduct to present or review the characteristic elements of a specific narrative genre. To implement this activity, find and use differentiated writing models (also known as mentor texts) that give students a clear sense of what the genre entails, as this conveys your expectations for student writing. Later in the unit, you can return to these examples within a lesson to target specific skills, plus juxtapose strong with weak examples for instructional purposes. You can lead this preliminary activity early in the unit by following these five steps.
What the teacher does:
1. Arrange students into small groups differentiated homogeneously by reading levels.
2. Find and distribute at least two exemplary narrative writing samples for the genre students will write that are appropriately challenging to each group. See the Student Writing Models section in appendix E (page 152) and go.SolutionTree.com/literacy to access live links to these and other resources in this book.
What students do:
3. Each group reads both writing samples and makes a list of common characteristics that the samples share. (You may elect to tell them both are samples from a specific narrative genre, or allow them to determine it for themselves based on this activity.)
4. Groups report their lists to the whole class as you record these commonalities.
5. Students review the class-generated list and identify common elements among the samples. Make sure to name the genre if students have not already identified it.
At the end of the exercise, students should be familiar with the genre and what it entails. Explain that they will engage in many learning experiences to highlight these elements and support them in creating this type of writing piece. Next, orient them to the details of the writing assignment by following the ten-step roundtable activity that figure 2.5 details.
Figure 2.5: Orienting students to a writing checklist.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/literacy for a free reproducible version of this figure.
Exercise: (Re)design a Student Narrative Writing Checklist
In this activity, I invite you to work on a student writing checklist. You may (1) create one from scratch, (2) revise an existing one of your own, or (3) download mine and use it as is or adapt it. To locate my checklist, visit go.SolutionTree.com/literacy. The following points can guide you in this exercise; feel free to work collaboratively (in person or virtually) or individually. Once you complete your checklist, you can adapt or create an accompanying scoring rubric (or vice versa), which I detail in the next section.
• Review content standards and the KUDs on your narrative unit template that you crafted as the result of the Unit Map—KUDs and Guiding Questions exercise (page 22) in chapter 1. The checklist should reflect these learning outcomes.
• Include the writing task at the top of the checklist along with a reminder to use it as a tool while writing. Refer to (Re)design a Narrative Writing Prompt earlier in this chapter for examples on this point.
• Write items (or indicators) on the checklist