Grade 10 English link

ENG 2P: Narrative Paragraph

Related Resources
Boat in Lake link
Advanced: BLM Review and Revise Writing link
Curriculum Expectations
Students will
identify the topic, purpose, and audience for several different types of writing tasks
generate and focus ideas for potential writing tasks, using several different strategies
and print, electronic, and other resources, as appropriate
locate and select information to support ideas for writing, using several different
strategies and print, electronic, and other resources, as appropriate
identify, sort, and order main ideas and supporting details for writing tasks, using
several different strategies and organizational patterns suited to the content and the
purpose for writing
determine whether the ideas and information gathered are relevant to the topic,
sufficient for the purpose, and meet the requirements of the writing task
write for different purposes and audiences using several different informational,
literary, and graphic forms
establish an identifiable voice in their writing, modifying language and tone to suit the
form, audience, and purpose for writing
use appropriate descriptive and evocative words, phrases, and expressions to make
their writing clear and vivid for their intended audience
write complete sentences that communicate their meaning clearly and accurately,
varying sentence type, structure, and length to suit different purposes and making
logical transitions between ideas
revise drafts to improve the content, organization, clarity, and style of their written
work, using a variety of teacher-modelled strategies
produce revised drafts of both simple and complex texts written to meet criteria
identified by the teacher, based on the curriculum expectations
use knowledge of spelling rules and patterns, several different types of resources,
and appropriate strategies to spell familiar and new words correctly
build vocabulary for writing by confirming word meaning(s) and reviewing word
choice, using several different types of resources and strategies, as appropriate for
the purpose
use punctuation correctly to communicate their intended meaning
use grammar conventions correctly to communicate their intended meaning clearly
proofread and correct their writing, using guidelines developed with the teacher and
peers
produce pieces of published work to meet criteria identified by the teacher, based on
the curriculum expectations

describe several different strategies they used before, during, and after writing;
explain which ones they found most helpful; and identify several specific steps they
can take to improve as writers

Time
4550 minutes for introduction
Independent planning, writing, and revision
20 minutes for peer revision
Independent time for production of polished work
Steps
1. View the picture by Peter Etril Snyder titled Boat in Lake link. If you are unable to
browse the site as a class or project what is on your computer screen, you may wish to
make an overhead of this visual.
2. Discuss with students
how a narrative is a story that moves through time and is usually told
chronologically, or in the order in which the events occur
how narratives use transition words that show movement through time. With the
class, make a list of these transitions words (e.g. next, then, after).
how conflict heightens interest in a narrative. Some types of conflict are human
versus human, human versus society, human versus self, or human versus nature.
how the conflict often increases throughout a narrative until it is resolved
how narratives often have a point of crisis at which a main character makes a
decision that affects the outcome of the plot
how setting can create the mood of a narrative
how writers can reveal what a character in a narrative is like by describing the
characters actions, quoting the character, or having others comment on the
character
how the voice (style and tone) a writer uses gives clues about the characters and
setting of a narrative
Throughout this discussion, encourage students to refer to favourite stories or movies to
provide examples for what makes a narrative. You might wish to discuss favourite ways
of increasing conflict and ask for examples of popular characters making specific
decisions.
3. Discuss the setting of the photograph Boat in Lake. Invite students to comment on
what kinds of possible conflicts come to mind when they view this photograph.
Encourage a variety of ideas you accept without judgment.
4. Say that all students will write a short narrative to accompany a picture. They may
base their paragraph on the photograph Boat in Lake or you may wish to have them

look up another photograph on the Mennonite Heritage Portrait site at

www.mennoniteheritageportrait.ca. They will
decide on a main conflict
jot down notes about how the conflict develops
decide how to describe the setting to create a mood for the narrative
decide what the main character is like and how this person will resolve the conflict
write a rough draft
5. Once students have a rough draft, have them review their paragraph to
make sure their supporting details are adequate
check for one main conflict
look for appropriate transition words that signal movement through time
verify that a main character is well-described and makes a crisis decision
see if the setting is effectively described
use print or online dictionaries to confirm the correct spelling of words
find appropriate words using print or online thesauruses
check for correct language mechanics
examine the paragraph for clear organization
6. Have students use the revision sheet Advanced: BLM Review and Revise Writing
link to review a partners paragraph. They may make suggestions in the comments area
of each section. If they need more room, have them write on the back of the sheet. Ask
them to return the paragraph and revision sheet to the writer.
7. Ask students to review the revision sheet that was returned to them and revise as
appropriate. On the back of the revision sheet, they will note two strengths of their story.
They will also write down two ways they want to improve their narrative writing.
8. Students will create polished copies of their paragraphs and submit them for
evaluation. They will staple the revision sheets to the paragraphs.
Enrichment
You may wish to have students mount their descriptive paragraphs on the Mennonite
Heritage Portrait site at www.mennoniteheritageportrait.ca. Link the paragraphs to the
related visual(s).