‘When I sleep, I dream of an enchanted place with placid, tranquil water and effervesced dragonflies’ Cordelia Smith.
Blog #4
Unleashing your Creativity: Mastering
the Art of Narrative Writing
Everything done in the classroom to promote learning must be connected, which is encouraged across the primary school grades. Knowing students’ learning styles, interests, and background knowledge makes catering to their needs seem effortless. This amazing truth came to the fore this week after having an exhausting day at the beginning of our LIT102 class. Great, Mrs. L decided to do movie watching.
We were introduced to the title and then asked what we think will happen. Still, in my mind, I thought it was just a time to relax. However, we were introduced to narrative writing at the end of the short clip. I applaud Mrs. L for this; it shows that you can use various strategies to introduce a topic/content to students despite the situation. Surprisingly, everyone had a different perspective on the ending based on the title.
Narrative writing is at the helm this week; narrative writing is a piece of writing that tells a story. It allows writers to set free their creative minds. Interestingly, this type of writing can take many forms and fall under fiction and non-fiction. All narratives must also include five elements that define and shape the narrative: plot, character, settings, conflict and resolution. These elements fit together like a puzzle to make up a story. See the attached anchor chart explaining the different elements of a narrative piece.
The goal of narrative writing is to use established
storytelling techniques, like theme, conflict and irony, in a uniquely personal
way. This type of writing can be done from kindergarten to grade 6 as students'
progress in different grades. It is important to allow students to
understand that narrative writing takes place in an established timeline, with
a clear beginning, middle and end. We were allowed to work in
pairs with a topic to generate ideas, listening to my peers' share. Given one topic, I can clearly see that a narrative piece can generate many ideas from
different angles since no two people think the same way.
So, as we embark on the enchanted journey of narrative
writing, how will you use the information from this week to help you as a
teacher and a student. Where can we begin teaching narrative writing? Remember, our students have creative minds, allowing them the opportunity to unleash their creativity on the
pages of their narrative pieces.
Yesssss!!!! Narrative writing is indeed a fantastic way to foster creativity and critical thinking among students! As a teacher, I can concur that the insights gained from this week can be invaluable. I believe to begin teaching narrative writing, we ought to start with the basics while encouraging creativity. Remember, every student has a unique voice and perspective. By nurturing their creativity and guiding them through the narrative writing process, we are not only teaching essential writing skills but also empowering them to express themselves confidently. I must say this journey into narrative writing seerves as a reminder of the limitless potential within each students, waiting to be unlocked and shared into the world.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post Cordelia as you have successfully underscored the importance of connected learning experiences and the value of tapping into students' interests and perspectives. I enjoyed movie time and I must commend our lecturer for its use as it was an innovative approach to introduce narrative writing, demonstrating that various strategies can be employed to engage students effectively.
ReplyDeleteYour post rightly emphasizes the five essential elements of narrative writing and the need to foster creative thinking in students, promoting narrative writing from KG to Grade 6. Both teachers and students can embark on a creative journey in narrative writing while harnessing the power of individual perspectives and ideas using the elements.