How to Teach Narrative Writing to Middle School Students

Although math and history are important, learning how to write and communicate is probably the most crucial task for middles school students. Middle school is when students learn the foundations of logical thinking, good language use, and academic writing. Teaching narrative writing can be a good tool to help your students take their compositions to the next level.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Read plenty of examples of narrative writing, focusing on one period of history. Both historical journals and historical fiction are great tools for middle school students to study writing narratives. Incorporate some pieces which are less than 5 pages so that you can have students emulate the structure.
2. Have each students construct a character from the historical period you are studying. Make her describe the character's age, appearance, job, family, and personality. As strange as it may seem, for many writers (especially younger writers) it is easier to write a narrative from the perspective of an imaginary person.
3. Have students draw their characters, presentation them to the class, and do other activities that might make the character more real to the students.
4. Make each student keep a journal from the perspective of his historical character. Give him a different assignment every few days. One day, for example, you could have him describe a typical day in the life of that character. Another day, you can have him describe a hardship the character might face.
5. As the class continues, become more rigorous in your requirements. Create lesson plans to illustrate narrative structure. Explain plot structure, characterization, conflict, and other elements of a story.
6. Begin to focus on one element at a time. For example, one day you can have each students describe a setting (her character's home, for example), Another day, she can describe a conflict the character faced, and so on.
7. Begin to require full stories from your students. Each journal entry should describe the setting, characters, conflict, plot, and resolution.
8. Put together a book for the class including every student's best piece of narrative writing. Give the book out to every member of the class. Make them feel proud of what they have accomplished.

Tips & Warnings

• Continue to read new narratives and incorporate them into your creative writing lesson plans throughout the class. Hearing well-written narrative stories will help your students develop their own skills.
• Feel free to use student essays to illustrate good writing. Just remember to get permission first.