Summarizing Narrative Stories

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Writing Assignment:

Write a summary of a narrative story . Include Advanced “dress-up” ideas in your writing.

Story Sequence Charts

Goals:

• Give students an opportunity to learn how to identify the story sequence in a narrative story.
• Create a story outline that is based on a story sequence chart.
• Allow children to summarize a story with the help of their outlines and consequently internalize the components of a well-constructed story.
• Introduce the idea that each paragraph has a purpose.

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Step 1: Select your story

• Choose several relatively short narrative stories at or slightly below grade reading level. Aesop’s fables, Bible stories fairy tales, legends, myths, and older school resources are excellent sources.
• Older children may use longer short stories and even novel after they have become familiar with this technique.

Step 2 – Read a story together

• Discuss the story in terms of the story sequence chart
• The Story Sequence chart looks at 3 questions:

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Story Sequence

• Who – When- Where
• Who is in the story? What are they like? When does it happen? Where do they live or go?
• What, Problem? What do they need or want? What do they think? What do they say and do?
• Climax, Resolution

How is the need resolved? What happens after? What is learned?

Clincher: Title

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Step 3: Create a 3-paragraph key word outline

• Do not choose words from each sentence, but choose words that communicate the story sequence.
• Brainstorm alternative ways to describe the characters, possible personalities and ways to express their ideas in writing. Encourage variations. This is fiction!
• Greater attention to a detailed description should be at the climax or solution.

Key Word Outline

Setting_________________

1. __________________________

2. __________________________

3. __________________________

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Conflict/Problem__________

1. _________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ____________________________

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Climax: __________________

1. _______________________________

2. _______________________________

3. _______________________________

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I

II.

III.

Setting:

Who?

Like?

When?

Where?

Conflict/ Problem:

What need?

What think?

What say?

What do?

Climax:

Surprise?

Solution?

Epilogue?

Lesson?

Final Clincher: Title

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Possible last sentence – Title ideas

Step 4: Write a summary of three paragraphs

• Use the outline based on the story sequence chart.
• The last sentence in the story should repeat words in the title.
• It may be easier to write the title after writing the last sentence.
• Students may use the same model to write their own stories. Variation on a theme (pattern stories) can make excellent opportunities for originality.
• Continue to introduce techniques in style (see Advanced “dress-up” ideas and encourage variety in vocabulary)

Advanced Dress-Ups

For students who are proficient in the first 6 “dress-ups” and sentence openers.

#1: Dual Adverbs, verbs or adjectives

• Try doubling up on your adverbs, verbs, or adjectives to add variety to your sentences.
• Examples:
• The shepherd boy fearfully and desperately screamed to the villagers below.
• All the animals taunted and tormented the panic-stricken hare.
• “What magnificent feathers you have,” crooned the clever but deceitful fox.

#2: Noun Clause

• Use “that” or omit the word and leave the clause
• Examples:
• The king of the beasts never imagine that a puny rodent could help him.
• The vain crow believed (that) she was the most elegant of all birds.
• Midas thought nothing could be grander than the golden touch.

#3 Adverbial or adjectival “teeter-totters”

• Adverbial: Dual adverbs before the verb with an adverbial clause following.
• Examples:
• The fox secretly and cruelly laughed as the foolish crow began to sing.
• The lion furiously and tenaciously struggled while the net grew tighter and tighter.

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Dual “lys”

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When, while, where, as, since, if, although

Verb

#3: Adverbial and adjectival “teeter-totters”

• Adjectival: Dual adjectives before a noun with an adjective clause following:
• Example:
• The hare scoffed at the humble, lethargic tortoise who had challenged him.

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Dual adjectives

Who/which clause

noun

Step 5: Final Review

• Before submitting a paper to your parent or learning coach for review, follow the composition checklist to evaluate your writing.
• The checklist will include the following:
• __Name on paper
• __Composition is double spaced (even hand-written compositions)
• __ Check for spelling, capitals, end marks
• __ Dress-ups are underlined (one of each that was assigned)
• __ Title is underlined

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