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ENGLISH 4-6

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The Nature of Texts (Text Structure)

The Nature and Elements of Narrative Texts

Using Story Grammar and Graphic Organizers in Understanding Narrative Texts

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Explain the nature of text structure. Identify the elements of narratives as found in story grammar. 3. Use story grammar in applying organizational and critical reading skills. 4. Use graphic organizers appropriate for narratives as aid for and assessment of comprehension.

OBJECTIVES

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Text Structure

Gunning (2002) defines text structure as the way a piece of writing is organized, either narration or exposition (more recently termed as information or informative).

One way to improve students’ comprehension is to raise their awareness of text structure because this will serve as guide in processing information and focusing their attention when reading.

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For narrative text, teachers can use Story Grammar. This strategy requires explicit instruction on the major elements of story: protagonist, problem, response, consequence, resolution, and theme.

For expository text, top-level structure may be applied. This strategy guides readers to process the text from the superordinate (main idea), coordinate (support idea), and subordinate (support details).

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Narrative Text Structure

Narration is a composition in writing or speech that tells a story or gives an account of something, dealing with sequences of events and experiences, though not necessarily in strict order.

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Narrative Text

in general, it is a story, actual or fictional, expressed orally or in writing.

(Harris and Hodges, eds, 1995)

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Narrative Text

has become associated with subjectivity and chronological storytelling (Behrendt, 2003) as opposed to objectivity and linear, rational thinking associated with exposition.

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Examples of Narrative Text

fables
legends
myths
epics
folktales
fairytales
novels
short stories
and even narrative poems

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Examples of Narrative Text

fables - a folktale using animals as characters (Aesop’s fables)
legends - are stories that explain how things came to be, why things are as they are
myths - traditional stories in prose concerning details of gods and demigods and the creation of the world and its inhabitants
epics – heroic narratives that narrate the adventures of tribal heroes which embody in themselves the ideals and values of the group
folktales - prose narratives regarded as animal tale or fable, folk speech, and folk song.

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Examples of Narrative Text

fairytales – stories that range from those originating in folk lore to more modern stories written by a single identifiable or nonidentifiable author

novels – relatively long piece of written narrative fiction, normally in prose, and typically published as a book

short stories – narratives with a fully developed theme and plot but significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel; can be read in one sitting

narrative poems – forms of poetry that tell a story, often making the voices of a narrator and characters as well

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Narrative Text

One thread unites these various kinds of narration—

the important elements that make up the structure of narration are similar no matter what the stories are called or labeled.

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Elements of Narrative Text

An orientation in which the narrator tells the audience about who is in the story, when the story is taking place and where the action is happening.

A complication that sets off a chain of events that influences what will happen in the story.

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A sequence of events where the characters react to the complication.

A resolution in which the characters finally sort out the complication.

A coda which is an ending part that provides a comment or moral based on what has been learned from the story (an optional step).

Elements of Narrative Text

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Important Elements of a Narrative Text

Good readers remember stories better when they are organized like other stories.

Stein and Glenn (1977) identify six categories of information in a narrative text (setting, initiating event, response, attempt, consequence, and reaction)

simplified by Ogle to help readers remember only the major details so that readers can summarize the narrative text.

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Important Elements of a Narrative Text

The following major elements as suggested by Ogle should be highlighted in the reading instruction using this text type:

PROTAGONIST - the most important character in the story
PROBLEM - the major conflict of the story
RESPONSE - the major action taken to solve the conflict
CONSEQUENCE - the outcome of the action taken
RESOLUTION - the ending of the story
THEME - the idea that the writer wants to convey using the story

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UNDERSTANDING NARRATIVES

Theme
Characters
Setting
Problem/Conflict
Reaction(s)/ Attempt(s)
Consequence(s)
Resolution/ Ending

Protagonist

Antagonist

Time

Place

Ended

Open-Ended

In a nutshell, a story has these elements. And the signal for us teachers that our learners are comprehending the story they are reading is that THEY CAN IDENTIFY OR SEE THESE ELEMENTS IN WHAT THEY READ. Let’s talk about these elements one by one. A story has CHARACTERS (protagonist=vida and antagonist=contra vida). The question is, how do we know if a character is the protagonist? Note this down: A character is a protagonist if: 1. s/he has the problem in the story. 2. s/he is the most talked about character by the other characters in the story and 3. s/he is present in most events in the story. How about the antagonist? How do you know if a character is the antagonist? A character is the antagonist if s/he is the one who makes the life/situation of the protagonist worse. As teachers we have to be keen on this because we have to teach this to our learners. Another element present in a story is the setting. It is the when and where of the events. Most importantly, a story has plot or events. In a story, there must be an event that presents the PROBLEM OR CONFLICT being faced by the protagonist. As said earlier, A story is not a story if it has no problem==because what will the characters talk about? Where will they react to? Then, a story must have an event presenting the characters’ REACTION/S. this event in a story shows how the characters specially the protagonist react or try to solve his/her problem. There must be also an event that shows the CONSEQUENCE/S of the characters’ reaction/s to his/her problem. (If the protagonist’ reaction to the problem does not lead to the solution to his/her problem, then other events that will come next are just CONSEQUENCE/S). HOWEVER, after the protagonist knew that his/her previous actions do not solve his/her problem, then s/he will do another action/attempt to finally solve his/her problem. And when that action/attempt led to the solution of his/her problem, then that part of a plot is called RESOLUTION. Another element of all stories is ENDING. A story ending can be ended or open-ended. What is the difference between the two? In an “ended-ending”, what finally happens to the characters after the story problem was solved is clearly presented in the story (nang napasok ang drug lab ng mga pulis, si Juaquin ay tuluyang nabilango kasama ng kanyang lolo na si Don Emilio. Makalipas ang ilang buwan ay ikinasal na sina Cardo at Ariana). On the other hand, in an “open-ended ending” the life of the characters after the story-problem was solved was not presented in the story. It’s up to the readers/viewers/listeners to infer on these things. Now why are we describing each element in detail? E ano ngaun kung iyan yung mga elements na present dapat sa isang story para matawag iyong story? Most importantly, all stories have a THEME. What is theme? How does it differ from MORAL / LESSON? A THEME is the topic the author is trying to explain to the readers through the story. Examples of theme are: death, love, bravery, nationalism, heroism, honesty, etc.band you see, these are very different from MORAL / LESSON. The point is: as teachers we have to help/equip our learners with the skill in seeing these story elements in stories that they read/view/listen to BECAUSE, it’s the signal for us teachers that our learners are comprehending the story they are reading. If our learners cannot identify these elements in any story, that means they don’t understand the story at all because these are the only things they can get or present in a story. Wala nang iba. That is why it’s very important for teachers to be quip with varied strategies (specially the use of graphic organizers) that will “scaffold” or guide learners to see/identify these elements. Remember, If our learners cannot identify these elements in any story, that means they don’t understand what they read. We don’t want learners to be reading without comprehension. We want our learners to be critical readers/learners, AMEN? Amen! (diba, mga kapatid sa pananampalataya sa bisa ng pagtuturo).

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Language Features of Narrative Texts

Past tense verbs
Many pronouns (usually third person)
Connecting words indicating temporal relationships (e.g. after that, finally, the next morning, etc)
Direct quotations

Are we all ok with the elements of Narrative Texts? Now let’s move on to their other features. Just like our cellphones that have many unique features, a narrative text also has language features. Most stories are in past tense. Because narratives are “stories retold”. Narratives tell actions/events that were done already. Therefore, past tense of the verb is used in narratives. Another thing that is very noticeable with stories is the presence of many pronouns (usually in 3^rd person). Example: (he said, they nodded, she asked, he answered, etc.). There is also the presence of Connecting words indicating temporal relationships (e.g. after that, finally, the next morning, etc). And lastly, stories have dialogues or direct quotations. Now why are we talking about these language features of a narrative text? These are other features about stories that we have to teach our learners as well. They have to be familiar with these features so they can appreciate stories more. Just like with cellphones, how can you enjoy and appreciate the phone if you’re not aware of the beauty of its features? ---same is true with how learners appreciate stories/narrative text-type. That is why if you will notice, in our CG, under Gammar domain, these are included.===these are things we have to teach our learners. (but how do we teach what we do not know?===joke lang po..sorry po. But you may consider that idea. Paano nga? What if the English teacher in a school is not an English Major or with no specialization in Linguistics? So what help must we give our teachers with respect to this concern? Huh, School heads, Superintendents, Directors? Is it monitoring, training, pedagogic program?==it’s up to you to plan about).

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Teachers can use the story frame below for comprehension instruction:

The story is about (protagonist) who is (important description) with a (problem) so (response) .

Because of this, (consequence), and so in the end (resolution).

The story implies that (theme).

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Teachers can also present jumbled sentences that contain the major story elements before reading, then let the students rearrange them to guess what they think the story is. Consider the example below.

What’s the story? Arrange the sentences by numbering them from 1-5.

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Story Grammar

A story grammar is the system of rules used for describing the consistent features found in narrative texts (Mandler, 1984).

A structural approach to facilitate reading comprehension

A strategy which classifies the components of a story and specifies relationships among its parts

A strategy for cognitive literacy for young learners

Aims to improve learner’s reading comprehension by giving them a framework they can use when reading stories

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What Research Tells About Story Grammar

Explicit instruction of story grammar can improve reading comprehension of narrative texts.

Effective readers have expectations about what they will encounter when they read stories, personal letters or factual texts.

They use their schemata and clues from the text in varying amounts as they comprehend.

There is evidence to show that using story grammar, to recall details in a story, provides the basis for enhanced retrieval of information from a story. (Amer, 1992)

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What Research Tells About Story Grammar

Explicit instruction in story grammar involves helping students to learn to recognize the elements of narrative text and use these elements to improve their comprehension of the story.

Asking questions that focus on the elements of the story (the story line) leads to improved student comprehension of the story (Beck, 1984).

A strategy teachers may use involves dividing the story into meaningful episodes and developing comprehension questions they will ask in guided silent reading and discussion.

Such questions will cause students to focus on the relevant elements of the story.

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Most narratives contain the following elements:

Setting	Information about the character(s), the location of the story and the time the events occur
Initiating Event	The event (problem) that occurs, involving the main character(s)
Internal Response	The reaction / response of the main character to the initiating event
Attempt	The action the main character(s) do, as a result of the initiating event (problem)
Consequence	The impact of the character’s attempt (the resolution)
Ending	Suitable ending or closure of the story
Theme	The central message or idea the story wants to convey

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STORY GRAMMAR

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Some of the major reading skills developed or applied when teachers use story grammar are the following:

Note-taking
Characterizing significant person in the story
Noting significant details
Ignoring irrelevant ideas
Getting main idea
Summarizing
Getting implied meaning

Let’s move on and proceed with Story Grammar and Reading Skills. What is story grammar again? It’s the outline of all the elements of a story (characters, setting, plot, theme). Usually it comes in graphic organizers (story frame, story pyramid. etc). Its can be presented to learners in an activity sheet-form where in they supply the details of the story they are reading in the graphic organizers (characters, setting, plot, theme). It serves as tangible measure as to how much learners are comprehending a story they are reading. The logic is: only the details that learners are able to put on the graphic organizer (story grammar) are the details that they “grasp” or “comprehend” from the text they are reading. Story elements that learners cannot write on the graphic organizer are the things they don’t understand about the story they are reading. That is why “use of story grammar in graphic organizer” is a proven-effective strategy in developing comprehension of narrative texts. Now, aside from that, when learner are exposed with this kind of graphic organizer, other reading skills are EMBEDDEDLY DEVELOPED among them as well. These include: (read the slide). 1-3 SELF EXPLANATORY 4. Ignoring irrelevant ideas= only the characters, setting, problem, reaction, consequence, resolution, ending, and theme are what they are to look for. Because they canot see main idea. Topic, supporting sentences in a narrative text since these are only found in an expository text!!! 5. Getting main idea= although main idea is for expository text-type, in narrative types of text, main idea refers to the “THEME”. 6. Summarizing= via graphic organizer, learners will be able to summarize stories because the formula for a narrative summary is: protagonist + problem + reaction + consequence + resolution + ending in one long sentence. (ex: the story is about Pinocchio who wanted to become a real boy so he lived with humans and learned to lie so his nose got longer but eventually became a real boy by realizing that lying is wrong.) Take note, THIS IS HOW STORIE ARE SUMMARIZED. That’s why I wonder why other teachers ask their students to make story summaries that are as long as passages/paragraphs. Bakit ganon? Nde po ganon ang summary ng narrative text-type! And now that you know, KINDLY TEACH THAT TO YOUR LEARNERS, PLEASE.

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Necessarily, the teachers need to include a discussion or facilitate activities that will help learners utilize the following skills in understanding and appreciating the story:

Predicting
Understanding figurative language
Identifying point of view
Confirming one’s prediction
Revising/changing own prediction
Stating the theme of the story
Etc., depending on the story read

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One of the most effective visual learning strategies for learners, especially in comprehending various narratives

Applied across the curriculum to enhance learning and understanding of subject matter content

A visual display that demonstrates relationships between facts, concepts, or ideas

Guides the learner’s thinking as they fill in and build upon a visual map or diagram

Graphic Organizer

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Challenges in Reading Narrative Texts

determining the theme of the story
seeing the connection of the events
distinguishing the narrated order of events

But in reality, not all teachers are processing narrative texts in their classes WITH JUSTICE. (nasaan naman ang hustisya doon mga kapatid sa pananmpalataya sa epektibong pagtuturo???) why is it so? Because there are things that are difficult to elicit from a narrative text with children. What are these things? (read the slide) 1. determining the theme of the story = its like playing “charade” with a story to realize its THEME. IT REQUIRES THE SKILL OF INFERRING. 2. seeing the connection of the events= it’s hard for some students to see which event shows the problem, reaction, consequence, resolution, and ending. 3. distinguishing the narrated order of events from the event order= although all stories have the problem, reaction, consequence, resolution, and ending, it’s difficult for learners to identify each of them if a story is presented in en medias res (story starts at the consequences or climax==AVENGERS) or in flashback (story begins with the ending==TITANIC).

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Challenges in Reading Narrative Texts

4. knowing who is telling the story and what

relationship that person has to the events in the story (point of view)

first person – a participant who can be major or minor character (uses the pronoun “I”)

third person – someone who sees into the minds of all characters, someone who sees into the minds of some characters, or someone who sees (uses the pronouns he,she, it, they)

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“As teachers, teaching the literary side of English is practically a separate job and a gargantuan task. It entails a lot of stimulation – you have to ask questions, help learners ask their own, activate their prior knowledge and experiences, assist them in finding meaning in the texts and guide them in achieving comprehension. But most importantly, you have to make your learners develop their love for reading waiting to unfold.”

~ Denn Marc P. Alayon

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You’ve been a wonderful audience!

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