Narrative Writing: What Works for Students

What works:

• Discuss Settings: Engage students in conversations about settings in literature.
• Read Examples: Expose them to vivid descriptions of settings in books, including both classic and contemporary works.
• Class Compilation: Create a shared log or chart where students identify settings from their reading and analyze the author's use of descriptive language.

Literature Response Setting Analysis

• Independent Reading: Have students analyze the settings in their independent reading books.
• Setting Identification: Ask them to locate references to setting, identify the senses the author appeals to, and analyze the descriptive techniques used.

Establishing the Setting in Historical Fiction

• Author Clues: Discuss how authors provide clues about the historical setting through elements like manner of speech, clothing, vehicles, money, customs, food, and tools.
• Student Analysis: Have students analyze a historical fiction piece and identify the clues the author uses.

The Setting Game

• Setting Cards: Create cards with various settings (e.g., morning on a farm, at the circus, the beach in the evening).
• Descriptive Writing: Ask students to write a brief paragraph describing the scene using vivid language and sensory details, without explicitly using the words on the card.

Overall, these activities emphasize the importance of creating rich and immersive settings in writing. By analyzing examples from literature and engaging in creative writing exercises, students can develop their skills in setting description and bring their stories to life.

- By Elvina Brown