Grammar for Writing: Teaching Narrative Structure · Narrative Structure: Story Spine Once upon a...
Transcript of Grammar for Writing: Teaching Narrative Structure · Narrative Structure: Story Spine Once upon a...
Grammar for Writing:
Teaching Narrative
Structure
Debra Myhill
All art is achieved through the exercise
of a craft, and every craft has its
rudiments that must be taught.
Fairfax and Moat (1998
INTRODUCTION
Aims of the Day
Focusing on using grammar to think about narrative structure;
Emphasising the importance of verbalising the grammar-writing link
Beginning to think about clauses;
Developing confidence in planning with grammar in mind;
Building awareness of choosing texts and relevant learning
objectives.
REFLECTION ON GAP TASK AND
LEAD PLANNING
Gap Task 1. Revise and use the grammar knowledge we have addressed: nouns and
noun phrases; prepositional phrases; and verbs and verb phrases. Think
about where you still feel ‘wobbly’ about grammar knowledge
2. Plan and teach at least five episodes, preferably in the context of narrative
settings and characterisation, where you use the LEAD principles to draw
young writers’ attention to the link between a grammar choice and its effect
in writing, in . Keep a record of each of these episodes using the LEAD
Planning Template.
3. Focus particularly this time on verbalising the grammar-writing link, sharing
this with children, and helping them understand the effect.
4. Bring the completed planning templates to the next CPD Day (in March) to
use in discussion.
Grammar Subject Knowledge Noun Phrases:
premodification
postmodification
Prepositional phrases:
adjectival, expanding a noun phrase
adverbial, modifying a verb or sentence
Verbs:
verb phrases
auxiliary and modal verbs
participles
present/past progressive and present/past perfect
finite and non-finite verbs
Can you remember and
think of examples of each
of these?
NB the same example
might work for two or
more categories!
Grammar Subject Knowledge Noun Phrases:
premodification
the winter; a rubbish dump; some big adventure
postmodification
the real estate agent, Mr. Stone;
the ghostly image of her wings;
the snow-capped Never Cliffs in the west
an old cracked toilet sitting there in the comer behind a plywood screen
Prepositional phrases:
adjectival, expanding a noun phrase
the icebergs in the north;
adverbial, modifying a verb or sentence
I found him in the garage on a Sunday afternoon
The others were inside the house with Doctor Death
And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked….
Explain this
grammar to each
other. Are there
any that are still
confusing?x
Grammar Subject Knowledge Verbs:
verb phrases
Stone led us down the garden
Ernie Myers, that had lived here on his own for years
auxiliary and modal verbs
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Ernie couldn't manage the stairs
participles
I couldn’t have been more wrong
present/past progressive and present/past perfect
Ernie Myers, that had lived
He was lying there…
finite and non-finite verbs
The others were inside the house with Doctor Death, worrying about the baby.
an old cracked toilet sitting there in the comer
Explain this
grammar to each
other. Are there
any that are still
confusing?x
Grammar Subject Knowledge Noun Phrases:
premodification
postmodification
Prepositional phrases:
adjectival, expanding a noun phrase
adverbial, modifying a verb or sentence
Verbs:
verb phrases
auxiliary and modal verbs
participles
present/past progressive and present/past perfect
finite and non-finite verbs
In pairs, using one
of the books you
have brought, try
to find one
example of each
of these grammar
structures
GAP Task: Planning
In threes, share what you have been teaching since the last session.
Discuss how the children responded and anything you would improve.
Explain how each teaching episode used the LEAD principles
GAP Task: Planning
What is the AUTHENTIC text being
used? Author and title
What extract of text is the precise focus?
What is the learning focus? (name
clearly the LINK between the grammar
being addressed and the effect of that
choice in the text)
Teaching Activities to address this,
including how EXAMPLES are used and
how DISCUSSION is promoted
GAP Task: Planning
What is the AUTHENTIC text
being used? Author and title
Skellig by David Almond
What extract of text is the precise
focus?
The opening sentence:
I found him in the garage on a Sunday afternoon
What is the learning focus? (name
clearly the LINK between the
grammar being addressed and the
effect of that choice in the text)
How pronouns can be used instead of nouns to
hook the reader into a story and make them
curious about who characters are and what will
happen.
Who is the ‘I’ of the story; and who is the ‘him’?
Teaching Activities to address this,
including how EXAMPLES are
used and how DISCUSSION is
promoted
In pairs, invite children to replace the two
pronouns with nouns or Proper Nouns.
Discuss the different effects of this choice.
Invite children to play with an opening line for
their story that hooks the reader in through
hiding who the characters are.
GAP Task: Planning
Choose one of the teaching activities that you have discussed which worked
well and prepare to present it to the rest of the group
Use the presentation sheet to structure your planning (write neatly so it can
read when collected in!)
The presentation should be no more than 3 minutes.
5 minutes planning time
TEACHING NARRATIVE
STRUCTURE
Narrative Viewpoint
Use of pronouns – they; we – to signal viewpoint
They made their own houses. We couldn’t understand the
way they talked.
They didn’t live in trees, like we did.
Narrative Viewpoint
I looked away. I didn't want anything to do with him. All the way round the house
it had been the same. Just see it in your mind's eye. Just imagine what could be
done. All the way round I kept thinking of the old man, Ernie Myers, that had lived
here on his own for years. He'd been dead nearly a week before they found him
under the table in the kitchen. That's what I saw when Stone told us about seeing
with the mind's eye. He even said it when we got to the dining room and there
was an old cracked toilet sitting there in the comer behind a plywood screen. I
just wanted him to shut up, but he whispered that toward the end Ernie couldn't
manage the stairs. His bed was brought in here and a toilet was put in so
everything was easy for him. Stone looked at me like he didn't think I should
know about such things. I wanted to get out, to get back to our old house again,
but Mum and Dad took it all in. They went on like it was going to be some big
adventure. They bought the house. They started cleaning it and scrubbing it and
painting it. Then the baby came too early. And here we were.
Third Person Narrator
Grandma Poss looked miserable.
‘Don’t worry Grandma,’ said Hush ‘I don’t mind.’
But in her heart of hearts she did.
All-knowing or omniscient
narrator
Viewpoint
Look at Chapter 1: from whose viewpoint is the narrative opening told?
Ch 1 - Pennypacker is all-knowing narrator (see p5) but she chooses to tell this chapter through Pax’s eyes - we see what Pax is doing and how he is feeling.
Look at chapters 2-33: from whose viewpoint is each chapter told?
The chapters alternate between Peter and Pax (odd numbers Pax, even numbers Peter)
Each chapter signals the viewpoint in the first paragraph by using the character name (to help younger readers?) and by using an image at the start of each chapter
Look at chapter 34: from whose viewpoint is the ending told?
Ch34 is principally from Peter’s perspective, but note the alternation of ‘Peter’ and ‘Pax’ on the final page – we are still seeing two perspectives.
Noticed by a year 5 child
on one of our projects!
Viewpoint
When did you make the choice to tell the story through alternating points of view?
Were there certain parts of the story that were best told through Peter’s point of view
and others from Pax’s perspective?
In the early drafts, I only had one point of view—the fox’s. Peter’s came later, halfway
into the writing, when I realized how much more light I could shed on the whole story if
I included a human’s understanding. Once I decided that, I next had to figure out which
piece of the story belonged to which character. I made the decisions based on two
factors: who had the most insight to share, and whose view was the most moving. The
hardest to choose were the first and last chapters—I wrote them each out from both
points of view, and only hope I chose the right ones. As a writer, the most rewarding
parts of Pax were the events that were told from both Peter’s and Pax’s
perspectives— they reminded me how differently we all perceive the same thing.
http://www.sarapennypacker.com/pennypacker-pax.htm
Viewpoint
What can you do with a third person voice that you can’t with first person?
Look at one of the stories that you have brought with you? Try rewriting the
opening paragraph in first person if it is third person, and third person if it is
first person.
Remember this is not simply about changing pronouns: you need to think
about what you would know or be able to see (especially with first person
voice). You can change things and add detail if it seems to fit your
viewpoint.
Beyond the footsteps of the greatest explorers and up past the reach of the
trustiest maps there lies a kingdom called Erkenwald.
Here, the sun still shines at midnight in the summer, glinting off the icebergs in
the north and slipping between the snow-capped Never Cliffs in the west. But it
does not rise at all in the long, cold winters. Then, the nights bleed on and on
and the darkness is so thick you cannot see your hands in front of your face.
From the opening of Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone
Viewpoint What is the effect
of choosing to
write in the
present tense?
Viewpoint
Late one evening, in a cave of soft
mosses high in the mountains where
the air was thin and stars sparkled in
sky and snow, the Child took the
great leopard’s head in her hands.
The Snow Leopard licked the Child’s
cold face, rough cat tongue against
soft skin, purring her final spirit song.
And as she licked, Child became
Leopard, thick-furred and wild-eyed,
mottled like shadows, spirit cat.
What happens when you write
a story in the present tense
rather than the past tense?
Narrative Structure
What might you note about the narrative structure of Pax?
Chapter 1 establishes the close relationship between Peter and Pax and
sets the narrative problem – why is Peter distressed? Why do they leave
Pax in the forest? Why are they separated?
The alternating viewpoints, in alternate chapters, develops two separate but
intertwined narratives – Peter’s story and Pax’s story. These narratives are
both external (plot development) and internal (the emotional story).
The first and last chapter have thematic/verbal links: the setting is the forest
in both; Pax licks away Peter’s tears in both; the toy soldier is thrown for Pax
in both. But the reader is invited to think about what has changed for Pax
and Peter.
Narrative Structure
Opening: Peter and Pax are together
Close: Peter and Pax are together
Narrative Development:
Peter’s story and Pax’s
stories are separate but
intertwined:
• two journeys;
• new friends;
• new understandings.
Narrative Structure: Story Spine
Once upon a time… there was a boy called Peter who had a pet fox,
Pax, that he had looked after since he was a cub.
And every day… they grew closer as boy and animal.
Until one day… Peter’s father made him abandon Pax in the forest.
And because of that… Peter ran away from home
And because of that… Pax had to live independently in the forest
And because of that… they made new friends and learned new things
Until finally… they were reunited in the forest, but Peter knew he had to
give Pax his liberty
And every day after that… Peter remembered Pax
And the moral of this story is… … …
Openings and Endings
Look at the handout with the opening and ending text of ‘Skellig’ and of
‘Croc and Bird’.
How do the writers create story structure by linking their openings and
endings? You might look for:
Themes that are repeated/completed
Words or phrases that are repeated, have synonyms, or antonyms
Characters that are named (Proper Nouns)
Look at the openings and endings of some of the stories you have brought
in – what patterns can you see?
SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE:
CLAUSES
Beyond the footsteps of the greatest explorers and up past the reach of the
trustiest maps there lies a kingdom called Erkenwald.
Here, the sun still shines at midnight in the summer, glinting off the icebergs in
the north and slipping between the snow-capped Never Cliffs in the west. But it
does not rise at all in the long, cold winters. Then, the nights bleed on and on
and the darkness is so thick you cannot see your hands in front of your face.
From the opening of Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone
Verbs: Reprise
Where are the verbs in this passage? Are they finite or non-finite? Are they
single verb phrases, or multi-verb phrases?
Beyond the footsteps of the greatest explorers and up past the reach of the
trustiest maps there lies a kingdom called Erkenwald.
Here, the sun still shines at midnight in the summer, glinting off the icebergs in
the north and slipping between the snow-capped Never Cliffs in the west. But
it does not rise at all in the long, cold winters. Then, the nights bleed on and on
and the darkness is so thick you cannot see your hands in front of your face.
From the opening of Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone
Verbs: Reprise
Finite Non-finite
Conveying Plot
A year 6 class have been reading Jackie Morris’s
story, The Snow Leopard, and then developing their
own parallel story based on a rainforest animal they
have researched.
The teacher is looking at how to communicate a key
moment of a plot through combining clauses to
create both rhythm and sequences (rather than
using three separate sentences).
The research team realise the class have insufficient
understanding of clauses to grasp the idea. We
work with the teacher to create the next sequence of
slides.
There’s a verb
[phrase] at the heart
of a clause.
We love verbs!!!
Verbs and Clauses
There is a verb at the heart of a clause
Let’s Investigate! Creative Clauses
1. Snow Leopard purred richly at the changes.
2. Crisp snow sparkled in icy stars beneath her huge paws and all the
while she sang.
3. And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked up at
the stars, heard the whisper – and began a new song.
Where are the main (lexical) verbs in each of these sentences?
Let’s Investigate!
1. Snow Leopard purred richly at the changes.
2. Crisp snow sparkled in icy stars beneath her huge paws and all the
while she sang.
3. And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked up at the
stars, heard the whisper – and began a new song.
There is a verb at the heart of a clause.
Let’s Investigate!
1. Snow Leopard purred richly at the changes.
2. Crisp snow sparkled in icy stars beneath her huge paws and all the
while she sang.
3. And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked up at the
stars, heard the whisper – and began a new song.
How many clauses in each of these sentences?
Let’s Investigate!
1. Snow Leopard purred richly at the changes.
2. Crisp snow sparkled in icy stars beneath her huge paws and all
the while she sang.
3. And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked up
at the stars, heard the whisper – and began a new song.
one
clause
two
clauses
three
clauses
… and the cat stirred, rose and leapt up to the high wild mountains with the
Child clinging tight on her back.
And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked up at the stars
mirrored in her blue cat’s eyes, heard the whisper – and began a new song.
Mentor Text: The Snow Leopard by Jackie Morris
Writing Type: Fictional Narrative
Learning Focus: how the pattern of three co-ordinated clauses (with comma
and ‘and’) can describe a sequence of actions in a narrative event and create
rhythm.
Talk: read these sentences aloud – can you hear the rhythm of the verbs?
Authentic text
Links
Examples
Discussion
Plot Rhythm – Patterns of Three
Golden Lion Tamarin forced the trees to form a cunning cage to protect the heart of
the forest; the magical, black diamond. She wrapped the trees in loving leaves,
crowded creatures onto the tropical trees and gave the plants the sun and water
they needed.
Year 6 – able writer
At first peak of light, over the ever green mountain, the bald eagle raced to
create the wind, soared through the secret forest to awaken all animals and
squawked over the green ocean canopy to make the mystical mist.
Year 6 – weak writer
… and the cat stirred, rose and leapt up to the high wild mountains with the
Child clinging tight on her back.
And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked up at the stars
mirrored in her blue cat’s eyes, heard the whisper – and began a new song.
The Snow Leopard – Jackie Morris
Clauses
And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked up at the stars
mirrored in her blue cat’s eyes, heard the whisper – and began a new song
And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked up at the stars
mirrored in her blue cat’s eyes, heard the whisper – and began a new song
Where are the verbs?
How many clauses?
Clauses
And back in the mountains, the young Snow Leopard looked up at the stars /
mirrored in her blue cat’s eyes,/ heard the whisper –/ and began a new song
PLANNING WITH TEXTS
http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/education/res
earch/centres/centreforresearchinwriting/gramm
ar-teacher-resources/
PLENARY
LEAD Principles PRINCIPLE EXPLANATION RATIONALE
LINKS Make a link between the
grammar being introduced
and how it works in the
writing being taught
To establish a purposeful learning
reason for addressing grammar, and
connect grammar with meaning and
rhetorical effect
EXAMPLES Explain the grammar through
showing examples, not
lengthy explanations
To avoid writing lessons becoming
mini-grammar lessons, and to allow
access to the structure even if the
grammar concept is not fully
understood
AUTHENTIC
TEXTS
Use authentic texts as
models to link writers to the
broader community of writers
To integrate reading and writing and
show how ‘real’ writers make language
choices
DISCUSSION Build in high-quality
discussion about grammar
and its effects
To promote deep metalinguistic
learning about why a particular choice
works, and to develop independence
rather than compliance
Gap Task Next Meeting: 11 September (a long gap!)
1. Revise and use the grammar knowledge we have addressed: nouns and
noun phrases; prepositional phrases; and verbs, verb phrases and clauses.
Think about where you still feel ‘wobbly’ about grammar knowledge
2. Embed the LEAD principles into your standard teaching of writing and
grammar. Work with your school teams if necessary to do this.
3. Create a list of texts used, the grammar point addressed, and the effect it
creates in the writing. Collate each of these on the Presentation Template
for this as it is very focused. Upload at least two to Padlet, or email to me,
by June 3rd.
4. Focus particularly on verbalising the grammar-writing link, sharing this with
children, and helping them understand the effect.
5. Come to the next CPD Day with planning materials and examples of
children’s writing to use in discussion.
Further Resources
Resources for Teachers:
http://socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk/education/research/centres/centreforresear
chinwriting/grammar-teacher-resources/
Cybergrammar: www.cybergrammar.com
No Nonsense Grammar: Babcock LDP Literacy Team, Raintree (2016)
https://babcock-education.co.uk/ldp/grammarandpunctuation
https://babcock-education.co.uk/ldp/textsthatteach
Essential Primary Grammar
http://www.mheducation.co.uk/essential-primary-grammar