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Narrative Writing
Grade 4 Sample
Frogs in the Pool
Feedback for Improvement
What worked:
- This is a story with a beginning, middle and end – student understands the essence of story
- It is a logical story that a reader can follow
Can you summarize this story?
This is a story about ______________.
The problem/adventure was _____________.
The problem was solved/adventure concluded when ___________.
Feedback with Prescriptive Lesson:
CHOOSE a Focus Skill:
Elaborative Detail: Understanding the difference between general and specific details and being able to generate specific detail through the use of the productive questions.
- Awareness lesson - General or Specific?
Understanding the difference between general vs. specific details - Creating Elaborative Segments – in particular: Questioning techniques - Productive Questions for Modeling Elaborative Detail
Hot summer day - I know it is hotter than the blazes out...what else do you see, hear, feel?
Pool full of frogs-be specific what do you hear, what do you see? (Eyes? Skin? Ripples in the pool? How were they moving?) - What do feelings look like? Showing or Telling?
It is stated in the story that the character was scared. What does scared look like?
Main Event: Needs a mix of action, description (elaborative detail), dialogue, thoughts and feelings. Again, by asking productive questions throughout this section the Main Event would be stretched out.
- Comparing Summaries and Fully Elaborated Main Events – awareness lesson
- Main Event – model and Guided Practice using the menu of main event techniques with the productive questions for each
Extended Endings: The ending in this sample is missing. In a nutshell, we know that the character took the littlest frog home. Including a memory, a hope, a wish or a decision would wrap up what was stated throughout this story.
- Analyze the Ending – awareness lesson
- Extending this Ending – Model and Guided Practice using the menu of extended endings with the productive questions
Recommended Resources
Downloads
“Frogs in the Pool" Narrative Writing - Grade 4