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Start-Up Activity
Ask your students what makes a good story—specifically a true story (a narrative). They may list adjectives, such as funny, exciting, suspenseful, or mysterious. They might list parts of a strong story: who is in it (characters), where and when it happens (setting), what is going on (plot), and what it means (theme). They might simply say a good story is the one you want to hear over and over, the one that makes you forget everything else and just listen (or watch).
All of these are excellent responses. But you might want to point out another important aspect of stories: They are our chief way of making meaning. When we read the news, we want "the full story." When we worry about someone, we want to know "the story behind what is going on." Indeed, the reason we don't remember back before we were three years old is that that is the age when we started to track our own story. Psychologists refer to it as developing an autobiographical memory, which gathers experiences together into a narrative of one's own life. So, our very identities are elaborate stories we are telling ourselves.
In this chapter, students will get to explore other narrative forms, discovering and telling their own stories.
See the Thoughtful Learning Web site for more free examples of narrative writing.
Think About It
“Every story I create, creates me. I write to create myself.”
—Octavia E. Butler
Start-Up Activity
Ask your students what makes a good story—specifically a true story (a narrative). They may list adjectives, such as funny, exciting, suspenseful, or mysterious. They might list parts of a strong story: who is in it (characters), where and when it happens (setting), what is going on (plot), and what it means (theme). They might simply say a good story is the one you want to hear over and over, the one that makes you forget everything else and just listen (or watch).
All of these are excellent responses. But you might want to point out another important aspect of stories: They are our chief way of making meaning. When we read the news, we want "the full story." When we worry about someone, we want to know "the story behind what is going on." Indeed, the reason we don't remember back before we were three years old is that that is the age when we started to track our own story. Psychologists refer to it as developing an autobiographical memory, which gathers experiences together into a narrative of one's own life. So, our very identities are elaborate stories we are telling ourselves.
In this chapter, students will get to explore other narrative forms, discovering and telling their own stories.
See the Thoughtful Learning Web site for more free examples of narrative writing.
Think About It
“Every story I create, creates me. I write to create myself.”
—Octavia E. Butler
