Narrative Writing Teaching Resources
Teach narrative writing this school year with writing prompts, printable worksheets, storyboards and story maps and more teaching resources created by teachers for elementary teachers like you.
This collection of TEKS and Common Core curriculum-aligned teaching resources has been carefully curated by our expert teacher team. That means not only is every resource teacher-created, but each one has undergone our review process to ensure it's ready for your lesson plan and your students!
Is this your first year teaching students about writing narratives? Or maybe you're just looking for some fresh ideas to tackle the topic? Read on for a primer from our teacher team!
What Is Narrative Writing?
Narrative writing is the act of writing a story, and those stories can be fictional or non-fiction accounts of something the student has experienced or learned about.
This type of writing is often popular with students as it allows them to use their imagination and creativity.
Which Elements Does Strong Narrative Writing Always Contain?
To make their narrative writing engaging and strong, there are certain key elements students need to understand and include, so we've compiled this quick refresher for you.
Plot
The plot of strong narrative writing is crucial — without it, there's no narrative! Keeping the reader interested from the start of a story involves developing the characters well and including conflict.
Structure
Structure of the text is just as important as the plot when writing a strong narrative. Students should be writing texts that include a beginning, middle and end. This can include a clear introduction that sets up the main conflict, a rising action that builds tension and excitement and a resolution that provides closure and ties up loose ends.
Descriptive Language
Teaching students to go beyond overused words like "said" or "nice" and using more descriptive language can help them make their narrative writing stronger. This graphic element of writing works with imagery and figurative language to help readers visualize the story.
Descriptive language helps the reader to visualize the setting and the characters. Sensory details can help kids set the scene in their essay or story.
Point of View
Whether it is written in the first-person, the third-person or flips back and forth, a piece of strong narrative writing has a clear point of view. This helps the reader better understand the narrator or protagonist.
What Is a Hook in Narrative Writing?
One feature of narrative writing you may want to focus on with your students this school year is the art of writing a "hook" to capture the reader's attention and draw them into the story. This is a compelling introduction that will engage the reader and make them want to keep reading!
There is no one kind of hook! It can be anything from an interesting fact or question to a dramatic opening scene or dialogue.
8 Narrative Writing Examples and Assignments to Get Students Writing
Are you looking for some different examples of narrative writing assignments that will engage your students and inspire them to write? Try these ideas from our teacher team!
- A personal narrative about a special day the student will never forget
- A fictional narrative about a group of friends going on an adventure
- A descriptive narrative that uses sensory details and describing words to create a vivid image of riding a rollercoaster
- A historical narrative that tells the story of their favorite president
- A reflective narrative that explores the writer's thoughts and feelings about going to high school one day
- A fantastical narrative that includes magical or imaginary elements, like the arrival of a magic hat in the classroom
- A humorous narrative that uses comedic elements to entertain the reader about a time their gym teacher was replaced by an alien
- A collaborative narrative that involves students writing a chapter book in small groups
- Plus Plan
Exploring and Building Narrative Characters PowerPoint
A 14 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when teaching younger students about how to build a character for a narrative text.
- Plus Plan
Roll to Create a Christmas Story - Writing Prompt
Roll the die to generate a fun Christmas writing activity with a roll-to-create Christmas worksheet.
- Plus Plan
April Fools' Day Writing Prompts
Celebrate April Fools' Day in the classroom with these fun writing prompt worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Narrative Text Structure Anchor Charts
Brighten up your classroom narrative writing display with this set of narrative writing posters!
- Plus Plan
Types of Poems - Instructional PowerPoint
A 28 slide editable PowerPoint template the use when introducing students to structured forms of poetry.
- Plus Plan
Spring Writing Prompts Worksheet
Explore creative writing in your classroom with these 3 fun story writing prompts for Spring.
- Plus Plan
"If I Was an Astronaut ..." – Writing Template
A writing prompt template for students to write what they would do if they were an astronaut.
- Plus Plan
Novel Study - Alternate Story Ending Worksheet
A worksheet which encourages students to write an alternate ending to a shared class story.
- Plus Plan
Tale of a Whale - Simple Rhyming Poetry Poster
A simple rhyming poem that is perfect to explore phonics and rhyming words in the early years.
- Plus Plan
Concrete Poem Template – Thunderstorm
A template for students to write a concrete poem about a thunderstorm.
- Plus Plan
Concrete Poem Template – Crescent Moon
A template for students to write a concrete poem about the moon.
- Plus Plan
Onomatopoeia Poems Poster
A poster providing a definition and example of an onomatopoeia poem.
- Plus Plan
What Could It Be? - Sensory Poem Template
Use this template when teaching students how to write sensory poems.
- Plus Plan
Animal Alliteration Activity - Brainstorming Template
Use this brainstorming template when teaching about alliteration.
- Free Plan
"I Have a Dream" Writing Prompt Page
Observe MLK Day by encouraging students to think about their “dream” for the future by writing it as a speech.
- Free Plan
Acrostic Poem Template - LOVE
Write a LOVE acrostic poem for Valentine’s Day with this handy template.
- Free Plan
Goldilocks and The Three Bears - Finish the Story Writing Prompt
Finish the Goldilocks and the Three Bears story in your own words.
- Plus Plan
Story Spine Porcupine – Narrative Writing Template
Print a narrative writing graphic organizer template designed to help students plan their narrative.
- Plus Plan
Story Leads To Hook Your Readers
How to hook your reader: 11 techniques to open your story with a bang and grab your reader's attention!
- Plus Plan
Topic Sentence Starter Cards
A pack of 32 narrative, persuasive, and report (informative) writing sentence starter cards.
- Plus Plan
Assessment Rubric - Narrative Writing
An assessment rubric designed to help teachers to assess students' narrative writing.
- Plus Plan
Assorted Writing Prompts Calendar – Upper Grades
Monthly writing calendar with 240 writing prompts for the year.
- Plus Plan
Narrative Paragraphs Sequencing Activity
6 jumbled narrative paragraphs for students to sequence in the correct order.
- Plus Plan
Identifying Parts of Speech (Nouns, Adjectives, Verbs and Adverbs) Worksheet Pack
Practice identifying nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs in text with this set of worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Narrative Structure Sorting Task
A sorting task to help students learn about narrative structure.
- Plus Plan
Blank Comic Strip Template
A blank comic strip to use when developing and sequencing ideas for narrative and imaginative writing.
- Plus Plan
Narrative Setting Prompts Posters
A set of 2 posters giving ideas for the setting of a narrative.
- Plus Plan
When I Grow Up...
Explore your students future ambitions with this When I Grow Up worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Imaginative, Persuasive and Informative Paragraphs PowerPoint
Learn about the different structures of imaginative, persuasive and informative paragraphs.
- Plus Plan
Introduction to Narrative Features PowerPoint - Grade 3 and Grade 4
A 23 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when teaching your students about the features of narrative texts.
- Plus Plan
Writing an Ode Worksheet
Learn how to write an ode with this two-page worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Developing Narrative Writing Skills - Grade 3 and Grade 4
An 18-slide editable PowerPoint template to use when teaching your students about the structure and language features of narrative texts.
- Narrative Writing Templates
- Narrative Writing Posters
- Narrative Writing Worksheets
- Narrative Writing Games
- Narrative Writing for Kindergarten
- Narrative Writing for 1st Grade
- Narrative Writing for 2nd Grade
- Narrative Writing for 3rd Grade
- Narrative Writing for 4th Grade
- Narrative Writing for 5th Grade
- Narrative Writing for 6th Grade
- Narrative Writing for 7th Grade