nature and elements of narrative texts

1. ENGLISH 4-6

2. The Nature of Texts (Text Structure)
• The Nature and Elements of Narrative Texts
• Using Story Grammar and Graphic Organizers in
Understanding Narrative Texts

3. 1.Explain the nature of text structure.
2.Identify the elements of narratives as found in story grammar.
3. Use story grammar in applying organizational and critical reading
skills.
4. Use graphic organizers appropriate for narratives as aid for and
assessment of comprehension.
OBJECTIVES

4. Text Structure
Gunning (2002) defines text structure as the way a piece
of writing is organized, either narration or exposition (more
recently termed as information or informative).
One way to improve students’ comprehension is to
raise their awareness of text structure because this will
serve as guide in processing information and focusing
their attention when reading.

5.  For narrative text, teachers can use
Story Grammar. This strategy requires
explicit instruction on the major elements of
story: protagonist, problem, response,
consequence, resolution, and theme.
 For expository text, top-level structure
may be applied. This strategy guides readers
to process the text from the superordinate
(main idea), coordinate (support idea), and
subordinate (support details).

6. Narrative Text Structure
Narration is a composition in writing
or speech that tells a story or gives
an account of something, dealing
with sequences of events and
experiences, though not necessarily
in strict order.

7. Narrative Text
in general, it is a story,
actual or fictional,
expressed orally or in
writing.
(Harris and Hodges, eds, 1995)

8. Narrative Text
has become associated with
subjectivity and chronological
storytelling (Behrendt, 2003) as
opposed to objectivity and linear,
rational thinking associated with
exposition.

9. Examples of Narrative Text
 fables
 legends
 myths
 epics
 folktales
 fairytales
 novels
 short stories
 and even narrative poems

10. Examples of Narrative Text
 fables - a folktale using animals as characters (Aesop’s fables)
 legends - are stories that explain how things came to be, why
things are as they are
 myths - traditional stories in prose concerning details of gods
and demigods and the creation of the world and its inhabitants
 epics – heroic narratives that narrate the adventures of tribal
heroes which embody in themselves the ideals and values of the
group
 folktales - prose narratives regarded as animal tale or fable, folk
speech, and folk song.

11. Examples of Narrative Text
 fairytales – stories that range from those originating in folk lore to more
modern stories written by a single identifiable or nonidentifiable author
 novels – relatively long piece of written narrative fiction, normally in prose,
and typically published as a book
 short stories – narratives with a fully developed theme and plot but
significantly shorter and less elaborate than a novel; can be read in one
sitting
 narrative poems – forms of poetry that tell a story, often making the
voices of a narrator and characters as well

12. Narrative Text
One thread unites these various kinds
of narration—
the important elements that make up
the structure of narration are similar no
matter what the stories are called or
labeled.

13. Elements of Narrative Text
 An orientation in which the narrator tells
the audience about who is in the story,
when the story is taking place and where
the action is happening.
A complication that sets off a chain of
events that influences what will happen in
the story.

14.  A sequence of events where the characters react to
the complication.
 A resolution in which the characters finally sort out the
complication.
 A coda which is an ending part that provides a
comment or moral based on what has been learned
from the story (an optional step).
Elements of Narrative Text

15. Important Elements of a Narrative Text
 Good readers remember stories better when they are
organized like other stories.
 Stein and Glenn (1977) identify six categories of information
in a narrative text (setting, initiating event, response,
attempt, consequence, and reaction)
 simplified by Ogle to help readers remember only the major
details so that readers can summarize the narrative text.

16. Important Elements of a Narrative Text
The following major elements as suggested by Ogle should be
highlighted in the reading instruction using this text type:
1. PROTAGONIST - the most important character in the story
2. PROBLEM - the major conflict of the story
3. RESPONSE - the major action taken to solve the conflict
4. CONSEQUENCE - the outcome of the action taken
5. RESOLUTION - the ending of the story
6. THEME - the idea that the writer wants to convey using the story

17. UNDERSTANDING NARRATIVES
•Theme
•Characters
•Setting
•Problem/Conflict
•Reaction(s)/
Attempt(s)
•Consequence(s)
•Resolution/ Ending
Protagonist
Antagonist
Time
Place
Ended
Open-Ended

18. Language Features of Narrative Texts
1.Past tense verbs
2.Many pronouns (usually third person)
3.Connecting words indicating temporal
relationships (e.g. after that, finally, the next
morning, etc)
4.Direct quotations

19. Teachers can use the story frame
below for comprehension instruction:
The story is about (protagonist)
who is (important description) with a
(problem) so (response) .
Because of this, (consequence),
and so in the end (resolution).
The story implies that (theme).

20. Teachers can also present jumbled sentences that contain the major story elements before
reading, then let the students rearrange them to guess what they think the story is. Consider the
example below.
What’s the story? Arrange the sentences by numbering them from 1-5.

21. Story Grammar
 A story grammar is the system of rules used for describing the
consistent features found in narrative texts (Mandler, 1984).
 A structural approach to facilitate reading comprehension
 A strategy which classifies the components of a story and
specifies relationships among its parts
 A strategy for cognitive literacy for young learners
 Aims to improve learner’s reading comprehension by giving them
a framework they can use when reading stories

22. What Research Tells About Story Grammar
 Explicit instruction of story grammar can improve reading
comprehension of narrative texts.
 Effective readers have expectations about what they will encounter
when they read stories, personal letters or factual texts.
 They use their schemata and clues from the text in varying amounts
as they comprehend.
 There is evidence to show that using story grammar, to recall details
in a story, provides the basis for enhanced retrieval of information
from a story. (Amer, 1992)

23. What Research Tells About Story Grammar
 Explicit instruction in story grammar involves helping students to
learn to recognize the elements of narrative text and use
these elements to improve their comprehension of the story.
 Asking questions that focus on the elements of the story (the story
line) leads to improved student comprehension of the story (Beck,
1984).
 A strategy teachers may use involves dividing the story into
meaningful episodes and developing comprehension
questions they will ask in guided silent reading and discussion.
Such questions will cause students to focus on the relevant
elements of the story.

24. Most narratives contain the following elements:
Setting Information about the character(s), the location of the story
and the time the events occur
Initiating Event The event (problem) that occurs, involving the main
character(s)
Internal Response The reaction / response of the main character to the initiating
event
Attempt The action the main character(s) do, as a result of the
initiating event (problem)
Consequence The impact of the character’s attempt (the resolution)
Ending Suitable ending or closure of the story
Theme The central message or idea the story wants to convey

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STORY GRAMMAR

26. Some of the major reading skills developed or applied when
teachers use story grammar are the following:
1. Note-taking
2. Characterizing significant person in the story
3. Noting significant details
4. Ignoring irrelevant ideas
5. Getting main idea
6. Summarizing
7. Getting implied meaning

27. Necessarily, the teachers need to include a discussion
or facilitate activities that will help learners utilize the
following skills in understanding and appreciating the
story:
1. Predicting
2. Understanding figurative language
3. Identifying point of view
4. Confirming one’s prediction
5. Revising/changing own prediction
6. Stating the theme of the story
7. Etc., depending on the story read

28.  One of the most effective visual learning strategies
for learners, especially in comprehending various
narratives
 Applied across the curriculum to enhance learning
and understanding of subject matter content
 A visual display that demonstrates relationships
between facts, concepts, or ideas
 Guides the learner’s thinking as they fill in and build
upon a visual map or diagram
Graphic Organizer

29. Challenges in Reading Narrative Texts
1. determining the theme of the story
2. seeing the connection of the events
3. distinguishing the narrated order of events

30. Challenges in Reading Narrative Texts
4. knowing who is telling the story and what
relationship that person has to the events in the story
(point of view)
• first person – a participant who can be major or minor character (uses
the pronoun “I”)
• third person – someone who sees into the minds of all characters,
someone who sees into the minds of some characters, or someone who
sees (uses the pronouns he,she, it, they)

31. “As teachers, teaching the literary side of
English is practically a separate job and a
gargantuan task. It entails a lot of stimulation –
you have to ask questions, help learners ask
their own, activate their prior knowledge and
experiences, assist them in finding meaning in
the texts and guide them in achieving
comprehension. But most importantly, you have
to make your learners develop their love for
reading waiting to unfold.”
~ Denn Marc P. Alayon

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You’ve been a wonderful audience!