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Everybody’s Got a Story to Tell

Narrative Writing

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Narrative WritingWhy narrative?

With so much emphasis in testing on expository andpersuasive modes, why should we devote much time to

helping kids with narrative writing?

• Narrative is the foundation of all other types ofwriting.

• If you can’t write well in narrative, it’s hard towrite well in expository or persuasive.

• Narrative is where kids can work on their writingtechnique.

• Narrative can be just as rigorous as expository orpersuasive if we give it structure.

• Narrative writing is a great way to help kids de-velop their sense of organization.

• Narrative helps kids make writing an extensionof their lives.

• Narrative writing is inherently entertaining.

• Everybody’s got a story to tell.


Middle of the Night SurpriseI woke up suddenly. Everything was blurry and I felt confused.

It was pitch black, but I could hear footsteps on the creaky flooroutside my bedroom. I held my breath as the footsteps walkedpast my door, around the corner, and into the living room.

Even though I was scared, I just had to get up out of bed to seewhat was happening. I don’t know what I was thinking. If it was aburglar, I was in big trouble.

I took my time. I didn’t want whatever it was to know that Iwas on its trail. I walked as lightly as I possibly could but nomatter how hard I tried I still made noise. I slipped past myparents’ room and entered the living room expecting to discoverthe intruder. I looked quickly from corner to corner but foundnothing. Then I went into the kitchen.

At first, I didn’t notice anything different. I wanted to turn onthe light but I was too afraid. Then I saw it. At one end of thekitchen table there were three small boxes each wrapped with adifferent color paper.

Full of excitement, I quickly ran back to my brothers’ room. Iwoke them up and brought them to the kitchen. We opened theboxes and found a single sheet of paper in each one. The firstpiece had little lines with symbols under them. The other twopieces were some kind of a key. After a few minutes, we figured itout: “On December 28th we are going to”. The last part I spelledout loud. “D” “I” “S” “N” “E” “Y” “L” “A” “N” “D”!

My brothers and I exploded with excitement. We jumped forjoy. We were thrilled out of our minds. We were also really noisyso that’s when our parents got up. As they entered the kitchen, weall ran over and gave them a huge hug. What a great way to start avacation.

Narrative WritingStudent samples


A Jog and a DogI was out on my regular evening jog. It was the beginning of fall and leaves

swirled down around me and crunched under my feet as I headed toward a gi-gantic tree trunk where I often took a rest. I sat there for a few minutes, justlooking around, and then I noticed it was getting dark so I decided to head forhome.

As I stood up, I saw something crouching across the road. I took a stepback, it took a step forward. At that moment my curiosity was greater than myfear so I stepped forward again to get a closer look. And then I laughed at my-self. It was Chocolate, a friendly Lab that belonged to our neighbor. I’d knownhim for years. Sighing with relief, I reached down to pet him but stopped shortas a low rumble in his throat grew to a loud growl.

I pulled my hand back and stepped away. That wasn’t like Chocolate, Ithought. I watched him for a moment and he watched me. Then I shrugged myshoulders, turned, and walked away. A few seconds later, I heard the clicking ofpaws on the pavement. Thinking nothing of it, I started running, but Chocolatewas now running with me. I was scared.

When Chocolate started to growl again, I broke into a sprint. And that’swhen he bit me, right through my sweat suit and deep into the flesh of mythigh.

I fell to the ground screaming in horrible pain. There was blood every-where. A man came over wondering what all the noise was about. Kicking atthe dog, the man tried to get him away from me without getting bitten himself.After a few seconds that seemed like hours, Chocolate gave up and ran off.

Someone must have called 911 because the police showed up a few minuteslater. I told them what had happened and they took me to the emergency room.

As I rode to the hospital, I tried to figure out why a friendly dog I’d knownfor years would suddenly attack me. The next day I found out that Chocolatehad rabies. Our neighbor had to put him to sleep. Over the next few weeks, Igot a series of painful shots and several stitches. And that was the end of it.

Except it wasn’t the end. It’s two years later. My injuries healed a long timeago. You can hardly even see the scar. But I don’t jog at night anymore and Idon’t get close to dogs, not even friendly ones I’ve known for years.



The WeddingIt was the perfect day for a wedding. The sky was a soft light blue and the occasional breeze

swept gently over the lawn. People clustered around the metal folding chairs set up on the grass,talking and laughing. Most of the guests I had never seen before, but I picked out my familymembers and ran to greet them, hugging them one by one. I spotted my uncle dressed in asmart-looking black suit. My aunt-to-be was in a long beautiful white gown. I felt like a pot of hotwater on a stove: any minute now I was going to boil over with excitement.

After a little while, everyone started to take their seats and quiet down. All eyes were on myaunt as she walked up the grass toward my uncle. My legs thumped wildly against my chair, myfingers were tapping, and I started to bounce up and down in my seat. The ceremony lastedabout a half hour, too long for me to keep my eyes from wandering around the yard. Anenormous magnolia stood behind my uncle, its beautiful white flowers opening to the sky. To theright of all the chairs was the Horace Williams House, its yellow paint contrasting nicely with themagnolia.

Then the ceremony was over as the final words were said, and everyone started to get up outof their seats and head for the house. Soon, the cake was brought out, a beautiful three-layervanilla cake with white icing and perfectly-shaped flowers. It was a work of art; I was almost sadto eat it. As soon as I received my slice, I headed back toward the chairs to sit down and eat withmy little brother. While shoveling cake into my mouth, I spilled a small sliver of it onto my prettyplaid dress, the dress I wanted to wear for my kindergarten graduation the following month.

When we were finished, my grandpa took the two of us to the magnolia, stooping under itslow branches. I was delighted to find that underneath the branches, a clear wide space circled allthe way around the tree’s gigantic trunk. We walked around and around the tree, enjoying theshade. After a few minutes, we came out to talk and laugh a little more with the other people. Ifelt so happy and calm; I now had a new aunt!

My family seemed very happy as well, chatting amiably with my aunt and uncle, andcongratulating them. When my aunt and uncle were ready to leave, I grabbed my basket offlower petals, and my little brother grabbed his bubble tube. Together, we threw and blew ourpetals and bubbles at my aunt and uncle as they got into their car and left the wedding.Eventually, my family got into our car and we drove home, excited, tired, and happy.

As an older and more mature person now, my outlook on that day is very different. It was ahappy and blissful beginning, no doubt, but it led to a not-so-happy and not-so-blissful end. Myuncle and aunt encountered several obstacles in their life together and, unfortunately, they couldnot overcome them. After marriage counseling and several attempts to work out theirdifferences, my aunt and uncle divorced five years later.

Unfortunate as it was, their marriage and divorce has been a good learning opportunity forme. If I have any future relationships, I will be sure to be kind and considerate to my spouse, andalways open-minded. I will treat my spouse with respect and give as much, if not more, as I take.



Our Family Cabin at the BeachSometimes, if I close my eyes, I can make believe it’s summer and

I’m back at our family cabin at the beach. I can see the waves rollingover the squishy sand, feel the sand squishing in between my toes,and laugh at the way my little brother picks up barnacle-coveredrocks so he can watch the sand crabs scurry away.

Everyone in the family enjoys our time together at the beach. Myaunt and uncle, cousins, grandma and grandpa, everybody comes tostay with us and enjoy the summer. Every morning we check to seewhat the tide brought in. Then we go exploring to look for specialrocks on the beach. During the days we swim and sun tan.

In the afternoons, we play volleyball or badminton. Sometimeswe just lay out in the sun and read. At night, we snuggle up in ourblankets and toast marshmallows over the campfire while dad andgrandpa tell scary stories.

The most fun for me is when dad gets out the big boat and theoutboard motor and several of us go fishing. We have to get up reallyearly but I don’t mind. Mostly we catch cod and flounder but oncemy dad caught a twenty pound salmon. I hooked one that was evenbigger but it broke my line and got away.

It seems like there’s always something fun to do at the cabin. Idon’t think I’ve ever been bored. But I think it’s just being with myfamily that makes it special. It’s the only time each year that we’re alltogether.

It’s always sad when it’s time to go because none of us wants toleave. We say our goodbyes. We talk about all the fun we had. Theneveryone drives away. As our car pulls out of the driveway, I turn tolook out the back window. I think I’m afraid that if we go away, thecabin will go away, too. I try to look at everything so I can remembereverything about it. Then I close my eyes so I can keep the memorywith me until we come back again next year.



A Father’s GiftMy father never had much money but he loved giving gifts. When I was little, I imagined him

spending his last pennies to purchase special treasures for me. As I grew up, and learned about hiscircumstances and how he made his way in the world, I realized that the joy he took in gift givinghad little to do with self-sacrifice. But my sense of him as a generous man never diminished.

When I was 10 he gave me a big manila envelope. Dropping me off at my mom’s house afterschool, he seemed unusually excited. I said I’d look at it later that night but that was a lie. My fatherwas always giving me strange things, many of which I wasn’t interested in at all.

A few days later, he asked me about it. I was embarrassed. I hadn’t looked at the envelope oreven wondered what was in it. So I lied again. “It’s cool, Dad. Thanks!” I said.

As soon as I got home that day, I tore open the envelope. I was amazed to find a complete set of8x10 glossy photos of every player and coach on the Washington Husky football team. I loved theHuskies. On Saturdays, my father would buy a bunch of end zone tickets and take me and myfriends to the game. I knew the roster by heart and now I had something special to go with thatknowledge, something most other Husky fans didn’t have.

The pictures fascinated me. They were like giant football cards. I would lay them out information on the floor of my room and call plays. I was especially fond of the action poses: guysflying off the ground, diving for the ball, stiff-arming imaginary defenders. Eventually, however, themagic wore off. When the next season came around, the pictures were back in the envelope and Iwas back to ignoring my father and his unceasing attempts to connect with me through gift giving.

Several years later, a sports memorabilia craze swept the nation. In high school now, Idesperately needed money, and I realized those old 8x10 glossies, some of which featured now-famous players, might help me avoid a summer of tedious part-time work. But where was the bigmanila envelope? I looked in the basement junk room. I looked upstairs in storage. I went throughevery drawer I could think of, every box I could find. Then, as my frustration peaked, I rememberedthat two years earlier I had cleaned out my room and taken 20 garbage bags full of little kid stuff tothe dump. Stuff like the big manila envelope.

Sitting in the middle of my room, open boxes all around me, I felt empty: stupid for havingthrown away something valuable, and even worse than that as I realized I’d lost more than money.

My father was always a puzzle to me. Sometimes he was Father of the Year. But other times—most times, really—he struggled to care for his children because he was struggling to care forhimself. I felt like the gifts he gave me were attempts to make up for his shortcomings. Often, thesetokens were as puzzling to me as he was. But once in a while, he got it right. The big manilaenvelope was one of those once-in-a-whiles.

I felt then as I do today that I missed something in my father. He was a hard man to understand.And an even harder man to love. But when I think about missing the value of a gift he gave me, Iwonder what other gifts I have missed. And how valuable they might be if I could find them now.

Narrative WritingAdult sample


Meeting BeccaWe pulled into the driveway of our new house. At the

house next door, a girl was on her bike, riding up and downthe street. I was shy, six years old, and had only threeplaymates. Mom turned around from the driver’s seat. “Ellie,how about you go see what that girl’s name is?”

I looked out the window, then shook my head. Momstopped the car, a signal that if I did not get out, I was deadmeat. Reluctantly, I did as I was told.

I stood in front of the girl’s path and waited for her tostop. Mom was watching me. I stuck out my hand.

“Hi,” I said.She frowned, but shook my hand. “Hi,” she said back.“Name’s Ellie.”“Becca.”“OK.”“I’m free tomorrow.”“OK.”“Bye.”“Bye.”Nothing like a perfect conversation to get a friendship

started.



Narrative WritingTopic selection

What makes a good narrative essay topic?

• A well-contained story.

• “The time when...”

• An experience where you learned a lesson.

• Something that changed you forever.

• An event that revolved around strong emotions.

• Something you have a detailed memory about.

• A sequence of events or a moment in time.

• An experience that reveals something about theway you are or the way life is.

The Typical-Unusual Topic T-Chart

Typical Unusual

Fell and hit my headCar accidentTrip to ParisMoving to North CarolinaWinning a chess tournamentThrowing a no-hitterMeeting my wife

Watching NFL footballDinner at AcmeNetFlixE-mailFixing computersReadingLong fitness walks


I went on vacation with myfamily to the ocean.

On the third day, I was walking with my dogalong a cliff overlooking thebeach below.

We saw a small animal scurryunder some rocks.

My dog ran after the animaland jumped over the rocksto try to get it.

I tried to reach over the rocksto pull him up.

I ran after him, looked overthe edge of the cliff, and foundhim clinging to some brushhanging by his paws.

Last summer,

• We were about 75 feet upfrom the beach.• We were on a path with treesand brush and big piles ofrocks by the edge.

• It startled me at first but then Irealized it was probably moreafraid of us than we were of it.• I just kept on walking.

• He likes to chase things.• I was amazed how fast he ran.• He got close to the rocks butdidn’t stop. He went right over.

As we got up to the highestpoint on the cliff,

All of a sudden,

• I was so scared.• I thought he’d gone over thecliff and fallen all the way down.• He looked scared, too.

• I grabbed a piece of the branchand pulled him up with it.• I just kept telling him to holdon and not move.• I could tell that he was just asscared as I was.

At first I didn’t know what todo. Then,

[ No Transition ]

Transition Action Details

Pre-Writing a Narrative Essay

Narrative WritingUsing the Transition-Action-Details strategy

• We go almost every year.• There’s a lot to do.• I get to do a lot of exploringwith my dog.


Fill in the first“Action” box


Fill in the last“Action” box

Fill in the middleof the story

Fill in the details.(At least 1 per box)

Fill in transitions.(Optional)

Narrative WritingFilling in a TAD Chart


Transition

I immediately stopped andturned around to watch him.

When I heard my dog startafter the animal,

• He doesn’t usually just runoff like that.• I was surprised and a littlescared.

As soon as I saw where he washeaded,

I called out to him to gethim to stop.

• He didn’t seem to notice.He just kept on going.• I had a feeling somethingbad was going to happen.

I froze.

He started to run up therocks just as fast as hecould.

When he got to the top, Icould tell he was trying tostop but he was going sofast that he couldn’t.

I screamed his name againand started running afterhim.

For the next few moments, • I wanted to do somethingbut I didn’t know what.• It seemed like it washappening in slow motion.

• As I got to the edge of the cliff, Iwas afraid to look over.• He was caught in a branch.• He was dangling there 75 feetabove the rocks and the water.• I was happy to see him andterrified at the same time.

As I saw him going over theedge,

[ No Transition ]

Action Details

Narrative WritingExpanding a moment

Using the Transition-Action-Details strategy to turn any single momentinto a longer and more detailed sequence of events.


I went on vacation with myfamily to the ocean.

Exploring the Cliffs

I was walking with my dogalong a cliff overlooking thebeach below.

We saw a small animal scurryunder some rocks.

My dog ran after the animaland jumped over the rocksto try to get it.

I tried to reach over the rocksto pull him up.

I ran after him, looked overthe edge of the cliff, and foundhim clinging to some brushhanging by his paws.

A Seaside Vacation• We go almost every year.• There’s a lot to do.• I get to do a lot of exploringwith my dog.

• We were about 75 feet upfrom the beach.• We were on a path with treesand brush and big piles ofrocks by the edge.

• It startled me at first but then Irealized it was probably moreafraid of us than we were of it.• I just kept on walking.

• He likes to chase things.• I was amazed how fast he ran.• He got close to the rocks butdidn’t stop. He went right over.

Dog Overboard

• I was so scared.• I thought he’d gone over thecliff and fallen all the way down.• He looked scared, too.

• I grabbed a piece of the branchand pulled him up with it.• I just kept telling him to holdon and not move.• I could tell that he was just asscared as I was.

A Close Call

Title Action Details

Narrative WritingUsing headings in place of transitions


Narrative WritingRevision ideas

How can we modify a narrative?

• Move the beginning forward.

• Start with the “Big Moment”.

• Tell the story backwards.

• Start with the end.

• Use the main idea strategy to develop a reflec-tive ending.

• Use beginning and ending strategies.

• Use the Idea-Details strategy to expand details.

• Use the Tell-Show strategy to add description.

• Use the Action-Feelings-Setting strategy to de-scribe the “Big Moment”.

• Add details at the important parts to slow downthe pacing.

• Break the story into sections and add headingsin place of transitions.


Great Britain ended up admin-istering Palestine.

In 1917, at the urging of Zion-ist groups in England,

The British issued the BalfourDeclaration.

Many Jews immigrated to Pal-estine.

The UN proposed splittingPalestine into two states.

Israel came to occupy the re-maining territory of Palestine.

Israel declared its indepen-dence.

When the Turkish Ottoman Em-pire collapsed at the end ofWorld War I,

• League of Nations’ MandateSystem.• League Covenant Article 22.

The declaration expressedsupport for “the establishmentin Palestine of a national homefor the Jewish people.”

• Mostly from Eastern Europe.• Fleeing Nazi persecution in the1930s.

• One state for Palestinian Ar-abs, the other for Jews.• Jerusalem would be interna-tionalized.• Resolution 181 of 1947.

During the years of the Man-date, 1922-1947,

In 1947,

• Israel attacked by Arab nations.• They won the war ; claimed75% of the land in Palestine.• Half the population of Palestin-ians left or were thrown out.

• The West Bank was formerlyunder Jordanian control.• The Gaza Strip was controlledby Egypt.

In 1967, as a result of the SixDay War,

In 1948,

Narrative WritingMapping the origins of the Middle East crisis



Narrative WritingSketching out a scientific process

It hits the cornea first.

Eventually, The light reaches the retina,the light-sensing part of theeye.

A series of complex chemicalreactions occurs.

Rhodopsin decomposes.

Rhodopsin breaks down andeventually forms Metar-hodopsin.

When light enters theeye,

It passes through the cornea,then the aqueous humor, thelens, and the vitreous humor.

• The retina has rods and cones.• Rods handle vision in low light.• Cones handle color vision anddetail.

A chemical called Rhodopsincreates electrical impulses in theoptic nerve.

Light causes a physical changein part of the chemical.

When light contacts these twotypes of cells,

When it is exposed to light,

This chemical causes electricalimpulses that are transmitted tothe brain and interpreted aslight.

In an extremely fast reaction,beginning in a few trillionths ofa second,



I remembered how manyounces there are in a gallon.

Next, I multiplied this by 4 to get theamount of juice he needed toget.

I figured out how much juicehe bought by multiplying thenumber of cans times 12ounces.

I subtracted the amount hebought from the amount heneeded.

First, 1 Gallon = 128 ounces

4 x 128 =4 x 100 = 400 +4 x 20 = 80 +4 x 8 = 32400 + 80 + 32 = 512 ounces

42 x 12 =42 x 10 = 42042 x 2 = 84420 + 84 = 504 ounces

512 - 504 = 8He was 8 ounces short.

Then,

Finally,

Orange Juice BirthdayOn a sweltering Saturday in August, Mr. Cal Q. Luss trudged into his local Friendly Mart to get orange

juice for his son’s birthday party. For last year’s party he had purchased three gallons, more than enough, or sohe thought, to slake the monster thirsts of his son’s 23 classmates. But Eddie Guzzle drank almost an entiregallon by himself, and poor Elaine Dryer fainted from dehydration after Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

As he entered the store, a blast of air-conditioned coolness reminded him of the temperature outside. Itwas a scorcher: you could fry eggs on the sidewalk and still have heat left over for a side a bacon and a coupleof flapjacks. Mr. Luss vowed that this year he wouldn’t be calling little Lainie’s mom to pick her daughter upat the Emergency Room. Better make it four gallons.

Proceeding quickly to the juice section, Mr. Luss found himself at a loss when he discovered that all of thelarge carton juice containers were sold out. He would have to purchase 12-ounce cans of juice instead, but hecouldn’t figure out how many to get. Extremely frustrated, and behind on time, he knocked the entire displayof juice cans into his shopping cart and dashed briskly to the checkout. When he got home, he discovered hehad purchased 42 cans of juice. Did he get the four gallons he needed, or will two dozen 9-year olds be faint-ing in the fierce mid-day summer sun?

Narrative WritingSolving a math story problem



Transition-Action-Details

3. Try this order: beginning, end, middle, details, transitions. Start withthe first “Action” box, then fill in the last “Action” box, and then the actions inthe middle. Now, add details. Finally, fill in transitions if you need them.

TM

2. Transition-Action-Details also works for other sequential forms.Historical events, directions, algorithms, processes, procedures, summaries,anything that goes step-by-step in a fixed order.

1. Use Transition-Action-Details to pre-write any narrative. It’s perfectfor memoir or other personal experience writing; great for fiction, too.

Last summer, I went on vacation with myfamily to the ocean.

• We go almost every year.• There’s a lot to do.• My dog and I go exploring.

TRANSITION ACTION DETAILS

On the third day, I was walking with my dog,Gepetto, along a cliff over-looking the beach below.

• About 75 feet up abovethe beach.• On a narrow path.

TO BE CONTINUED...

As we got up to the highestpoint on the cliff,

We saw a small animalscurry under some rocks.

• It startled me at first.• I just kept on walking.• Gepetto ran after it.

When the Turkish Otto-man Empire collapsed atthe end of World War I,

Great Britain ended up ad-ministering Palestine.

League of Nations’ MandateSystem; League CovenantArticle 22.

TRANSITION ACTION DETAILS

In 1917, at the urging of Zi-onist groups in England,

The British issued the Bal-four Declaration.

“...the establishment of anational home for the Jew-ish people.”

TO BE CONTINUED...

During the years of theMandate, 1922-1947,

Many Jews immigrated toPalestine.

Mostly from Eastern Eu-rope; many fleeing Nazipersecution in the 1930s.


Detailing

2. Use the Idea-Details strategy to add support. Read over what you’vewritten. Pick the best sentence or phrase and add to it.

As I leaned over the cliff, I saw my dog,Gepetto, dangling there, 100 feetabove the rocks below, terrified, andtrying to hold his grip by clawing atthe frail branches of a tiny tree.

The branches were just twigs, hardlymore than a quarter inch thick, crack-ing and tearing each time he struggledto climb up. I couldn’t imagine howthey were supporting his weight.

IDEA DETAILS

3. Use the Tell-Show strategy to add descriptive “showing” detail.Showing is more specific; it helps readers make pictures in their mind.

I was scared. I froze on the spot. I felt my heart raceand my breathing quicken, but Icouldn’t move. I tried to yell for helpbut nothing came out.

TELL SHOW

4. Use the Detail Categories strategy for the widest range of options.Generate details by thinking of categories like the following:

• Questions • Sights • Objects • Explanations

• Actions • Sounds • Descrpitions • Attributes

• Thoughts • Feelings • Examples • Etc.

1. A detail is the answer to a question a reader might have. To add de-tails, think of the questions readers might have about what you’ve written:

As I leaned over the cliff, I saw my dog,Gepetto, dangling there, 100 feetabove the rocks below, terrified, tryingto hold his grip by clawing at the frailbranches of a tiny tree.

How did he get like that?Did he fall to the bottom?What did you do to help him?How did you feel?

WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN QUESTIONS READERS MIGHT HAVE


Action-Feelings-Setting

3. Put it all together. Use your pre-writing to get started. Make changes.Move things around. Leave things out. Add new stuff. Make it sound great.

Christmas morning. Paper all over the livingroom. My family watching meas i unwrap my last present. It’s the game cosole I asked for.

My hands shake as I struggle with the ribbon. My heart is pounding. I ripinto the paper and look frantically for words on the box. Nothing. I start tosweat. It’s a plain white box. Oh no! I can’t believe it! It’s a sweater.

3. Use the Tell-Show strategy to “show” your feelings. To show yourfeelings, instead of telling about them, describe how you looked at the time.

I’m excited. • My hands are shaking.• My heart is pounding.• I start to sweat.

TELL SHOW

2. Improve the action with the Idea-Details strategy. Put the “action” onthe left. On the right, add details in a bullet list.

I’m opening a present. • Struggle with the ribbon.• Rip into the paper.• Look for words on the box.

IDEA DETAILS

1. Start with a picture of yourself doing something. Draw or make apicture in your mind. What are you doing? How do you feel? Where are you?

Action. I’m opening a present. I saved this one for lastbecause I think it’s the one I wanted most.

Feelings. I’m excited bcause it looks like the game con-sole I wanted.

Setting. It’s Christmas morning. There’s torn paper allover the livingroom. My whole family is watching.


Main Idea

3. Main idea is a powerful tool for revision. Draft a bit, then ask yourself,“What’s the one most important thing I want my reader to know?” Write yourmain idea in a single sentence at the top of the page. Now, reread your draft. Ifyou find things that don’t go with your main idea, consider deleting them.

1. The main idea is the one most important thing you want yourreader to know. If you could boil a piece down to a single sentence thatrepresented what it was all about, that would be your main idea. You knowyou’ve found one when you’ve found something that is:

• A complete sentence. It’s not justthe topic, it’s what you want yourreaders to know about it.

• A message, a moral, a lesson. It’swhat you most want your reader tounderstand and benefit from.

• Important to the writer. This isthe point of the whole piece; youhave to really care about it.

• Important to the reader. Make agood guess about what your read-er really cares about.

2. The main idea may be stated or implied. In expository and persuasivewriting, you’ll probably state your main idea literally, often at the beginning.But in narrative writing, and especially in fiction, the story will serve as anexample of your main idea, and you’ll let the reader figure it out.

Implied Main IdeaA rabbit and a turtle have a race. Therabbit races ahead and takes a nap.The turtle plugs along and catches up.The rabbit races off but gets tired andstops to rest again. The turtle justkeeps going, laying one huge turtlefoot in front of the other, eventuallylumbering his way to victory while therabbit naps near the finish line.

Main Idea: “Slow and steady wins therace.” (Not written in the piece.)

Stated Main IdeaA dog is the perfect pet to take on atrip. Last summer, I took my dog,Gepetto, to the beach. We played to-gether everywhere. We explored therocky shore and chased the seagulls.We even climbed up huge cliffs. Icouldn’t imagine doing any of thesethings with a cat or a bird or a goldfish.Could you?

Main Idea: “A dog is the perfect pet totake on a trip.” (Written in the piece.)


Great Beginnings1. Get your readers’ attention and make them want to read more.Work fast. You’ve got ten seconds to hook your readers and reel them in.

• Example. Mr. Simmons didn’tknow that when he got on the busthat morning, he wouldn’t get off.

• Example. The Mariners pulled offa crazy come-from-behind victorylast night to take first place.

2. Base your beginnings on successful models. Look at the kinds of be-ginnings other writers use and try their techniques in your own writing.

• Question. What would happen ifyou ate every meal at McDonald’sfor a month?

• Description. Dust and dirt wereeverywhere. Cobwebs clung to thecorners. But it was home. For now.

• Action. He raced down the stairs,flew out the door, hopped on hisbike, and hit the road.

• Sound. Beep, beep, beep, beep.The alarm chirped. But I was soundasleep and didn’t hear it.

• Dialog. “What do you mean we’renot going to Disneyworld!” my sis-ter screamed.

• Feelings. I had never been so terri-fied in my life. I still get goose-bumps thinking about it.

• Thoughts. Ooops! I’m in troublenow, I realized, as I surveyed thebroken glass on the kitchen floor.

• List. Sore muscles, mosquito bites,no video games. That’s what camp-ing means to me.

3. Combine strategies for richer beginnings. It’s good to try more thanone beginning for a piece. Sometimes, you can even put them together.

• Thoughts. It’s odd to be so hun-gry, I thought to myself, especiallyafter eating those nine burritos.

• Description. Light flooded thedark kitchen and cool air hit myface as I bent down to peerinside.

• Question. Would I find the tastysnack I was looking for, or hadsomeone cleaned out the fridge?

Three Beginnings CombinedLight flooded the dark kitchen,and cool air hit my face as I bentdown to peerinside. Would I findthe tasty snack I was looking for,or had someone cleaned out thefridge? It’s odd to be so hungry, Ithought to myself, especially aftereating those nine burritos. Buthere I was looking for a tenth.


Happy Endings1. Wrap things up and give your readers something to think about. Tieup loose ends but don’t stop there. Send ‘em off with something to chew on.

• Example. It took a while to con-vince Grandpa that his hearing aidhadn’t been stolen by pirates. Butwe never did figure out what to dowith all that jello.

• Example. As this season of Mari-ner miracles comes to a close,there’s just one question on every-one’s mind: Can they do it againnext year?

2. Base your endings on successful models. Look at the kinds of endingsother writers use and try their techniques in your own writing.

• Question. Why didn’t I think itthrough more carefully? When willI ever learn my lesson?

• Description. Dead quiet. Nobodysaid a word. We just listened to thesound of the rain and wondered.

• Remember. If you’re ever in thatsituation again, just remember: It’sthe green wire not the red wire.

• Future. We don’t know when we’llrun out of oil. But we know we’llrun out some day—and soon.

• Feelings. He was laughing so hardI thought he’d fall over. And every-one else was laughing, too.

• Advice. Flu season is right aroundthe corner. So get your shot beforeit gets you.

• Lesson. The guy who said “Slowand steady makes the grade” prob-ably wasn’t working on deadline.

• Do. Take a few minutes at the endof each day and think of all thegood things in your life.

3. Don’t go back, go beyond. Don’t restate your beginning at the end,your reader already read it! Instead, take your reader just a little bit further.

Ending. I felt then as I do today that Imissed something in my father. Hewas a hard man to understand. And aneven harder man to love. But when Ithink about missing the value of a gifthe gave me, I wonder what other giftsI missed. And how valuable they mightbe if I could find them now.

Beginning. My father never had muchmoney but he loved giving gifts. As aboy, I imagined him spending his lastpennies on treasures just for me. As Igrew up, I realized that the joy he tookin gift giving had little to do with sacri-fice. But my sense of him as a gener-ous man never diminished.

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www.ttms.orgTeaching That Makes Sense

314 Bolin Forest Drive • Carrboro, NC 27510 www.ttms.org

The best way to teach is the way that makes sensefor you, your kids, and your community.

Training That Makes SenseIf You’re Looking for Something Different (and Better), You’ve Come to the Right Place!

In-Service WorkshopsNobody needs to spend another day sitting in a badchair listening to ivy-covered theorists and arrogantpolicy wonks who’ve never spent a day in a classroom.Or motivational speakers whose prime motivation is totell you how cool they are and how you can be just likethem if you’ll only buy their book or change your atti-tude. We’re different. We promise. We get people firedup. We know how to make school easier for teachersand better for kids. We know what works; we knowwhat matters; we know when to shut up and go home.

Model TeachingYou can’t trust anyone who doesn’t have chalk on theirhands. Teaching doesn’t happen in workshops; it hap-pens in classrooms. And that’s where we like to be. Wewalk our talk. And we’ll be happy to walk into yourroom so you can see the strategies we talk about firsthand with your own students. And we’re not talkingabout well-rehearsed, pre-scripted lessons with onlythe “good” kids in attendance. We’ll teach any class,any subject, any grade, any time. And we’ll stickaround to talk with you about it after we’re done.

Leadership CoachingEver tried to lose weight? Quit smoking? Give up yourfavorite TV show because they moved it to the nightyou have your bowling league? Change is hard. Andchange in our schools is even harder. That’s why wethink no one should go it alone. If you’re struggling tolead people who don’t want to go anywhere, if you’restriving for results but ruining relationships, if you’restuck between what you know is right and a systemthat sometimes seems wrong, we can help you get theclarity and confidence you need to move forward.

Follow-Up SupportTraining without follow-up is like buying a plane tick-et and skipping the flight: you make plans, block time,and spend money, but don’t go anywhere. Most train-ing produces no result. Why? Because most peopledon’t feel comfortable checking in with their col-leagues to see who’s using new ideas. We do. We sendmaterials. We keep you up to date on the best resourc-es. We connect you with other professionals. We answeryour e-mails and return your calls. And we do it forfree so you never have to worry about your budget.

For more information, contact us at [email protected]





The best way to teach is the way that makes sensefor you, your kids, and your community.

Model TeachingDemonstrating the Practices We Use in Your Classrooms with Your Students

Seeing is BelievingMost new techniques don’t work very well. And eventhe best ideas can be hard to implement when the onlyexposure we get to them is a few minutes in a work-shop. To know that something new is worth trying, youhave to know that it works. And that means seeing itwork in your own classroom with your own kids.

Any Class, Any Grade, Any SubjectWe love to teach. So invite us into your room to seehow we do it. We’ll work with kids of all abilities in allgrade levels and subject areas. In many cases, we caneven step into your current plans and help you withspecific lessons. Just tell us what you’d like to see andwe’ll do our best to demonstrate it for you.

Observe and DebriefYou’re welcome to bring in as many observers as youlike. And after you’re seen the demonstration, we’ll behappy to meet privately with you to answer any ques-tions you may have about what we did and why we didit. Bring in your entire grade level team or department.Ask administrators and parents to join the discussion.

SchedulingDepending on your schedule, we can usually see asmany as six classes a day. Ideally, we like to have atleast 45 minutes to teach and 10-15 minutes betweenclasses so that we can make notes about what hap-pened or answer quick questions from observers. For-mal debriefing sessions typically last 20-30 minutes.

Class SizeWhile we typically work with 20-30 students at a time,we are happy to accommodate larger groups. We caneven take double-size classes if students can crowdcomfortably into the room and still have space towork. If doubling up will allow more teachers to ob-serve, we’re happy to make the necessary adjustments.

VideotapingYou are welcome to videotape any of our model teach-ing sessions. In fact, we encourage it. If you like, wecan even sit down with you to review the tape after thefact. The combination of workshop training, class-room observation, and videotape review is a great wayto support teachers who are implementing new ideas.





Description of ServicesTeaching That Makes Sense offers a wide variety of services to meet the needs of education-related organi-zations large and small, assisting schools and their teachers, students and their parents, and business andcommunity members as well. We focus on practical solutions to common problems delivered with uncom-promising value.

Professional Development WorkshopsWe offer professional development workshops specializing in reading, writing, math, as-sessment, and test preparation for teachers for both in-service and pre-service teachers atgrades K-12. The content of our workshops focuses on research-based best practice tech-niques and proven practical strategies that can be implemented effectively with a mini-mum of preparation or materials.

Model Teaching in ClassroomsFor most people, the best way to learn about new teaching techniques is to watch someoneuse them in their own classroom with their own kids. We are excited to work in any class-room at any grade level and in any subject area to demonstrate the strategies and tech-niques we present in our workshops.

Test PreparationWe have specific tools and techniques that can be used to improve student performance onhigh stakes testing. Test preparation typically involves a combination of professional devel-opment workshops and a specific course of classroom visits where we take students througha multi-day program of test taking strategies.

Curriculum DevelopmentWe are happy to assist you in the development of high quality standards-based curriculum.We can create original materials for you or, in many cases, simply supply you with curric-ulum we have already created.

Program EvaluationIn the face of increased accountability and pressure for results, every school faces toughdecisions when it comes to evaluating the success of existing programs and the potential ofnew adoptions. Let us help you with responsible recommendations and independent in-sights that will guide you toward increased student achievement and fiscal efficiency.



Services, cont.Administrative CoachingWhenever change is called for, leadership is required. The leader’s role is to guide otherstoward the goal. But who guides the leader? Leaders need support, too, just like everyoneelse. We provide effective individualized and small group coaching for successful organiza-tional change.

Technology Planning and ImplementationWe offer a complete array of enterprise and desktop technology services including softwaredevelopment, website design, database systems, content management, and Internet host-ing. We pride ourselves on a responsible and cost-effective approach tailored to the uniquetechnological needs of educational organizations.

Summer InstitutesFor schools and districts seeking a comprehensive approach to professional developmenttraining, we offer Teaching That Makes Sense Summer Professional Development Insti-tutes. These 1-4 week institutes provide teachers with a variety of workshop offerings tai-lored specifically to their needs at an affordable per participant price.

Parent EducationWe have a short program of workshops for parents in the areas of reading, writing, math,and assessment. The goal of these offerings is to promote better understanding betweenparents and teachers, and to help parents support their children more effectively at home.

Our StandardsIt seems there are standards for everything in education today, so we thought we’d share ours with you, too.

• Quality: We use the best models and strategies. We always do good work and constantly seek to dobetter. We are thorough; we know that how we do one thing is how we do everything; we attend tothe little details that make a big difference.

• Professionalism: We are well studied and well practiced; we know what we’re doing and won’ttake on projects outside of our areas of expertise. We provide consistent and reliable performanceon demand regardless of the situation or external circumstances.

• Accountability: We take full ownership for our work; the buck stops with us. We strive for mea-surable results and we don’t give up until we get them. When something goes wrong, we don’tmake excuses, we just make things right.

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