Narrativetext types

15 charts!

First published in 2010 byMACMILLAN EDUCATION AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

15-19 Claremont Street, South Yarra 3141Associated companies and representatives throughout the world

Visit our website at www.macmillan.com.au

Copyright © Katy Collis/Macmillan Education Australia 2010Macmillan Wall Charts: Narrative Text Types

ISBN 978 1 4202 7699 2

Text: Katy CollisIllustrations: Stephen Michael King

Design: Sting Art Publisher: Sharon Dalgleish

Managing editor: Polly HennessyEditor: Jess Ní Chuinn

Proofreader: Adriana Martinelli-Sciacca

Printed by MPAL

Ages 5–8ISBN 9 781 4202 6137 0

Ages 5–8ISBN 9 780 7329 9962 9

Ages 8–10ISBN 9 780 7329 9963 6

Ages 10+ISBN 9 780 7329 9964 3

Ages 5–8ISBN 9 781 4202 6816 4

Ages 8–10ISBN 9 781 4202 6817 1

Ages 10+ISBN 9 781 4202 6818 8

Ages 5–8ISBN 9 781 4202 6213 1

Ages 8–10ISBN 9 781 4202 6214 8

Ages 10+ISBN 9 781 4202 6215 5

Ages 8–10ISBN 9 781 4202 6138 7

Ages 10+ISBN 9 781 4202 6139 4

All You Need to Teach Narrative Text Types

Plus!All You Need to Teach Nonfiction Text Types

Macmillan Wall Charts: Nonfiction Text Types

Also availableThree teacher resource books packed with helpful background information, genre booklists, photocopiable student checklists, worksheets and writing frames.

Macmillan Interactive: Nonfiction Text Types CDsscary

scieNce fictioN

fable

fairy tale or folk tale

legeNd

Myth

Narrative

play scripts aNd dialogue

Narrative poetry

adveNture

faNtasy

historical

huMour

Mystery or detective

realistic

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Narrative

PurposeTo tell a storyTo entertain, engage or challenge thinking

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Complication—characters have a problem

3 Series of events

4 Resolution

LanguageTold in first person (I, we) or third person (she, he, it, they)

Usually narrated in past tense

Nouns for people, places and things

Verbs for actions, thoughts and feelings

Connectives to sequence events and ideas

SettingAnywhere

CharactersMade-up characters who act the way people do in real life

Can be stereotypes hero/villain

Characters have recognisable qualities brave, clever

Readers or viewers need to understand characters’ motives and feelings

A story with a plot presented by a narrator. There are many different forms, or genres, of narrative.

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Play scriPts and dialogue

PurposeTo tell a storyTo entertain, engage or challenge thinking

StructureCan follow structure of any narrative type. In general:1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting2 Complication 3 Series of events 4 Resolution

Follows the conventions for scripts:T organisational information

Scene 1 An empty schoolyard. Morning

T stage directions often written as a procedure Enter left, creeping

T name of character and words they speak ROVER: Woof!

Animations and comic strips include speech bubbles and images

LanguageDirect speech (but with no speech marks)

Dialogue

Narrative information given:T in stage directions (play scripts)T through images (comic strips,

animations)T below each picture (comic

strips)

SettingAnywhere

CharactersMade-up characters who act the way people do in real life

Can be stereotypes hero/villain

Characters have recognisable qualities brave, clever

Readers or viewers need to understand characters’ motives and feelings

A story told through scripts for film, television, stage, radio or digital; or by using images and speech bubbles

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Narrative Poetry

PurposeTo tell a story with poetic flairTo entertainSometimes to relate historical events

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Complication and action of the event

3 Resolution to conclude and summarise the story

SettingAny setting

May be implied rather than obvious

Can be historical setting

CharactersCan be one or many characters

Can be real people if narrating a real event

A poem that tells a story

LanguagePoetic devices:T rhythmT rhyme

Attention to sound:T alliterationT assonanceT onomatopoeia

Imagery:T simileT metaphorT personification

Rich vocabulary:T nounsT verbsT adjectivesT invented words

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Adventure

PurposeTo entertainTo create excitement and suspense

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Complication sets the adventure in motion

3 Series of events to solve the problem

4 Resolution

Usually fast-moving, with cliff-hangers to build suspenseOccasional slow-moving description or dialogue to build tension Can use time shifts and flashbacks

LanguageTold in first person (I, we) or third person (she, he, it, they)

Usually narrated in past tense

Short sentences to build tension

Action verbs She charged down the gangplank, leaped onto the wharf and threw herself onto the speeding motorcycle.

Adjectives

Adverbs

Dialogue to advance action “Did you see that shadow?”

SettingCan be set in the past, present or future

Can involve a journey across different countries or dangerous places

Descriptions of the setting add to the excitement

CharactersCan be stereotypes

One character may be in danger

An everyday character may become a heroine or hero

Same characters often used across a series

A story with physical action, often built around a quest or mission

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Fantasy

PurposeTo entertainTo offer an escape from reality

Structure1 Often begins in normal world

2 Complication—main character can be reluctant to accept the call to danger or to enter fantasy world

3 Series of challenges or battles with evil villainsOften includes a journey or quest to find or claim something

4 Successful completion of task, quest or challenge

5 Return to normal life

SettingWhole story can be set in an invented fantasy world

Can include an entry to the fantasy world from our own world

The fantasy world has social rules and routines

Objects have magical properties

CharactersCharacters reluctantly caught up between good and evil

Can be stereotypes heroes, villains, guides

Supernatural or magical creatures dragons, fairies, elves

Unusual invented characters

A story in which fantastic or unreal things happen

LanguageTold in first person (I, we) or third person (she, he, it, they)

Usually narrated in past tense

Nouns and adjectives to describe

Imagery:T simileT metaphorT symbolism (red for danger)

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Historical

PurposeTo entertainSometimes to inform

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and establishes historical setting

2 Complication

3 Series of events (about something that has already happened)

4 Resolution or ending

Sometimes time frames can be manipulated

SettingSet in the past

Includes accurate historical detail

CharactersCharacters are true-to-life

A made-up account of a real event or time

LanguageTold in first person (I, we) or third person (she, he, it, they)

Narrated in past tense

Nouns for people, places and things

Verbs for actions, thoughts and feelings

Old-fashioned words appropriate to the time of the story “Find it we will sire.”©

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Humour

PurposeTo entertain and amuseTo develop understanding about human behaviours

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Complication

3 Events are often unexpected and surprise the reader

4 Happy resolution or ending

Humour can come from:T plotT situationT characterT language

SettingAnywhere

CharactersCharacters with exaggerated flaws

Characters sometimes try to resolve problems in surprising ways

A story that makes the reader or viewer laugh, often at human behaviour or weaknesses

LanguageTold in first person (I, we) or third person (she, he, it, they)

Usually narrated in past tense

Nouns for people, places and things

Verbs for actions, thoughts and feelings

Witty dialogue

Use of:T jokes T ironyT puns T satireT parody T exaggeration

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Mystery or Detective

PurposeTo entertain or intrigue

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Complication that triggers the mystery

3 Series of events to solve the mystery, often with clues

4 Solution and resolution

Facts or clues can help the reader try to solve the mystery.

Can have false clues to mislead reader

LanguageTold in first person (I, we) or third person (she, he, it, they)

Usually narrated in past tense

Nouns and adjectives describe how people or things are mysterious

Verbs for actions, thoughts and feelings

Pronouns used to avoid naming characters when they first appear Then I saw it . . .First line: She opened the door . . .

SettingOften a place unfamiliar to main character:dark forestold, deserted houselonely rural area

Can be a familiar place, but something unusual happens to trigger the mystery a stranger or parcel arrives

CharactersEveryday character drawn into a mysterious situation

Can be stereotypesdetective

Can have non-human characters

A story in which characters try to discover a vital piece of information which is kept hidden until the climax

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Realistic

PurposeTo raise a serious issueTo create empathy for a character or show character development

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Complication

3 Series of events

4 Resolution

Stories are often about personal experiences and can be structured as a recount:

1 Orientation

2 Complication

3 Series of events in time order, including personal comments or evaluative remarks

4 Conclusion with a personal comment

LanguageTold in first person (I, we) or third person (she, he, it, they)

Usually narrated in past tense

Verbs for actions, thoughts and feelings

Connectives link ideas or events:T in time T through cause

Informal or contemporary words

Familiar phrases “Where do you think you’re going, young man?”

Dialogue to:T give necessary information T give insight into a characterT move the action forward

SettingOften set in present day

Often familiar setting home, school

CharactersCharacters are true-to-life

Characters are not always what they seemA nervous girl who saves the day

Characters usually develop, grow or change by the end

A story containing events that could actually happen in real life

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Scary

PurposeTo evoke fascination, fear or revulsion

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Complication

3 Series of events Each event builds suspense to

a frightening climax

4 Resolution or ending

LanguageTold in first person (I, we) or third person (she, he, it, they)

Usually narrated in past tense

Adjectives and noun groups to describe

Verbs for actions, thoughts and feelings

Some short sentences to build tension

SettingOften in stereotypically frightening places old deserted housesgraveyardsruinsforest

Often at night

Descriptions relate to the senses to build scary atmosphere

CharactersCan be stereotypesgood/evil

Can be everyday adults or children

Can include supernatural characters or creatures

A story with frightening content

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Science fiction

StructureCan follow structure of any narrative type. In general:

1 Orientation introduces characters and setting

2 Complication

3 Series of events

4 Resolution or ending

Often structured around:T a quest or journeyT a fight against evil

Can use structures that play with time sequence:T time travelT flashbacks

LanguageTold in first person (I, we) or third person (she, he, it, they)

Usually narrated in past tense

Verbs for actions, thoughts and feelings

Adjectives to describe imagined:T settingsT charactersT technologyT processes

Technical language for imagined or real science and technology

SettingMust be credible

Often set in the future

Outer space or other planets

Can have human settlements in other galaxies

Uses science and technology

CharactersLife forms from other planets

Non-human and/or human characters

Can be stereotypesgood/evil

Likeable hero or heroine

A story about imagined but possible worlds

PurposeTo entertain and stretch the reader or viewer’s imaginationTo speculate about the future or how technology advances

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Fable

PurposeTo teach a moral lesson

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Series of events

3 Ends with a lesson learned

4 Moral often explicitly stated in coda

LanguageTold in third person (she, he, it, they)

Narrated in past tense

Connectives to show:T cause and effect if, becauseT when things happened or time

passing It was then . . . When the sun came out . . .

SettingSettings less important than events that take place

CharactersSimple stereotypes

Usually two main characters, with one of them learning an important lesson

Humans

Animals with human characteristics

Animals reveal human weaknesses

A short, witty tale with a moral

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Fairy tale or Folk tale

PurposeTo entertain, often with a moral elementOriginally to pass on traditional knowledge or share cultural beliefs

StructurePlot often follows a formula or pattern and is predictable

1 Begins with a traditional opener to set the scene

Once upon a time . . .

2 Complication tells that a character is in danger

3 A number of events threaten the character

4 The character survives

5 Often a happy ending Can also be darker and have

sad ending

Can use a pattern of three or seven

LanguageTold in third person (she, he, it, they)

Narrated in past tense

Repeated phrases with rhythm and rhyme“I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.”

Language of fairy world:T charmsT magic spells

Imagery:T simileT metaphor

SettingOften vague Long, long ago in a dark wood . . .

Usually set in the past

Often woods, palaces, cottages

Can have extra fantasy features

Can include magical objects

CharactersRealistic or fantasy characters

Usually good versus evil

Archetypal charactersevil stepmotherwise old man or womangiantsprincesses and princesresourceful children

An imaginary tale told from one generation to the next

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PurposeTo reveal information about the way people live and their beliefsTo help the reader or viewer reflect on their own life

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Complication

3 Events in chronological order Stages in journey, quest

or ongoing battle told one episode after another

4 Resolution may or may not be happy

Each linked episode of hero’s life can be a self-contained story

LanguageTraditional openings and endings

Literary, formal language

Rich vocabulary

Rhythm and repetition

Imagery:T simileT metaphorT symbolism (red for danger)

SettingSet in the distant past

Recognisable features of daily life

Details can be embellished and exaggerated

Can include magic

Laws governing the world may not be conventional ones

Includes cultural elements

CharactersHeroic characters

Archetypal oppositesgood and evil strong and weakwise and foolishfriend and foe

Can include mythical or supernatural beings

An oral tale about an actual or supposed historical figure or place

Legend

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Myth

PurposeTo explain natural phenomena or the world and its mysteriesTo pass on cultural, religious or spiritual beliefs or traditions

Structure1 Orientation introduces

characters and setting

2 Complication

3 Series of events

4 Ending not always a happy one

Often longer than other traditional narratives

SettingA different or imaginary world

Laws governing the world may not be conventional ones

Often dramatic setting wide oceanfoggy mountaindense forest

CharactersGods personifying power in nature

Powerful humans

Larger than life characters with supernatural powers or exaggerated characteristics strong, courageous, wise

Fabulous creatures and monsters

A story from a particular culture about heroes and their dealings with gods and monsters

LanguageNarrated in past tense

Rich vocabulary

Imagery:T simileT metaphor T symbolism (red for danger)

Less dialogue than other traditional narratives

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