Drafting Narratives

Lesson 7 of 15: Drafting the Narrative

Grade Level:

Grades 1-7 (with differentiation and scaffolding tailored to each grade within this span)

Time:

30 minutes

Unit:

Exploring Narrative Writing

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Alberta Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts – Writing Outcomes
Grade 1 to Grade 7 (varying depth by grade)

• Writing 1.2: Generate ideas and plan simple texts for a variety of purposes and audiences
• Writing 2.2: Develop drafts using writing frames and visual organizers
• Writing 3.1: Use a variety of sentence structures, details, and linking words to develop ideas
• Writing 3.3: Organize ideas into coherent texts featuring characters, settings, and plots
• Oral Language 1.1 – 3.1: Use oral storytelling to communicate experiences and ideas clearly and with detail
• Competency Focus: Explore, comprehend, compose, and respond to narrative texts

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Lesson Overview

Students will begin drafting their own narrative stories based on the elements introduced in prior lessons: characters, setting, and plot. This is the first stage of putting ideas to paper (or speech), where students translate their planning into a structured draft. The lesson will focus on supporting early writers through scaffolded materials (sentence starters, frames), and accommodating oral storytelling for diverse learners.

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Learning Goals (I Can Statements)

• I can write a draft of my narrative story.
• I can include characters, setting, and plot in my draft.
• I can share my story draft for feedback (extension).
• I can tell my narrative orally if I find writing difficult.

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Success Criteria

• I have included at least one character in my narrative draft.
• I have described where my story takes place (setting).
• My story has a beginning, middle, and an end (plot).
• I can use sentence starters or writing frames to help me write my draft.
• I feel confident sharing my draft with a peer or teacher.

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Materials

• Narrative planning sheet (from previous lessons)
• Writing frames & sentence starters tailored to grade level
• Pencils, paper, or tablets (for typing)
• Oral storytelling checklist (for dyslexia-friendly option)
• Whiteboard or chart paper for group examples
• Timer

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Lesson Procedure

1. Warm-up (5 minutes)

Activate prior knowledge

• Briefly review narrative elements: characters, setting, plot.
• Ask each student to orally share their story idea (1-2 sentences).
• Display a simple story example on the board, underlining characters, setting, and plot.

2. Introducing Drafting (5 minutes)

• Explain: “Today, we will begin to write the first draft of our stories.”
• Use “I can write a draft of my narrative story” statement on board.
• Show an example paragraph of a draft focusing on the three elements.
• Model aloud how to use a sentence starter (e.g., “Once upon a time, there was…”) and expand it.

3. Guided Drafting Practice (15 minutes)

• Distribute writing frames and sentence starters (example below).
• Offer scaffolded options (simpler frames for younger learners, more complex for older).
• Students start drafting their stories independently, with teacher support.
• For students with dyslexia, offer oral storytelling instead of writing:
  • Have them tell their narrative aloud while teacher or peer records.
  • Use oral storytelling checklist to guide them (characters named, setting described, event sequence).
• Teacher circulates, providing encouragement, modelling ideas, and asking prompting questions.

4. Sharing & Feedback Opportunity (Optional Extension - last 5 minutes)

• Invite students to share their draft or oral story with their peer for feedback, focusing on the success criteria.
• Encourage positive, specific feedback: “I liked how you described the forest!” or “Tell me more about your character’s feelings.”
• If time is short, schedule peer sharing for next lesson.

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Differentiation Strategies

Student Need	Adaptation
Early writers	Use simple writing frames, visuals, and shorter sentence starters
Advanced writers	Encourage adding descriptive details or dialogue in draft
Students with dyslexia	Oral storytelling option with peer/teacher scribe
ELL learners	Provide visual supports and vocabulary banks related to stories

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Sample Sentence Starters & Writing Frame

Sentence Starters:

• “Once upon a time, there was…”
• “In the ________, there lived a ________.”
• “One day, something happened when…”
• “Then, the ________ decided to…”
• “At the end, the ________ felt ________.”

Writing Frame for Draft:

Section	What to Write
Characters	Who is in your story? Describe the main character(s).
Setting	Where and when does your story take place? Describe the place and time briefly.
Beginning	How does your story start? What happens first?
Middle	What is the main problem or event? What does your character do?
End	How does the story end? Is the problem solved? How do the characters feel?

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Assessment & Feedback

• Formative: Observe student engagement during drafting; review drafts for inclusion of characters, setting, and plot.
• Success Criteria: Check students’ work against the success criteria checklist.
• Oral feedback: Provide constructive, specific feedback highlighting strengths and areas to improve for next draft.
• Self-Assessment: Have students mark off which parts they included in their narrative draft.

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Reflection for Teachers

• Did both students complete a draft that included characters, setting, and plot?
• Were the sentence starters and frames effective in supporting writing?
• How did the oral storytelling option support learners with literacy difficulties?
• What kind of peer feedback worked best?
• Adjust future lessons to strengthen areas of difficulty identified.

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Final Notes

This lesson provides a rich, scaffolded opportunity for young learners to practise drafting narratives in a supportive, Alberta curriculum-aligned environment. The variety in approaches (written and oral) combined with peer interaction addresses differentiated learning needs, promoting confidence and skill-building in narrative composition.