Questions: Narrative Writing - Early

Question 1

Which writing sample is a narrative?

• A. 'Dogs are animals that have four legs and fur. They are good pets.'
• B. 'I think cats are better than dogs because they are quieter and cleaner.'
• C. 'Yesterday, I went to the park. First, I went down the slide. Then, I played tag with my friends. Finally, we got ice cream.'
• D. 'How to make a sandwich: Get bread, put peanut butter on it, and eat it.'

Answer: (C)

A narrative tells a story with a sequence of events. The third option is a narrative — it describes what happened in sequence (went to park, went down slide, played tag, got ice cream). The first is informational, the second is opinion, and the fourth is procedural. A narrative is distinguished by having characters/people and events in sequence.

Question 2

A child writes 'One day I found a bug. It was big. I put it in a jar. Then I let it go.' Does this narrative have a clear structure?

• A. No — it needs more details and description
• B. Yes — it has a beginning (found a bug), middle (put it in jar), and end (let it go) with clear sequence
• C. No — it's too short to be a real narrative
• D. No — it doesn't have a problem to solve

Answer: (B)

This narrative has clear structure: a beginning (finding the bug), middle action (putting it in a jar), and end (releasing it). Sequence is shown through 'then.' It's complete and effective, even though it's short. Good narratives aren't distinguished by length but by having clear sequence and organization.

Question 3

For young writers learning narrative, starting with personal narratives (true stories about their own experiences) is less effective than asking them to invent fictional stories.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: False

Personal narratives are excellent starting points. Children have rich sensory and emotional experience with their own stories, making them easier to tell and remember. Once children are comfortable with personal narrative, they can move to invented fiction. Sequencing instruction from easy to harder (personal to invented) is developmentally wise.

Question 4

Sequence words (first, then, next, finally) are important in narrative writing because they help the reader follow the order of events.

• T. True
• F. False

Answer: True

Sequence words are called transition words, and they guide the reader through the order of events. Without them, events can seem disconnected. With clear sequence words, the reader easily follows what happened first, second, and last. Teaching sequence words explicitly helps children write clearer narratives.

Question 5

Explain why having children draw their story before writing it can support the development of clear narrative structure.

Model answer: Drawing the story helps children visualize the sequence of events and organize the narrative before translating it into words. The picture serves as a visual scaffold for the written story. Children see the beginning-middle-end structure visually, which helps them remember and communicate the sequence in words. Drawing also reduces anxiety — some children are more confident drawing than writing initially.

Multimodal scaffolding (combining visual and written communication) supports diverse learners. Drawing helps children organize their thinking before writing, leading to clearer, more organized narratives.