Using Narrative Text in the Secondary Classroom

Using Narrative Text in the Secondary Classroom

Grand Canyon University: SED 535

Dominick Salafia

December 02, 2015

Using Narrative Text in the Secondary Classroom

Introduction

Most people love a good story especially when it is told by an experienced and talented story teller. Amongst cultures and across time, storytelling (oral tradition) has served as a key element with respect to language development (Nathanson, 2006). A good narrative will help to obtain and maintain a reader’s interest. Narrative literature may be either fiction or non-fiction. Stories are composed of six essential elements the setting, beginning, reaction, attempt, outcome, and ending (Ferdj, 2011). Examples of fiction include realistic fiction, science fiction, mysteries, folk tales, fairy tales, and myths. Non-fiction is fact-based text such as reports, factual stories, and biographies. Narratives sequence people/characters in time and place and the stories set up one or more problems, which involve strategies that seek resolution. By the time students reach middle school they are expected to possess the ability identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the structures and elements of narrative literature. Students need to apply the structures of story grammar to effectively comprehend narrative text (Ferdj, 2011). This discussion will focus on using narrative literature in the classroom in mathematics, the advantages and disadvantages concerning their use, and offer five examples of usage.  

Advantages of using narrative text the classroom

Narrative literature can be used in both pre and post instruction of a lesson, gives students the ability to identify important facts, determines the level of background knowledge, helps students understand different texts, by allowing students to place themselves in another world it makes the learning experience enjoyable since stories are easier to comprehend (Balasan, 2012). Narrative story structure increases insight facilitates making connections. Narrative text is in the first person. Since the story is based on the narrators personal feelings and emotions as opposed to an outside view that forces the reader to interpret a characters disposition. A first-person empowers the reader to emotionally connect to the character. “Narrative texts contain vivid observations and emotional experiences, such as sounds, smells, tastes and inner feelings (Richardson, 2015). “Narrative texts can promote the use of analysis techniques, the sam analytical techniques can be used in expository text  (Massey & Heafner, 2004, p. 36).

Disadvantages of using only narrative text

Narrative literature emphasizes a story and a personal identification with a character whereas expository writing incorporates facts, logic and rhetorical structures to influence or enlighten (Nathanson, 2006).

Since narrative literature is told in the first person it can limit the subjectivity and scope of necessary information since it reflects the point of view of a single character (Richardson, 2015). Narrative literature is written in the first person perspective can impose limitations on the reader since it is the interpretation of the narrator, whereas other texts offer multiple story lines that are coincidental with the main plot or additional information. In this case the reader discovers information at the same time as the narrator. For non-fiction literature many facts may not always be verified and the fact that information provided is biased based upon the personal experiences of the narrator (Richardson, 2015). Other disadvantages are the time required to teach the skills required of state assessments and ensuring that lessons cover the required standards. Also, given the broad spectrum of students with respect to academic ability and proficiency in English, many ELL and special education students struggle with narrative literature (Balasan, 2012).