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Narrative vs. Expository Texts
Description
Time Frame Curricular Areas Grades Essential Questions Materials Language Arts 1—Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the
writing process
Language Arts 7—Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies for
reading a variety of informational texts Geography 10—Understands the characteristics, distribution, and complexity of Earth's cultural mosaics Students will
Day 1 1. Although the focus of the lesson is the difference between narrative and expository texts, begin with a brief overview of the countries of Madagascar and Lesotho. Locate the two countries on a map of Africa, comparing their physical features. For example, Lesotho is landlocked, whereas Madagascar is surrounded by ocean. This will help the students to have a schema for the texts they will read. Also introduce the topic of water usage, a common theme in these texts. 2. Pass out the Lesotho narrative texts (PDF or RTF). Discuss narrative texts. Map out the characteristics of narrative texts on the board: narratives describe personal experiences, use sensory details, and are told from a first person point of view. 3. Read the first narrative with the class, then discuss the content for comprehension. How is life in Lesotho different from life in the United States? Do students have to wait in line for water in their community? Do they have to carry it home? Are they having a dry year?4. Read the text again, this time pausing to identify the characteristics of the text. For example, in the first sentence, the narrator refers to "we," the first person point view, and later describes the sound of water flowing. Discuss the text with the students. What are its characteristics (for example, personal experience, first person point of view, sensory details)? 5. Hand out the sensory detail graphic organizer(PDF or RTF). As a class, have students write the sensory details of the text under the correct headings. Discuss what senses the author describes. Does she cover all five? Are some more prominent than others? Are any not described at all? 6. Homework: Have students read the second Lesotho narrative text and fill out a graphic organize for it. Day 2 1. Discuss the previous night’s homework. Put the graphic organizer on the board or overhead projector and fill it in with the details that the students found during their readings. Discuss again the qualities of narrative text. Tell students to hold on to their graphic organizers for use during Day 3. 2. Hand out the Lesotho expository text (PDF or RTF). Discuss expository texts. Explain to students that an expository text is written to inform, explain, describe, or persuade. The Lesotho text, for example, describes the geography of Lesotho. Talk about the characteristics of expository texts (written from a non-personal point of view, and generally lacking sensory details and a sense of storytelling). Read the text together as a class, pointing out its characteristics. For example, notice that the text is not written in the first person. The reader is presented with a description of Lesotho from a non-personal point of view. The text is broader, referring to the country in general, rather than a specific incident or anecdote. 3. Ask students to take out their graphic organizer. Allow them to work a few minutes trying to fit the expository text into the organizer. With the exception of a few visual details, it will be difficult to find the sensory details of the text, reinforcing the differences between the two text structures. Pass out the Madagascar texts without the identifying labels on top, and two copies of the graphic organizer. Have students work in pairs to identify which texts are the narrative and which are the expository. Students should fill out the graphic organizers for the narrative texts for homework. Day 3 1. Using the Madagascar and Lesotho photos from the Water in Africa website (online or printout), have students work in pairs to identify details from the texts that they see in the photos. Each pair of students should choose at least two pictures that emphasize sensory details that they identified in the text. For example, if a student identified the visual detail of the "water cans waiting in line for the water," then they would choose a picture of the water cans or well. Each group can choose photos and write one sentence to justify why they chose each picture. At the end of class have groups share their photos and justifications with the rest of the class. 2. If the teacher wishes to limit the photo choices, the following are photos that correlate well with the texts: Lesotho: LE0113, LE0226, LE0230, LE0303, LE0309, LE0403, LE0502, LE0507, LE0702, LE0706, LE0711 , Madagascar MG0111, MG0215, MG0231, MG0313, MG0634. Days 4 and 5 1. Pass out the rubric (PDF or RTF) for writing narrative texts and discuss it with the class. Talk about each of the areas and review the qualities that make up a good narrative text. Ask students to write a narrative text of their own, describing a place that they know well. It can be their hometown, a park, their house, their room, or any other favorite place. Students should write to the rubric, making sure that their essays contain all the elements in the rubric. (This may take more than one day.) 2. Students do the same with the expository text, writing an essay about the same place as the narrative text, using the expository rubric (PDF or RTF). Student essays are the end product, and should be assessed according to the rubrics that were discussed in class. Final assessment should be done with the rubrics as a guide. The rubrics use a 25 point scale that you may want to modify. About the Author
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