Narratives that shape our world
In this module, students explore a range of narratives from the past and the contemporary
era that illuminate and convey ideas, attitudes and values. They consider the powerful role of
stories and storytelling as a feature of narrative in past and present societies, as a way of:
connecting people within and across cultures, communities and historical eras; inspiring
change or consolidating stability; revealing, affirming or questioning cultural practices;
sharing collective or individual experiences; or celebrating aesthetic achievement. Students
deepen their understanding of how narrative shapes meaning in a range of modes, media
and forms, and how it influences the way that individuals and communities understand and
represent themselves.
Students analyse and evaluate one or more print, digital and/or multimodal texts to explore
how narratives are shaped by the context and values of composers (authors, poets,
playwrights, directors, designers and so on) and responders alike. They may investigate how
narratives can be appropriated, reimagined or reconceptualised for new audiences. By using
narrative in their own compositions students increase their confidence and enjoyment to
express personal and public worlds in creative ways.
Students investigate how an author’s use of textual structures, language and stylistic
features are crafted for particular purposes, audiences and effects. They examine
conventions of narrative, for example setting, voice, point of view, imagery and
characterisation and analyse how these are used to shape meaning. Students also explore
how rhetorical devices enhance the power of narrative in other textual forms, including
persuasive texts. They further develop and apply the conventions of syntax, spelling,
punctuation and grammar for specific purposes and effect.
Students work individually and collaboratively to evaluate and refine their own use of
narrative devices to creatively express complex ideas about their world in a variety of modes
for a range of purposes and critically evaluate the use of narrative devices by other
composers.
Module Description, English Advanced Syllabus, NESA
Quickwrites: Two minute answers
Look at the questions as the teacher reads them to you and then, in only two minutes, write
an answer. Share your answers with someone else and discuss.
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Why are narratives important for individuals?
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Why are narratives important for group consciousness?
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How do narratives connect people from the past and present?
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Why do the same narratives trigger different reactions in different people?
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What are some of the narratives you encounter in your life and where do you find these?
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Understanding the module
Work in pairs to complete the following table
Module
Statements
Students explore a
range of narratives
from the past and
contemporary era
Respond to the questions in each row
1. Write down a narrative text which you consider to be from the past and one
that could be from the contemporary era.
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These narratives
illuminate and
convey:
● Ideas
● Attitudes
● Values
2. What ideas do narratives convey?
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3. What attitudes do narratives convey?
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4. What values do narratives convey?
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Students consider
the powerful role of
stories and
storytelling as a
feature of narrative in
past and present
societies
5. What is the role of stories?
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6. Why are they powerful?
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7. How might story and storytelling have changed from the past?
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Students consider
how:
● Stories connect
people within
and across
cultures,
communities and
historical eras
8. How do stories connect people across time and place? Give
examples.
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Students
consider how:
● Stories
inspire
change or
consolidate
stability
9. How can stories inspire change? Change in what? Change in
whom?
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10. How can stories reinforce stability?
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Students
consider how:
● Stories
reveal,
affirm or
question
cultural
practices
11. What cultural practices might stories reveal?
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12. What cultural practices might stories affirm?
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13. What cultural practices might they question?
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14. How do they do this?
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Students
consider how:
● Stories
allow us to
share
collective or
individual
experiences
15. What collective experiences might we share though story?
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16. What individual experiences might we share though story?
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17. Why is it important to communicate these experiences?
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18. How do stories share experiences?
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Students consider
how:
● Stories celebrate
aesthetic
achievement
19. What aesthetic achievement do stories celebrate?
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20. What characteristics must a story have to be able to be valued
aesthetically?
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Students deepen their
understanding of how
narrative shapes
meaning in a range of
modes, media and
forms
21. Name different forms where we find narrative in different modes
and media
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22. How might narrative in a picture book, film or feature article differ
from narrative in a novel?
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23. How can narrative shape meaning?
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Students deepen their
understanding of how
narrative influences
the way that
individuals and
communities
understand and
represent
themselves.
24. How can narrative be used to represent individual or group
identities?
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25. Why might a community want to use narrative as a form of
representation?
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