NARRATIVES
VS.
NON-NARRATIVES
Susan Ely
Reading and Responding
Narratives
Use storyline in
chronological order
(time order)
 The point is what the
writer or character
learned from what
happened
 Heavy on
description, setting,
plot and character
 Easy to visualize

Non-Narratives




Organized logically
according to main
ideas and details. Can
use a variety of
organizational
patterns.
The point is stated in
the thesis statement
(statement of
purpose)
Heavy on supporting
reasons, evidence,
research etc.
Not so easy to
visualize
But….Sometimes we can use both


A narrative used in a non-narrative piece for
support
Pg. 5, example 1.2
Introduction
supporting reason
Body
supporting reason
supporting reason
Conclusion
Why write narratives?

Create shared history

Entertain

Spark curiosity

Help us find meaning through
real life events
When used as support….

Narratives add human interest

Narratives provide insight

Narratives draw us closer to
the writer/storyteller
But…..
Narratives used as support will most likely
NOT be the main idea of the essay.
Narrative
I
Event
I
Event
I
Event
Non-Narrative
I
Support (cause/effect)
I
Support (compare)
I
Support (Narrative)
I
Support (Statistics/facts)
So, what’s the point in knowing if I’m
reading a narrative or not?

“You have a better idea of how to read the
assignment” (pg. 4)
 How
is this true?
You will know what to expect.
So…


It helps you preview (mapping where the reading
will take you) because you know narratives use
different comprehension clues
If you are reading a narrative, there are ways to
help you remember what you read
General Narrative Structure
Climactic Moment
Rising Action
(Tension)
Falling Action
(Reflection)
C
Introduction
Background
Setting
Thesis
Introduce
Conflict
o
nc l u s i o n
My Response Journal to
“Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan

Pre-reading: Think of a time when your parents,
siblings or other close relatives put you into a social
situation that made you feel very uncomfortable or
embarrassed.
My Response Journal to
“Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan






Setting
Characters
Beginning Event (or problem)
Plot (or action)
Outcome
Personal Thoughts (what did you learning from the
story)?
Thesis Statements in Narratives
main idea = (topic + meaning of the story)
2 ways a narrative’s main idea might be
incorporated
Explicit—directly articulates purpose of the story
Implicit—does not directly state the purpose.
Starts right into story and lets the details/images
reveal the thesis.
Example
TOPIC: playing college football
Example Implicit Thesis Statement for
narrative: starts right into story and lets the
details/images reveal the thesis
Example Explicit Thesis Statement for
narrative: My experience playing college
football taught me skills that will benefit me
throughout the rest of my life.
Vocabulary
Context (inference)

People who worked with him were mickled by
Rashid’s terrible job performance.
A. disgusted
B. delighted
C. happy
D. disowned
Context (definition)

The scientific experiment was not tortentous; even
after performing the experiment repeatedly, Dr.
Watson couldn’t tell whether the medicine was safe.
A. available
B. timely
C. unclear
D. conclusive
Context (contrast)
Instead of actively job hunting, Sunil was soddile; he
figured the right job would come to him.
Basic dictionary definition structure:
Term
Class
Characteristics
fork
utensil
two or more prongs
A fork is a utensil that has two or more prongs.
Basic dictionary definition structure:
Term
happiness
______Class
feeling/emotion
__Characteristics
pleasure or
enjoyment because
of your life’s situation
Happiness is a feeling of pleasure or enjoyment because of your life’s situation.
Basic dictionary definition structure:
Term
______Class
_____Characteristics
Leap
to jump
from a surface or over
something
Pounce
to jump
suddenly, going
toward and take hold
of something
Vocabulary help
Online Dictionaries like Webster:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/
Quizlet:
http://quizlet.com/
-Round 2-
Topic vs. Main Idea
Topic vs. Main Idea


TOPIC
Can be stated
in a single word
or phrase
Not opinionated



MAIN IDEA
Stated in a
complete sentence
(in your own words)
Expresses the
writer’s opinion on
the topic
Also called _______
-Round 3-
Skim vs. Scan
Finding Main Idea
Scanning- Looking down and around a page
quickly and efficiently searching to find specific
information (word/phrases).
Search for:
Key words
Facts or phrases
Finding Main Idea
Skimming- Discovering main ideas by reading:
1st and last paragraphs
 topic sentences
 paying attention to
Titles
bold type or italics
photographs captions

Skim vs. Scan
SCAN
● Comes before
skimming
● Does it have info.
I’m looking for?
• Certain words
• Certain phrases
SKIM
● To quickly find
details/main ideas
● Do 3-4 times faster
than normal
reading
● Reading a lot in a
short amount of
time
● Good when
deciding if
something is
worth your time
New York Times

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/