Skilled writers start their stories with good leads. A good lead adds to your "—". It helps your reader connect with you.

A good beginning "— " a reader into the story. It makes them want to find out more. It catches their attention, enticing them to continue reading.

II. — You may use the graphic organizer below in generating details that will support your main idea.

A — is one sentence that establishes the focus of your story.

Writing the Main Idea for a Narrative Text A. — Since a narrative tells you a story, the topic of your text must be about a — such as a particular time in your life, your memories of spending time with a loved one and a difficult experience that you survived.

Boring: In this story I will tell you about playing football with my friends. Better: In what sport can you tackle opponents, catch 30-yard touchdown passes in overtime, and sack the quarterback before he can even complete a pass? In football, of course. It’s my favorite sport.

The lead can be a —

Boring: I was excited for my birthday party. Better: I threw on my favorite red dress and scrambled down the stairs as fast as I could. It was my 8th birthday, and I couldn't wait for the party to begin.

is a pattern of development in writing that is used to tell a story or focus on a set of related events.

• (What is the topic you are talking about?)

Boring: Ice-skating is my favorite sport. Better: It’s ten degrees below zero, and the river is frozen a foot thick. It makes snapping sounds like the limbs of a tree cracking. A lone figure glides along the black ice, moving towards the city. The only sound is the scraping of each blade as it bites into the river. That’s me doing my favorite sport, ice-skating

Boring: I remember the time when I won the game for my team. Better: I could feel the sweat pouring off my body as I watched the seconds tick off the clock. It was as if I was dribbling in slow motion, weaving in and out of the defenders, and heading towards the hoop. As the buzzer sounded, I felt the ball roll off of my finger tips, and I watched anxiously as it spun around the rim for what seemed like an eternity. I finally heard the swish of the net. I had won the game for my team!

• (What details will support or flesh out your claim?)

STEPS IN WRITING A NARRATIVE TEXT

A thesis statement is made up of three different parts that are then formed into a complete arguable sentence:

B. — In writing the main idea of a narrative text, you must state your — about how you feel about the set of event that occured. For example, you may say that the set of events have been tedious, rewarding, memorable, etc.

Being able to narrate events is a useful skill because your ability to tell stories could help you — which is what you almost constantly do whenever you communicate.

Boring: Sally Ride is an astronaut who teaches students about space. Better: "Our future lies with today's kids and tomorrow's space exploration," said Sally Ride, one of the most famous women astronauts of our time. Not only has Ride spent her career traveling the stars, but she has dedicated her life to helping students learn more about space and become our future explorers.

Boring: There was a bat in our house last summer. Better: "Quick, hit the floor, " my dad yelled. "Whatever you do, don't look up!" my mother added as I dropped to the floor and slid myself under my bed. It was terrifying night for my family when we discovered a bat in our house.

You can communicate a sense of excitement, sadness, mystery, fear, or any other emotion with a —

Boring: There was a loud storm outside my house last night. Better: Smash! The window cracked, the wind howled, and the door flung open. Rain poured in through the screen, drenching the welcome mat inside our house. I will never forget the fierce storm that invaded my house last night.

Make sure you use appropriate — to link your ideas together and to transition from one idea to the next.

Leads in Narrative Writing

The beginning of a story is called a "—" .

• (What do you believe or what message you are trying to get across about the topic?)

In your story, thesis should always appear at — and it should be restated (worded in a new way) in your —.