Education Technology


NCTE: Collaborating on Narrative Form

Activity Overview

Using a short story, the students will analyze narrative literature. With the teacher's assistance, the students will then evaluate how narrative form is used to express an opinion or reveal a lesson learned in the selected short story.

Before the Activity

See the attached Activity PDF file for detailed instructions for this activity.

Print the appropriate pages from the Activity for your class.

Install the NoteFolio™ Apps on the students' graphing calculators following the attached instructions.

At the start of the class period, review the terms narrative, personal narrative, and chronological order. Also quickly review the procedure for analyzing narrative works. Use the completed Narrative Form Graphic Organizer Chart from Activity 1 as a form of quick review.

During the Activity

  • Distribute the appropriate pages from the Activity to your class
  • Distribute the NoteFolio file(s) to your class using TI Connect™ and the appropriate TI Connectivity cable
  • Follow the procedures outlined in the Activity


  • Students will:
  • Comprehend the terms narrative, personal narrative, and chronological order.
  • Analyze a short story to better comprehend the narrative form.
  • Develop their own personal narratives.
  • Identify and evaluate narrative form in professional models and peer writing.
  • After the Activity

    When all the small groups have completed their analyses, bring the class together to discuss their work. If the entire class analyzed the same story, it can be useful to have a clean copy of the transparency used in Activity 1 to record various answers. Discuss the different interpretations the groups had about various points of the narrative.

    If the groups analyzed different stories, have each group make a short presentation of their story and its analysis. As a class, critique the responses for accuracy and clarify concepts. Students should understand narrative form as developed in the stories.

    As a final group exercise, lead the class in critiquing the author's use of narrative as a way to express an opinion or reveal a lesson learned. Tell the class that they will be composing original narratives in the next lesson.