STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE NARRATIVE WRITING SKILLS Lee 1

Strategies to Improve Narrative Writing Skills

Student Learning Objective Project
EDTP 650 – Professional Internship and Seminar
University of Maryland University College – Fall 2019
Dr. Melissa Pierczynsk

Christina YeJi Lee

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE NARRATIVE WRITING SKILLS Lee 2

Table of Contents
I. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………….3

II. Literature Review ……………………………………...………………………………………6

III. Procedures …………………………………………………………………………………….8

IV. Data Collection and Results ………………………………………………………………….9

V. Implication for K-12 Teaching and Learning …………………………………………..........12

VI. References ……………………………………………………………………………….......14

VII. Attachments …………………………………………………………………………….......16

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE NARRATIVE WRITING SKILLS Lee 3

I. Introduction
Rationale:

Narrative writing stimulates creativity and nurtures rich individuality and expression. By

the time middle school students go into high school and beyond, students must be equipped to

properly and fully express their ideas and present it in a clear, organized structure.

According to The National Center for Education Statistics (2018), as of Fall 2019, 19.9

million students had enrolled in a college or university. A large part of the college application

process includes an essay that asks for a personal story about the applicant, whether it be about a

challenge they faced or an accomplishment they achieved. Students will learn that these essays

are heavily reliant on engaging narrative techniques to capture the interest of college admissions

officers.

The National Center for Education Statistics states that “nineteen percent of

undergraduates in 2015-16 reported having a disability”; this is a staggering difference compared

to 80.6% of students without disabilities (2017). This percentage reflects on the number of

students with IEP and 504 plans that plan on moving forward into postsecondary education after

graduating high school. The National Center of Education Statistics released data that was

collected from the academic year 2009-10, which showed the percentage distribution of ninth-

graders’ educational expectations for students to get a bachelor’s degree (2012). Only 18% of

students in special education expected to go beyond high school, compared to 30.3% of students

not in special education (NCES, 2012).

According to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education in 2011, the average

score for grade eight writing for male and female students without 145 for male students not
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE NARRATIVE WRITING SKILLS Lee 4

identified as students with disabilities was 145 and 163, respectively (NAEP, 2011). Compared

to these students, the scores for students with IEP or 504 plans were much lower: 107 for male

students and 122 for female students (NAEP, 2011).

Student Population:

The Student Learning Objective (SLO) took place at Takoma Park Middle School,

located at Takoma Park, Maryland.

The students are from varying ethnic groups and backgrounds. Roughly 30% of the

population is black, 30% white, 15% Hispanic, 15% Asian, and less than 5% are two or more

races, American Indian, or Native Hawaiian. According to the 2017-2018 enrollment data from

Montgomery County Public Schools, 46.4% of students were female, and 53.6% were male and

about 8.5% of the student population is in special education (2017-2018). Several students in the

eighth grade with IEP or 504 plans are described to have ADHD, autism, and/or learning

disabilities such as reading comprehension.

Takoma Park Middle School is a math and science magnet school. Students are placed

into differentiated math classes according to whether they are in the magnet program or not.

However, all English classes are mixed level and have inclusion classes.

Pre-Assessment:

The first quarter curriculum for 8th grade English was on narratives, and therefore

writing intensive. By the end of the quarter, students were expected to complete a Common

Writing Task: Personal Narrative and a narrative based on The Giver by Lois Lowry, the core

reading material for that quarter.

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During the first two weeks of the school year, students were first introduced to the

elements of narrative through Worn Stories by Emily Spivack, a collection of short stories about

memories within clothing. Students learned the elements of narrative through the short stories,

and wrote their own “Worn Story”, which was used a pre-assessment of their skills.

The end goal for the SLO was for students to improve their narrative writing skills in the

“Word Choice” and “Organization” rubric category. The “Word Choice” category asks for

precise and varied language, and language that shows, not tells. The “Organization” rubric

category looks for a strong, engaging opening, clear paragraphs that show where subtopics begin

and end, and a strong conclusion that wraps up the entire piece.

Content standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique,

relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3.A

Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and introducing a

narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and logically.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.3.D

Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and sensory language to capture the

action and convey experiences and events.

Academic growth targets:

The two growth targets for this SLO was improvement by one proficiency level in the area of

“Word Choice” and “Organization” in at least one post-assessment.

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II. Literature Review

To assist with the organization of ideas, the use of graphic organizers will be implemented.

Research conducted by Parmalee P. Hawk (1984) shows that there are significant benefits to

student achievement when graphic organizers are used in class. The study used seventh grade

subjects in life science classes. One group was given graphic organizers as a teaching strategy

and another group was not for a pretest and a posttest. The students that had used organizers had

an adjusted mean different between the pretest and posttest of 21.38, while the students that did

not utilize the graphic organizers had an adjusted mean difference of 12.07 (Hawk, 1984). The

difference of 9.31 is significant and there is no question that graphic organizers have positive

benefits in the classroom.

Looking at a study conducted in an English classroom setting, Abdul-Majeed Tayib

investigated the effectiveness of graphic organizers on students’ writing abilities (2015). Samples

of students’ writing before and after the implementation of graphic organizers were analyzed

using a writing rubric. The overall mean score for writing increased significantly; the original

mean score before the introduction to graphic organizers were 45% percent, and afterwards, the

mean score increased to 68.88% (Tayib, 2015). Not only were the writing scores increased, but

the attitude toward graphic organizers and writing were also positively impacted. The study

conducted a survey before and after implementing graphic organizers, including questions about

how students felt before they started writing, how difficult they thought writing was, and how

“fun” they thought writing was. Before using graphic organizers, the attitudes toward writing

was mostly negative. However, survey data collected after using graphic organizers showed a

positive boost in attitude toward writing in general (Tayib, 2015). Mainly graphic organizers will

be implemented into the classroom because a study conducted by Daniel H. Robinson and
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Kenneth A. Kiewra (1995) found that graphic organizers are superior to other forms of learning

aids such as outlines. Also, graphic organizers are found to promote more meaningful learning

for students with disabilities as found by Charles Alan Hughes and Douglas D. Dexter (2011).

Students will be given different choices in graphic organizers; one type of graphic organizer

will be a storyboard. The importance of integrating art into the classroom is noted by Robert M.

Jordan and Michael Dicicco (2012). They note that the visual arts encourage critical thinking and

enhance understanding in literature (Jordan and Dicicco, 2012). As students will be writing their

own fictional narrative, they will need to think critically of their pre and post writing. The use of

drawing a storyboard to organize ideas will benefit visual learners.

Rubrics will be distributed to students before any major writing assignments and students

will be required to complete a self-review based on the rubric before turning in their writing

assignments. A study conducted by Heidi L. Andrade and Ying Du (2005) reveals that students

access rubrics to support their learning and academic performance. The study found that rubrics

are consistently regarded positively as students know what is expected of them before starting an

assignment and helps them identify their strength and weaknesses. The interviews conducted

within the study also reported that students critically self-assessed and revised their work through

rubrics (Andrade and Du, 2005).

III. Procedures
The pre-assessment was given on September 11th and 12th, 2019. After an assessment of the

writing samples, it was clear that students had difficulty in “showing, not telling” and effectively

organizing their ideas. Students with disabilities, namely those with IEP and 504 plans,
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especially struggled in this area. Because of these finding, special education students were the

decided target group.

Instructional Period:

October 7th to November 8th - 5 weeks.

Instructional Strategies:

The following steps were taken over the course of the student learning objective.

1. Pre-assessment of student writing through “Worn Stories”. Students were given a

narrative writing assignment on September 11th and 12th. The students’ “Worn Stories”

were evaluated to determine which skills they were struggling with. Many students,

especially those with learning disabilities, failed in the area of Word Choice and

Organization.

2. The post-assessments were two major writing assignments: a personal narrative (a true

story about a significant moment in the student’s lives) and a fictional narrative based on

the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. Students had several choices for their fictional

narrative. They either wrote an additional chapter, re-wrote a scene from another

character’s perspective, or a completely original story with the same themes from The

Giver.

3. For the post-assessments, students were given different graphic organizers to help

organize their ideas and build on their word choice so that they can better “show” the

reader their narrative with descriptive language, instead of “telling” it to them.

a. Pre-writing Stage: Plot maps and storyboards were utilized to organize student

ideas. Students had the choice of completing either graphic organizers before

starting their draft. The plot maps and storyboards were checked by the teachers
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prior to drafting. Students with graphic organizers that were not clear or were

missing elements of narrative had one-on-one conferences with the teacher before

moving forward.

b. During writing: An Emotion to Body Language graphic organizer was utilized

and given as homework so that students can effectively show emotion in their

writing. A Five Senses Chart graphic organizer and Sensory Detail Word List

were implemented during class time during writing stations; these were used to

help students think about how to effectively describe their setting.

4. For post-writing, students completed a self-review.

a. The self-review has specific instructions to get students to look closely at the

assignment rubric. Students commented on their own writing assignment about

how and why they met the rubric criteria.

IV. IV. Data Collection & Results

Data was collected from a target group of 18 students from six eighth grade English classes

at Takoma Park Middle School. Two of the six classes are inclusionary classes. Of the 18 total

students, ten students have 504 plans and eight students have an individualized education plan

(IEP). Two students are on the Autism spectrum and eight students are diagnosed with ADHD.

The writing assignments were assessed using a rubric where each category was scaled from 0

to 10 points. The proficiency levels and scores were assigned as follows: 3 – Below Standard, 5

– Novice, 6.25 – Emerging, 7.5 – Developing, 8.75 – Proficient, and 10 -Advanced. A score of 0

meant that the assignment was missing or incomplete.

Scores between 0-5 are color coded red, a score of 6.25 is color coded orange, a score of 7.5

is color coded yellow, a score of 8.75 is green, and a score of 10 is blue.

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The following data is the scores in the “Organization” category of the rubric for the pre-

assessment and two post-assessments.

Student Pre-assessment Post-assessment 1 Post-assessment 2

Worn Story Personal Narrative Fictional Narrative

MB 7.5 7.5 8.75

GD 6.25 8.75 7.5

AM 8.75 8.75 8.75

TT 6.25 7.5 7.5

AJ 6.25 7.5 8.75

JM 0 7.5 6.25

GN 6.25 8.75 8.75

AH 6.25 6.25 7.5

AC 3 7.5 7.5

DM 7.5 7.5 7.5

RM 7.5 7.5 7.5

DA 8.75 10 8.75

BG 7.5 7.5 8.75

KM 6.25 7.5 7.5

FN 0 6.25 7.5

AL 8.75 10 7.5

CL 6.25 7.5 8.75

M 5 7.5 7.5
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The following data is for the scores in the “Word Choice” category of the rubric for the

pre-assessment and two post-assessments.

Student Pre-assessment Post-assessment 1 Post-assessment 2

Worn Story Personal Narrative Fictional Narrative

MB 5 6.25 7.5

GD 7.5 8.75 8.75

AM 3 7.5 7.5

TT 5 5 6.25

AJ 5 6.25 6.25

JM 0 6.25 6.25

GN 7.5 7.5 10

AH 6.25 6.25 7.5

AC 7.5 7.5 6.25

DM 6.25 10 7.5

RM 6.25 8.75 7.5

DA 8.75 8.75 10

BG 6.25 7.5 6.25

KM 7.5 6.25 6.25

FN 0 6.25 7.5

AL 5 10 8.25

CL 6.25 7.5 8.75

M 6.25 7.5 7.5

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The two growth targets for this SLO was improvement by one proficiency level in the area of

“Organization” and “Word Choice” in at least one post-assessment.

In the category for “Organization”, out of the 18 students in the target group, 15 students

made an improvement of at least one proficiency level in at least one post-assessment. Of those

students, three students showed continuous improvement between each post assessment, moving

up at least two proficiency levels. Three out of 18 students’ scores remained consistent between

the pre-assessment and the two post-assessments. One student “AL”, started with an 8.75 in their

pre-assessment, moved up to a level of 10 for the first post-assessment, and then moved back

down to a 7.5 for the second post-assessment. This may be because students had less time to

complete their second post-assessment as it was nearing the end of the 1st marking quarter.

In the category for “Word Choice”, 16 students showed improvement by at least one

proficiency level in at least one of the post-assessments. Two students showed continuous

progress between each post assessment, moving up at least two proficiency levels. Two students,

“AC” and “KM”, unfortunately showed a decrease in proficiency levels between the pre-

assessment and post-assessments. “AC” maintained a 7.5 for their pre-assessment and first post-

assessment but fell to a 6.25 for their second post-assessment. “KM” received a 7.5 for their pre-

assessment but then maintained a 6.25 for both post-assessments. Again, this may be due to the

fact that students had less time to review and revise their second post-assessment.

There were two students that did not turn in their pre-assessment “Worn Story”. Of those two

students, one student showed consistent progress between the first and second post-assessment.

V. Implications for K-12 Teaching and Learning

Unfortunately, eighth grade students in Montgomery County, Maryland only have a limited

amount of practice with narrative writing. Only one quarter is focused on narrative and the rest
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of the year’s curriculum is mostly based on expository and argumentative writing. However,

narrative writing is a way for students to express themselves creatively and to find their identity.

It is also a way for students to explore and empathize with different characters and to foster

better understanding of language. It is a skill that students will utilize throughout their lives,

whether it be by written or spoken word.

This SLO revealed that over 80% of the target group showed improvement in both the

“Organization” and “Word Choice” categories of the writing rubrics. This number displays that

graphic organizers and self-reviewing are crucial within the classroom to teach students how to

organize their thoughts and to build on their descriptive language. Students are taught the

invaluable skill of self-assessment through utilizing the writing rubrics provided. Teaching this

skill early on will support their continued education beyond high school, whether it be in college

or in the “real world” when they are reviewing their writing or another piece of work. It is

important for teachers to provide these learning tools for students so that students can reflect on

their own work.

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References

Andrade, Heidi L. and Du, Ying, "Student Perspectives on Rubric-Referenced Assessment"

(2005). Educational & Counseling Psychology Faculty Scholarship. 2.

http://scholarsarchive.library.albany.edu/edpsych_fac_scholar/2

Dexter, Douglas & Hughes, Charles. (2011). Graphic Organizers and Students with Learning

Disabilities: A Meta-Analysis. Learning Disability Quarterly. 34. 51

72.10.1177/073194871103400104.

Jordan, Robert M. and DiCicco, Michael (2012) "Seeing the Value: Why the Visual Arts Have a

Place in the English Language Arts Classroom," Language Arts Journal of Michigan: Vol.

28: Iss. 1, Article 7. Available at: https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.1928

Montgomery County Public Schools. (2017). Takoma Park Middle School - #755. Retrieved

from https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/regulatoryaccountability/

glance/currentyear/schools/03755.pdf.

National Assessment for Education Statistics. (2011).

2011 Writing Assessment. Retrieved November 12, 2019, from

https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata_legacy/remoterepgen.aspx?app=NRCND

E&p=3-WRI-3-20113-WRIRP-GENDER,IEP-NT-MN_MN-1_Y_J-0-0-8

National Assessment for Education Statistics. (2012).

National assessment of educational progress [Table 2. Percentage distribution of

academic year 2009–10 ninth-graders' educational expectations, by student characteristics:

2012]. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/hsls09/tables/ed_expect_special_2.asp

National Assessment for Education Statistics. (2011-2012).

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE NARRATIVE WRITING SKILLS Lee 15

Public School Data File 2011-12 [Table B.1.c.-1 Number and percentage of public

school students with Individual Education Programs (IEP), by locale: 2011-212].

Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ruraled/tables/B.1.c.-1.asp

National Assessment for Education Statistics. (2017).

Digest of Educational Statistics, 2017 [Table 311.10.]. Retrieved from

https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=60

Parmalee P. Hawk (1984) Graphic Organizers: Increasing the Achievement of Life Science

Students, Middle School Research Selected Studies, 9:1, 22-27, DOI:

10.1080/08851700.1984.11670247

Robinson, D. H., & Kiewra, K. A. (1995). Visual argument: Graphic organizers are superior to

outlines in improving learning from text. Journal of Educational Psychology, 87(3), 455–

467. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.87.3.455

Tayib, A.-M. (2015). The Effect of Using Graphic Organizers on Writing. International Journal

of English Language and Linguistics Research, 3(1), 15–36. Retrieved from

http://www.eajournals.org/wp-content/uploads/The-Effect-of-Using-Graphic-Organizers-

on-Writing.pdf
STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE NARRATIVE WRITING SKILLS Lee 16

Attachment 1

Pre-writing - Plot Map

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Attachment 2

FICTIONAL NARRATIVE PRE-WRITING:

STORYBOARD
DIRECTIONS:
1. Create a storyboard in which you map out the plot for your fictional narrative.
2. START WITH THE CLIMAX FIRST! Leave at least the FIRST FIVE cels EMPTY so that you
can add exposition, inciting incident, and rising action(s).
3. Don’t get caught up in the details! I do not need to see every tree or bike in the background nor
every line of dialogue between characters. This is just a sketch of your ideas.
4. Please ask for more paper if you need more cels!

REQUIREMENTS:
 Your THEME is written at the bottom of this page.
 Storyboard contains AT LEAST 6 cels which depicts all plot points (exposition, inciting incident,
rising action,..)
 Storyboard captions clearly explains how the storyboard develops the identified THEME.
 Storyboard captions are correctly written, punctuated, capitalized, etc.

Example Cels:
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Attachment 3

FIVE SENSES GRAPHIC ORGANIZER

Directions: Look through your writing and determine which sentences you saw, heard, tasted, or
smelled something. Write down your original sentence. Use the sensory details word list and
revise your sentence to SHOW more, not tell.

Your original sentence. Revised sentence with sensory imagery.

Sight Ex. The dress was beautiful. Ex. The shimmery, gold dress was bejeweled with
glittering diamonds.

Sound

Taste

Smell

Touch
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Attachment 4

SENSORY DETAILS WORKSHEET

Directions: Pick ONE paragraph to read, and highlight or underline any words or phrases that
have SENSORY DETAILS. In the boxes, write down the words into the sensory detail chart.
Excerpt from “The Pedestrian” (Bradbury, 1951): To enter out into that silence that was the city at eight
o’clock of a misty evening in November, to put your feet upon that buckling concrete walk, to step over
grassy seams and make your way, hands in pockets, through the silences, that was what Mr. Leonard Mead
most dearly loved to do. He would stand upon the corner of an intersection and peer down long moonlit
avenues of sidewalk in four directions, deciding which way to go, but it really made no difference; he was
alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone, and with a final decision made, a path selected, he
would stride off, sending patterns of frosty air before him like the smoke of a cigar.

Excerpt from When the Emperor Was Divine (Otsuka, 2002): All through October the days were still warm,
like summer, but at night the mercury dropped and in the morning the sagebrush was sometimes covered with
frost. Twice in one week there were dust storms. The sky turned suddenly gray and then a hot wind came
screaming across the desert, churning up everything in its path. From inside the barracks the boy could not see
the sun or the moon or even the next row of barracks on the other side of the gravel path. All he could see was
dust. The wind rattled the windows and doors and the dust seeped like smoke through the cracks in the roof
and at night he slept with a wet handkerchief over his mouth to keep out the smell. In the morning, when he
woke, the wet handkerchief was dry and in his mouth there was the gritty taste of chalk. (p. 77)

Excerpt from All the Light We Cannot See (Doerr, 2014): She has no memories of her mother but imagines
her as white, a soundless brilliance. Her father radiates a thousand colors, opal, strawberry red, deep russet,
wild green; a smell like oil and metal, the feel of a lock tumbler sliding home, the sound of his key rings
chiming as he walks. He is an olive green when he talks to a department head, an escalating series of oranges
when he speaks to Mademoiselle Fleury from the greenhouses, a bright red when he tries to cook. He glows
sapphire when he sits over his workbench in the evenings, humming almost inaudibly as he works, the tip of
his cigarette gleaming a prismatic blue. (p. 45)

Sight Sound Smell Taste Touch

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Attachment 5

Show Not Tell: Emotion Capture Sheet

Emotion Being Describe what they did to show Suggestions

Shown that emotion How could they have shown the emotion
more effectively?

Disgust

Surprise

Anger

Happiness

Fear

Sadness
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