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5th Grade: Narrative Writing Mastery Lesson Title: Mastering Foreshadowing Focus: Using the narrative strategy of foreshadowing in creative writing Standard(s):

ELAGSE5W3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. b. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description, and pacing, to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. c. Use a variety of transitional words, phrases, and clauses to manage the sequence of events. d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events.

Target: I can use a range of appropriate narrative strategies such as flashback, foreshadowing, dialogue, tension, or suspense. Part 1: Lesson Introduction The standard for narrative writing includes the language “effective technique.” This mastery lesson will focus on the effective technique, or narrative strategy, of foreshadowing. Students will explore examples of foreshadowing in popular literature and will then incorporate their own foreshadowing into a story of their own.

To begin the lesson, share with students the definition of foreshadowing as it was reviewed from the power lesson, “Flashback and Foreshadowing.”

Foreshadowing: a literary device in which a writer gives an advance hint of what is to come later in the story. Foreshadowing often appears at the beginning of a story, or a chapter, and helps the reader develop expectations about the coming events in a story.

The following 10-minute video, “Top 10 Uses of Foreshadowing in Disney Movies,” analyzes ten examples of foreshadowing from various Disney movies. Share with students and review the examples. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jPF9ugDKko

Part 2: Mini-lesson/Teacher modeling Part 2 of the lesson will focus on an example of foreshadowing in the novel, Tuck Everlasting. (*Tuck Everlasting is a novel used in 5th grade lessons created for CSRA. It may be necessary to read a synopsis of the story if you or your students are not already familiar with it.) Sharing examples of good models that exist in text is a powerful way to show students concrete examples of foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a strong narrative technique that is

Mastery Lesson 5th Grade Narrative Writing 2 almost usually present at the beginning of a story. Using foreshadowing at the beginning of a story will often capture readers as they become vested in wanting to know the outcome of the situation that was foreshadowed. Share the following example with students from the text and the analysis of the foreshadowing. Focus on exactly how this narrative strategy was incorporated into the writing of the story.

Þ Page 1: “These are strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after. One day at that time, not so very long ago, three things happened and at first there appeared to be no connection between them.” (Analysis: The author reveals through foreshadowing that three things that have nothing in common are all going to happen at the same time during a time of year when people sometimes do things they may regret later. These three things will all be connected. This is critical for the story development as the author has just foreshadowed the events of the story as a whole.)

Continue to discuss other examples of foreshadowing from the novel if you have time or if you are actually using this novel as a study in your classroom. Part 3: Guided practice During part 3 of the lesson, foreshadowing will be analyzed as it is used in a small section of the novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DeCamillo. (*Because of Winn-Dixie is a novel used in 4th grade lessons created for CSRA. It may be necessary to read a synopsis of the story if you or your students are not already familiar with it.) The preacher is worried about Winn- Dixie because of the dog’s fear of thunderstorms. In the section below, he is expressing his concern while foreshadowing Winn-Dixie’s actions later in the novel. Share the following excerpt from the novel.

“Opal?” said the preacher. He was lying on his stomach, and Winn Dixie was sitting on top of him, panting and whining.

“Yes, sir,” I said. “Do you know what a pathological fear is?” “No sir” I told him. The preacher raised a hand. He rubbed his nose.

“Well,” he said after a minute, “it’s a fear that goes way beyond normal fears. It’s a fear you can’t be talked out of or reasoned out of.”

After reading the excerpt, discuss with students the section of the excerpt that is foreshadowing what is to come later. Students should recognize that the last part is the foreshadowing (red). Continue to discuss how important this information is in revealing Winn-Dixie’s behavior later at the party. Part 4: Independent work time During independent work time, students will be given several plot scenarios that involve foreshadowing. Working independently, students should write a story beginning which

Mastery Lesson 5th Grade Narrative Writing 3 includes foreshadowing as an effective literary technique. The list of plot scenarios is on page 4 of the lesson. Part 5: Review Assessment Review & Closing Student writings will be assessed based on In review, discuss examples of foreshadowing the students’ understanding of taking a as shared by students using current books situation and writing the beginning of a story that students are reading. Emphasize to include good foreshadowing which centers examples of foreshadowing in the current around the situation presented. Remember whole group readings as well. Add the that this writing is not a complete story but definition of foreshadowing, along with rather a good beginning in which the examples of it from text throughout the year. narrative technique of foreshadowing is This is a great extension of a normal word practiced, studied, and mastered. wall when evidence of a topic is explored and added to throughout the year. Part 6: Extensions Enrichment Support For students who excel at the writing portion While foreshadowing is a technique that of this mastery lesson, provide them a makes a reader want to keep turning the reading “center” or folder activity in which pages of a book, it is also a technique that they explore several different short stories. A can be difficult for struggling readers and suggested graphic of appropriate short writers to emulate. A suggestion for support stories from commonlit.org follows: is to allow students who struggle to work within a small group, 2-3 max size. Students will read aloud a picture book that has evidence of foreshadowing and discuss within their group what they discover in the text. Teachers should provide support and perhaps be the catalyst for providing questions, either written or oral, for students to use as they search for the foreshadowing examples. A suggested list of text follows:

Challenge students to choose a story and analyze the foreshadowing in it. Students can both choose the same story and then have a discussion about the foreshadowing they discovered.

Mastery Lesson 5th Grade Narrative Writing 4

Independent Writing Activity/ Story Beginnings Using Foreshadowing

Choose one of the plot ideas below and create the beginning of a story in which you include foreshadowing. You may be as creative as you wish. For example, you may create your own characters, dialogue, descriptions, etc. Your final writing should include evidence of how you used the technique of foreshadowing to hint of things to come later in the story. Remember, this is NOT a complete story but rather a beginning to one that you may decide to continue at a later date.

1. You are on an airplane and suddenly, the plane encounters turbulence. The captain has a difficult time controlling the plane. The turbulence doesn’t last long, but your audience knows that this foreshadows anything but a problem-free flight. The plane encounters turbulence again. Write the beginning of this story, which includes the information already shared about the situation.

2. A girl leaves her house on Friday night to go out with friends. She kisses her mother goodbye and tells her not to worry. Now your audience knows that something is going to happen to the girl. Write the beginning of this story, which includes the information already shared about the situation.

3. Early on a Monday morning, a man is very nervous. He is sweating and panting as he gets ready for work. His wife wishes him luck as he leaves. Your audience knows that something is going to happen to the man. Write the beginning of this story, which includes the information already shared about the situation.

4. When Jill woke up at 6:00 a.m., she had no idea today would be the longest day of her life. Write the beginning of this story, which includes the information already shared about the situation.

5. I told myself there would be no more lies, but I didn’t believe a word of it. Write the beginning of this story, which includes the information already shared about the situation.

Mastery Lesson 5th Grade Narrative Writing