PRIMALS 4-6

Pedagogical Retooling in Mathematics, Languages,

and Science for Grades 4-6 Teachers

Session 3.0
The nature of
narrative texts

Learning Action Cell Session Guide

English 4-6

Prepared by:

DENN MARC P. ALAYON

Senior Education Program Specialist
Bureau of Learning Delivery
Department of Education Central Office
Objectives of the Session

At the end of the session, teachers should be able to:

1. Explain the nature of narrative texts;

2. Identify the elements of narrative texts as found in story grammar;
3. Use story grammar in applying organizational and critical reading skills; and
4. Use graphic organizers appropriate for narratives as aid for and
assessment of comprehension.

Key Understanding or Learning Points

1. Writers express their ideas by choosing the most appropriate structure that
will best help convey their ideas.
2. Text structure is a cue provided by the writers to guide the readers sail
through the text in the process of constructing meaning.
3. Knowledge of text structure aids the readers in applying organizational
reading and critical thinking skills that increase their interaction with and
understanding of the writer’s ideas.
4. Reading texts are classified as either narrative or informative texts. A
narrative text is a piece of text which tells a story, and in doing so,
entertains the readers or listeners.
5. Critical comprehension skills are developed when readers’ attention is
directed towards the reading text and its author.

Materials Needed Approximate Duration

 LAC video on The Nature of 2 hours/ 120 minutes

Texts (Text Structure)
 PowerPoint presentation on
Graphic Organizers in Teaching
Narratives
 Hard copies of sample narrative
texts
 Metacards
 Manila paper / Cartolina
 Permanent markers
 Masking tape

References

Behnardt, T. 2003. Reading development in a second language. New Jersey:

Ablex Publishing Corporation.

Gunning, T.G. 2002. Creating literacy instruction for all children, 5 th ed. Sydney:
Allyn and Bacon

Harris, T. L. and Hodges, R.E. 1995. The literacy dictionary: The vocabulary of

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 reading and writing. Delaware: IRA.
Vacca, R.T. and Vacca, J.L. 2005. Content area reading 5 th ed. London: Scott,
Foresman and Company.

Introduce the session

“Good ______ everyone. I am __________ of ____________. Welcome to

an exciting LAC session No. _______. Today, we’ll have a journey together on the
road to successful learning. Our topic for today is all about “The Nature of Texts
(Text Structure),” specifically, “The Nature and Elements of Narrative Texts and
Using Story Grammar and Graphic Organizers in Understanding Narrative Texts.
The resource person for this session is Mr. Denn Marc P. Alayon from DepEd
Central Office, Bureau of Learning Delivery, Teaching and Learning Division.”

“Before we start our session, let us direct ourselves on the following session
objectives. (Present the abovementioned objectives to the participants).”

Priming Activity: Sit Down or Stand? (5 minutes)

Show and read each title aloud to the participants. Let them stand or remain
seated after looking at each title.

Say: “I am going to show you sample titles of reading texts. Stand if you think the
reading text (based on the title) is informative; and remain seated if it is narrative.”
1. Eat, Clothes, Eat (narrative)
2. Erosion: Less Soil for the Earth (informative)
3. What Happened to Charles (narrative)
4. Carbon Dioxide, the Greenhouse Effect,
and Recent Global Warming (informative)

Note to the Facilitator: Ask the participants the reason why they think each title is a
title of a narrative or informative text.

ACTIVITY (15 minutes)

Divide the big group to four (4) small groups (with 3-5 members per group). Draw
their attention to this activity.

What’s in the Title?

Say: “Based on the titles given, write two sentences to predict what each might
discuss or contain.”
Group 1: Eat, Clothes, Eat
Group 2: What Happened to Charles
Group 3: The Sly Fox
Group 4: A Clever Way to Catch a Thief

Ask each group to present their output to the big group.

ANALYSIS (10 minutes)

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 1. How were you able to distinguish whether the reading text, based on its
title, is narrative or informative?
2. Do titles help you determine the content of the reading texts? Do they give
you hints on what the reading texts might discuss or contain? How?
3. Why is it necessary that teachers teach the learners the structure of a text?
4. Why is it important that learners know the difference between a narrative
text and an informative text?

ABSTRACTION (30 minutes)

Before letting the participants to view the video, present to them first the following
guide questions:

Guide Questions:
1. What is text structure?
2. What is a narrative text? What is its difference from an informative text?
3. What are the examples of narrative texts? What are the elements of
narrative texts?
4. Why is it important that teachers use story grammar and graphic organizer
in teaching narrative texts?

Viewing of Video: The Nature and Elements of Narrative Texts/ Using Story
Grammar and Graphic Organizers in Understanding Narrative Texts
Resource Person: Denn Marc P. Alayon, PRIMALS 4-6 National
Training of Trainers

Note to the Facilitator. When the resource speaker in the video is done discussing
the graphic organizer, pause the video then show to the participants the
PowerPoint presentation on Graphic Organizers for Teaching Narratives.
Explain to them the different examples of graphic organizers that teachers can use
in teaching narrative texts.

After showing the PowerPoint presentation, continue playing the video until it ends.

Big Group Discussion (10 minutes)

After viewing of the video, let the participants answer and discuss the guide
questions presented earlier.

Additional Guide Questions for Discussion:

1. At present, what challenges do our learners face when reading narrative
texts? Cite concrete examples.
2. How do teachers teach narrative texts to learners nowadays? Do they just
let their students read the texts then answer questions or do they employ
strategies for developing learners’ reading comprehension? Elucidate.
3. How do story grammar and graphic organizer help learners develop their
comprehension of narratives? Explain.

APPLICATION (30 minutes)

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Distribute hard copies of the “Task Sheet: Build Me Up!” to each group. Tell the
participants to silently read the narrative text assigned to them.
Group 1: Eat, Clothes, Eat
Group 2: What Happened to Charles
Group 3: The Sly Fox
Group 4: A Clever Way to Catch a Thief

Say: “Were your predictions on the possible content of your assigned narrative text
based on the title correct? Why or why not?”

Ask the groups to create a story grammar to note significant details (setting,
initiating event, internal response, attempt, consequence, and ending) and arrive
at the theme of their assigned narrative text. Then let them choose and make one
graphic organizer to illustrate the elements of the narrative text read.

Presentation of Outputs (20 minutes)

Have one volunteer per group to present their developed story grammar and
graphic organizer of the assigned narrative text.

Process each group’s output. Ask the participants how the story grammar and the
graphic organizer they had created helped them in understanding the narrative
text.

Closure

“As teachers, teaching the literary side of English is practically a separate job and
a gargantuan task. It entails a lot of stimulation – you have to ask questions, help
learners ask their own, activate their prior knowledge and experiences, assist
them in finding meaning in the texts and guide them in achieving comprehension.
But most importantly, you have to make your learners develop their love for
reading waiting to unfold.” – Denn Marc P. Alayon

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 Task Sheet: Build Me Up!

Directions: Read the narrative text assigned to your group. Create a story grammar
to note significant details (setting, initiating event, internal response, attempt,
consequence, and ending) and arrive at the theme of your assigned text. Then
choose and make one graphic organizer to illustrate the elements of the narrative
text read.
___________________________________________________________________

Group 1
Eat, Clothes, Eat

One day a rich man was invited out to dinner. He spent the day working in his
garden. At night, he didn’t have time to dress for dinner. He went in his work clothes.

When he arrived, all other guests were there. But nobody spoke to him. At
dinner he was seated far from the host. Still no one spoke to him.

He got up from the table and went home. He washed. He dressed in fine
clothes. Then he came back.

Now the host said, “Come, sit beside me.” The host passed the food to him.
The man took the food and began putting it in his pockets. “Eat, clothes, eat!” he
said.

The host was amazed at this. “What are you doing?” he asked.

The man replied, “I’m feeding your guest. When I first came, no one would
speak to me. After I’ve changed my clothes, you treated me as special guest. I’m still
the same man. So it must be my clothes that you’re being nice to. I’m giving them
their share of food.”
___________________________________________________________________

Group 2
What Happened to Charles
by James Thurber

A farm horse named Charles was led to town one day by his owner, to be
shod. He would have been shod and brought back home without incident if it hadn’t
been for Eva, a duck, who was always hanging about the kitchen door of the
farmhouse, eavesdropping, and never got anything quite right. Her farmmates said
that she had two mouths but only one ear.

On the day that Charles was led away to the smithy, Eva went quacking about
the farm, excitedly telling the other animals that Charles had been taken to town to
be shod.

“They’re executing an innocent horse!” cried Eva. “He’s a hero! He’s a martyr!
He died to make us free!”

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 “He was the greatest horse in the world!” sobbed a sentimental hen.

“He just seemed like old Charley to me,” said the realistic cow. “Let’s not get
into a moony mood.”

“He was wonderful!” cried a gullible goose.

“What did he ever do?” asked a goat.

Eva, who was inventive as she was inaccurate, turned on her imagination. “It
was butchers who led him off to be shot!” she shrieked. They would have cut our
throats while we slept if it hadn’t been for Charles!”

“I didn’t see any butchers, and I can see a burnt-out firefly on a moonless
night,” said a barn owl. “I didn’t hear any butchers, and I can hear a mouse walk
across moss.”

“We must build memorial to Charles the Great, who saved our lives,” quacked
Eva. And all the birds and beast in the barnyards except the wise owl, the skeptical
goat, and the realistic cow set about building a memorial.

Just then the farmer appeared in the lane, leading Charles, whose new shoes
glinted in the sunlight.

It was lucky that Charles was not alone, for the memorial-builders might have
set upon him with clubs and stones for replacing their hero with just plain old
Charley. It was lucky, too, that they could not reach the barn owl, who quickly
perched upon the weather vane of the barn; for none is so exasperating as he who is
right. The sentimental hen and gullible goose were the ones who finally called
attention to the true culprit—Eva, the one-eared duck with two mouths. The others
set upon her and tarred and unfeathered her, for none is more unpopular than the
bearer of sad tidings that turn out to be false.

___________________________________________________________________

Group 3

The Sly Fox

The fox is a wild animal that looks like a dog. It has a pointed nose and ears,
a bushy tail and thick fur. The fox is said to be a very clever animal in fooling others.
The wolf is a wild animal that looks like a dog too. It has thick fur and pointed
muzzle. Wolves and foxes hunt other animals. Sometimes, they end up hunting each
other.

One night, a fox met a wolf in the forest. The wolf was very hungry and in a
terrible mood. So the wolf said to the fox.

“Don’t move! I’m going to eat you this minute.”

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 As he spoke, the wolf backed the fox up against a tree. The fox realized she
could not run away.

“I have to use my wits instead of my legs,” she said to herself.

“I could have been a good dinner for you last year. I was then very fat and
plump. But I had three babies then. Now I’m slim and not delicious.”

“I don’t care if you are plump or not. I don’t care how many babies you have.
I’m going to eat you right now!”

The wolf began closing in on the fox.

“Stop! the fox shouted. “Look how skinny I am. I ran off all my fat looking for
my babies. But I know a place where you can find something good and fat.”

Wolf backed off and listened to Fox.

“There is a well near here. In the bottom of it is a big round piece of meat. You
can get it instead of eating me. Shall we go?”

The wolf trotted off after the fox, making sure that she could not run away.
They came upon a well.

“See for yourself, what a fat juicy piece of meat is at the bottom of this well. I
wanted to get it for my babies. But you can have it.”

Inside the well was a delicious looking yellow round piece of meat. Above the
well, the moon shone bright and clear. The wolf leaned over the well wondering how
to get the piece of meat. The fox jumped up quickly and pushed the wolf down into
the deep well.

“I’m a sly old mother Fox!” Fox said to herself.

___________________________________________________________________

Group 4

A Clever Way to Catch a Thief

Many years ago, a rich man found that someone was taking valuable things
from his house. He locked all doors, and he locked all the windows. Still the things
went. It must be one of the servants! How could he catch the servant? He thought
of a good plan.

Late one evening, when it was dark, he called all the servants together.
“There is a thief in the house, but I know how to catch him,” he said. “In the next
room there is a table. In the middle of the table there is a square box. In that box
there is a cock which has magic power. Each of you must go into the room in turn.
It is quite dark in the room. You must feel your way to the table and press the first
finger on the right on the top of the box. If you are not the thief, nothing will happen.

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If you are the thief, the cock will crow so loudly that everyone in the house will hear
it.”

Some of the servants said that they did not want to do this. They were
frightened of the magic cock. But the man said they must do what he said. If they
were innocent, they had nothing to fear. So the servants went into the dark room
one at a time, while the rest listened carefully. Soon everyone had been in the room,
but the cock made no sound.

“Good,” said the man. “Now I know who the thief is!” The servants looked
very surprised.

“Show me your right hands!” The cock did not make a sound for a very good
reason. There was no cock in the box! The top of the box was covered with soot.
That person is a thief, and he was afraid to put his finger on the box.” He pointed to
one of the servants: “Your finger is clean! You are the thief!”