Hello everyone. My name is Janet. Thank you for coming to my lesson today.
Our learning intention today is to learn how to write a narrative with a problem and a solution.
Some important words that we will use today are narrative, problem and solution. A narrative is a story that can be totally made up, or it can be based on something that actually happened. A problem is something that goes wrong in the narrative. And a solution is how the problem gets fixed.
Good narratives always include a beginning, middle and end. Edward the Emu is a narrative that I really like at the beginning of a narrative, we need to find out who the characters are and where the setting is. Edward the Emu is the character in my story. And the setting in my story is the zoo.
Good narratives also include a problem and a solution. The problem goes in the middle of the story. Edward's problem is that he is bored of being an emu. Let's read the story together and find out what the solution is to the problem.
Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles and Rod Clement.
Edward the emu was sick of the zoo. There was nowhere to go. There was nothing to do. And compared to the seals that lived right next door, well being an emu was frankly a bore. So that night, when the zookeeper went home to bed, Edward jumped from his pen and he laughed as he said, 'The seals are best. Anybody can tell. So tomorrow I'll just be a seal as well.' The next morning at nine, when they opened the zoo, the seals were swimming and Edward was too. He dived in the water and basked in the sun and he bounced a ball on his beak just for fun. Well, Edward was really enjoying the day, til he overheard someone behind the fence, say 'The seals are always amusing, it's true. But the lions are the best thing to see at the zoo.' So that night, when the zookeeper went home to bed, Edward jumped from the pool and he smiled as he said, 'The lion's the best, anybody can tell. So tomorrow I'll just be a lion as well.' The next morning at nine, when they opened the zoo, the lions were roaring and Edward was too. He snarled at the ladies and growled at the men. Life was certainly grand for a lion in his den. Well, Edward was having a wonderful day til a man in the crowd, had the gumption to say, 'The lion's a beast I shall always detest. The snakes are the things that I like to see best.' So that night, when the zookeeper went home to bed, Edward crept from the cage and he grinned, as he said, 'If the snakes are the best things and that's what they say, then tomorrow I'll just be a snake for the day.' The next morning at nine, when they opened the zoo, the snakes were all hissing and Edward was too. He slipped around the rocks. it was magic to see. Then he curled himself casually around a tree. Well, Edward was just warming up for the day when he overheard one of the visitors say, 'The snakes are impressive, I know that it's true. But the emu's by far the best thing at the zoo.' ''The Emu,' gasped Edward, 'my goodness, that's me! I'm the thing that, that gentlemen most likes to see. Not the seals, the lions, the snakes and the rest, Edward, the emu, he likes to see best!'. So that night, when the zookeeper went home to bed, Edward slipped from the cage and he laughed as he said, 'Emu's the best, then that's easy then. Tomorrow I'm Edward the emu again.' Edward ran to the place where he used to reside, but oh, what a shock when he clambered inside, he found himself suddenly come face to face with the emu they brought in to take Edward's place! The emus considered each other a while, then the new emu said with a shy little smile, 'Hello? I'm Edwina, it's nice meeting you. You're the best thing I've seen since I came to the zoo.'
Let's go back to my story map. Remember the problem was that Edward was bored of being an emu. Did you work out what the solution was? Edward tried lots of different things, but in the end, the solution was that he decided it was okay to be himself. And he got a new friend. So he wasn't bored anymore.
I have started writing my own narrative today. I need your help to finish it. My story is about my friend's dog, Maggie. At the beginning of my story, I need to include characters and setting. My story starts like this. Maggie lived in a warm and tidy little house near Ia big park. One wet and windy day, I took Maggie for a walk in the park.
Let's check. Characters? That's Maggie. And of course me. The setting in my story is the house and the park.
Next we need to work on the middle of the story. We need a problem in the middle. Can you guess what the problem might be? Yes, it was a wet day. So when Maggie went for her walk in the park, she fell in a puddle and got very muddy. Messy Maggie! Let's put that in a sentence. Maggie fell in a deep puddle. It was a big one and she was covered in mud.
Okay. Now I need your help. Can you write the ending to my story? Remember, you need a solution at the end of the story, the solution might be something like you got a big bucket and gave Maggie a bath in the backyard. But if you want to get a bit imaginative, maybe the ending could be that you take Maggie to the car wash and wash her there. Or there's a magic wizard that comes to the backyard and does a cleanup spell on Maggie. You get to decide what the solution is and you can write the ending to my story.
Next, you could write your own narrative. Remember good narratives, include a beginning, middle and end, and you need to include a problem and a solution to have fun writing. And thanks for coming to my lesson today. Bye.