narrative essay 6th grade

Narrative Writing | Student Writing Samples

Narrative Writing Sample- Grade 6

Read Time 3 mins | Dec 8, 2021 4:23:31 PM | Written by: Toolbox

Narrative Writing Grade 6 Sample Splash!

Feedback for Improvement

What worked:

• There is a sense of story with a beginning, middle and end. 
• The word choice is often high level - slammed, sprinted, flopped, tranquil, glistened
• Entertaining Beginning: There was a mix of sound, action and thought - the author established the setting - the pond on a hot day
• Elaborative Detail: There was plenty of elaborative detail - in the second paragraph, the author describes the setting - “Soon grey clouds filled the sky. Boom crash bang roared the thunder. I felt cool drops of water. We stared at the bubbles then a fish flopped into the air.”
• Extended Ending : The author used a mix of memory, hope and thought. 

Can you summarize this story? 

This is a story about ______________.

The problem/adventure was _____________.

The problem was solved/adventure concluded when ___________.

Feedback with Prescriptive Lesson: CHOOSE a Focus Skill:

• Section 1 Lesson 1: Introducing Graphic Organizers with Summarizing Framework
• Section 1 Lesson 9: Annotating Narrative Stories - build foundation for story writing
• Section 1 Lesson 11: Analyzing Assignments for Givens and Variables - creating pre-writing plans

Suspense: There was some evidence of suspense in the word “Suddenly,” however, it would improve the writing to add a magic of three as the thunderstorm rolled in.

• Section 4 Lesson 3: Red Flag Words and Phrases
• Section 4 Lesson 4: The Magic of Three

Main Event: What appears to be the main event is mostly description with some very general action. What was the main event of the story? Once that is established then add a balanced mix of action, description, thoughts/feelings, dialogue, and sound.

• Section 5 Lesson 1: Comparing Summaries
• Section 5 Lesson 2: Main Event

This student will benefit from participating in modeled lessons to develop the middle of the story- both suspense and main event.

Recommended Resources

• Empowering Writer's Methodology
• Narrative Writing Guide for Grade 6

Writing Ideas

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• Response to literature essay samples
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Composing An Excellent 6th Grade Narrative Essay

The best way to describe a narrative is that it tells a story. They can be made up of anecdotes, personal experience or someone else’s experience. Usually for students of the 6th grade level, the narrative essay is meant to be a personal narrative. The purpose is two-fold: to get the student thinking and to give the student experience in writing papers.

Characteristics of a Narrative Essay

• Tells all parts of a story, giving enough detail for the reader to come to an understanding of the purpose
• Should be written clearly from an obvious point of view
• Should be an expression and creative display of the student’s writing
• The use of first person is accepted

Where to Begin Writing

A 6th grader may need a detailed step-by-step plan to follow in order to accomplish this essay. This will help them stay on track and not forget any of the essential parts. Here is a plan to follow in writing a personal narrative:

• Choose a good topic. This would be based on something from the student’s life. The essay will not only tell the story of what happened, it will also include the student’s analysis of the story.
• Should highlight the writer’s creative skills in story-telling.
• Should be able to help the reader connect in some way, to their own life experiences.
• If given a prompt, the topic must fit the prompt. For example, it may be about a hardship that had to be overcome, or a way your life was changed, or something that made you view life on a different level.
• Make sure the plot is manageable. It shouldn’t be something too long with many separate events involved. It should be narrowed down sufficiently.
• Limit the number of characters or people who are introduced into the paper, so it doesn’t get bogged down with too many people.
• The paper should exhibit vibrant details and yet give just enough room for the reader to use their imagination to fill in some of the gaps.
• Stay as true to the original story as possible. Most personal narrative papers are meant to be non-fiction.
• Make an outline of your school work and then use details and description to fill in each paragraph.
• Briefly describe important characters. Identify antagonists and protagonists if necessary.
• Describe the setting using vivid details.
• Proofread and revise your essay.

“   Every writer, no matter how good he is with his first attempt should proofread his paper.  ” –  Donna Brians

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43 Narrative Writing Prompts for 6th Grade

Narrative writing is a great way to help students take a break from more structured, academic writing, in order to reflect on their own thoughts or on things they’ve learned and experienced over time.

Below, you’ll find a list of narrative writing prompts to encourage your sixth graders to open up and write about things they typically might not.

Using This Guide

When it comes to reflective journaling, students often participate more when they aren’t being graded or judged based on what they write.

Consider keeping these prompts handy for downtime between activities, quiet time, or when it seems like a student needs a little extra nudge.

Here are some ways you can use this list in your classroom:

• Print prompts on strips of paper, and have students pick their assignments randomly.
• Include a copy of these prompts in your start-of-year paperwork for students to keep handy when they need them.
• Consider letting students keep a separate, ungraded journal for more personal prompts and writing activities.

The Writing Prompts

• Write about a time when you struggled with your self-esteem.
• What is your favorite elementary school memory?
• Who is someone you see as a role model? Why do they inspire you?
• What would you do with your free time if you had less access to technology?
• Write about a time when you felt afraid. What happened to make you feel better?
• Have you ever been in a fight with your best friend? Write about your fight and how it was resolved.
• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Why?
• Write 10 things you have in common with someone from your class with whom you aren’t friends.
• What would you do if you woke up tomorrow with wings?
• What sort of books would make you more interested in the required reading for class? Why?
• Have you ever been a victim of racism? How did it feel?
• Have you ever witnessed someone being bullied? What did you do?
• What is one thing you wish you could change about your community to make it more inclusive?
• Which video game character do you relate to most? Why?
• Which book character do you relate to most? Why?
• Which superhero do you relate to most? Why?
• Write about a time when you felt betrayed. What happened next?
• What is your favorite holiday memory?
• Write about the last time someone surprised you. How did you react?
• Would you rather spend the summer at a camp on a lake or in a condo on the beach? Why?
• Do you have a secret you’ve never told anyone? Write about it here, with as little or as much detail as you’d like.
• What are three careers you would like to have in the future? Why do these things interest you?
• If you could live in the world of any video game, which would you choose? Why?
• Do you think kids and teens spend too much time using technology? Explain your answer.
• Do you think that students should have mandatory homework? Why or why not?
• Write about someone in your family who you look up to.
• Does your family have any holiday traditions? What are they?
• Write the schedule of your typical day.
• Do you have a particular teacher who has affected your life in a positive way? Write a letter to them.
• If your best friend was a color, what color would they be? Explain.
• If you woke up tomorrow and learned that you could talk to your pet, what would you talk to them about?
• What is something that you’re afraid of? What do you think you could do to overcome this fear?
• Which do you prefer: online learning or school in the classroom? Explain your answer.
• What is your favorite restaurant? What do you like to order there?
• Who is someone you can always depend on? Write about what makes them dependable.
• What does it mean to be an ally?
• What do you think it means to be a feminist?
• When you are sick, what are some things that make you feel better?
• Write about a time when you were excited about something. 
• What is your favorite type of weather? Why?
• Which holiday is your favorite? Why?
• Make a list of ten ways you can help the environment.
• Compare and contrast yourself with a friend or sibling.

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• Lesson Plan Examples
• Language Arts
• Writing A Narrative Essay

6th Grade Writing A Narrative Essay Lesson Plan Example (Language Arts)

Topic:narrative essay, objectives & outcomes.

• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to write a narrative essay by describing a personal experience or event.
• Copies of the narrative essay template (provided below)
• Examples of narrative essays (provided by the teacher)
• Writing materials (pen/pencil, paper)
• Ask students to brainstorm a list of personal experiences or events that they would like to write about in their narrative essays.
• Write the student suggestions on the board.
• Ask the students to discuss their suggestions and why they would like to write about them.

Direct Instruction

• Explain to the students that a narrative essay is a type of essay that tells a story.
• Explain that the story should be interesting and engaging, and that it should have a beginning, middle, and end.
• Introduce the key elements of a narrative essay, including:
• Introduction: where the writer introduces the topic and setting of the story
• Body: where the writer tells the events of the story
• Conclusion: where the writer summarizes the story and leaves the reader with a sense of closure
• Explain how to structure a narrative essay, using the sample narrative essay as a guide.
• Demonstrate how to brainstorm, organize, and write the introduction, body, and conclusion of a narrative essay.

Guided Practice:

• Have students work in pairs or small groups.
• Give each group a topic and have them brainstorm ideas for a narrative essay.
• Have each group organize their ideas and begin drafting their narrative essay.
• As they are drafting, have them consult with their teacher and/or tutor as needed.

Independent Practice:

• Have students finish drafting their narrative essays.
• Have them proofread their drafts and make any necessary revisions.
• Have them present their narrative essays to the class.
• Have students share their narrative essays with the class.
• Ask them to explain the main points and main themes of their essays.
• Have them point out any interesting or surprising parts of their essays.
• Ask them to reflect on the process of writing their essays and what they learned.

Assessment:

• Observe students during the independent practice activity to see if they are understanding the concept of a narrative essay.
• Use the narrative essays to assess students' ability to write a narrative essay and their understanding of the concept of closure.
• Use the closure as a form of assessment to see if students are able to effectively explain the main points and themes of their essays and reflect on the process of writing their essays.

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6th Grade Writing Prompts: Unlocking Imagination

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on Published: March 27, 2023  - Last updated: July 31, 2023

Categories Writing

6th Grade Writing Prompts are a valuable tool for educators and parents alike, allowing young students to explore their thoughts, feelings, and ideas through creative writing exercises. These prompts can cover various topics, from personal experiences and emotions to thought-provoking scenarios and ethical dilemmas. The aim is to encourage students to think critically and express themselves effectively while developing their writing skills.

At this crucial stage of development, providing a supportive and engaging environment for students to practice and improve their writing abilities is vital. Numerous resources offer a wealth of compelling writing prompts specifically designed for 6th graders. The prompts you’ll find below in this article can inspire students to ponder real-world issues, reflect on their personal experiences, and imagine creative solutions to hypothetical situations.

The Importance of Writing Prompts

Writing prompts play a crucial role in developing the writing skills of 6th-grade students. They provide a starting point for students to begin expressing their thoughts and ideas, helping them overcome the common challenge of “writer’s block.” As students engage with various writing prompts, they learn to think critically, express their opinions, and dive into imaginative storytelling.

By offering a diverse range of topics, such as prompts that focus on procedural writing, students are exposed to different genres and styles of writing. This variety expands their writing horizons and helps them become well-rounded, versatile writers.

Introducing writing prompts at the 6th-grade level also enhances students’ analytical and problem-solving abilities. They learn to use evidence, logic, and reasoning to support their viewpoints and persuade readers. Additionally, writing prompts allow students to explore their creativity and foster a sense of self-discovery.

Lastly, engaging with writing prompts helps 6th graders develop crucial communication skills that serve as a foundation for future academic success and life experiences. Writing prompts encourage active participation in the learning process, promote self-expression, and cultivate a lifelong love for writing.

25 6th Grade Writing Prompts

• Imagine you’ve discovered a hidden door in your home that leads to a secret room. Describe the room and what you find inside.
• Write a story about a day when everyone’s dreams come true. How does this change the world?
• If you could switch lives with any historical figure for a day, who would you choose and why? Describe your day in their shoes.
• Imagine you have a time machine that can only be used once. Where and when would you go, and what would you do?
• Write a letter to your future self ten years from now. What advice would you give, and what questions would you ask?
• Create a new holiday and explain its celebration, including unique traditions or activities.
• Write an opinion essay on whether or not students should be required to wear uniforms in school. Provide reasons to support your argument.
• Imagine you can communicate with animals. What would you talk about, and which animal would you be most excited to speak with?
• Write a short story where the main character finds a mysterious map that leads to a hidden treasure.
• You’ve been chosen to represent Earth in an intergalactic council. What would you share about our planet and its inhabitants?
• Write a persuasive essay arguing for or against using technology in the classroom.
• Create a new superhero and describe their powers, backstory, and how they use their abilities for good.
• Imagine you are the president for a day. What would be your top priorities, and how would you address them?
• Write a story that starts with the sentence: “It was a dark and stormy night…”
• Create a fictional island and describe its geography, culture, and inhabitants. What makes this island unique?
• If you could invent a new gadget or tool to make life easier, what would it be, and how would it work?
• Write a personal narrative about a time when you faced a challenge and how you overcame it.
• Imagine you could create a new class or elective for your school. What would the class be about, and why would students benefit from it?
• Write a descriptive essay about your favorite place to visit. Use vivid sensory details to make the reader feel like they are with you.
• You wake up one day to find you’ve gained the ability to read minds. How do you use this power, and what challenges or moral dilemmas do you face?
• Create a fictional holiday and write a short story about a family celebrating it for the first time.
• Write a persuasive essay about the importance of conserving natural resources and the steps that should be taken to protect our environment.
• Imagine you are a detective solving a mysterious crime. Write a story that details your investigation and how you uncover the truth.
• If you could converse with any famous author, who would it be, and what would you ask them?
• Write a personal narrative about a memorable experience with a friend and what it taught you about friendship.

Understanding the 6th Grade Writing Curriculum

The transition from elementary to middle school.

As students enter 6th grade, they transition from elementary to middle school. This brings new challenges and expectations in their writing skills. They will be expected to write more complex content and use more sophisticated vocabulary. This includes writing for extended periods, such as long-term research or expressive pieces that may take a week, and writing for shorter durations in one sitting.

Emphasis on narrative writing

In 6th grade writing curriculum, there is a strong emphasis placed on narrative writing. This requires students to develop their storytelling abilities and write in a manner that engages the reader. They will focus on creating a clear narrative structure, developing characters, setting, and plot, and using vivid descriptive language to engage their audience.

Introduction to essay writing and personal narratives

Another vital part of the 6th grade writing curriculum is the introduction to essay writing and personal narratives. Students will learn how to effectively organize their thoughts and ideas coherently and logically. They will gain experience writing various essay types, such as persuasive, informative, and argumentative. Personal narratives will also play a key role, encouraging students to write about personal experiences and emotions and helping them build their voice and style as writers.

Role of reading comprehension and vocabulary development

Reading comprehension and vocabulary development are crucial in the 6th grade writing curriculum. Students must be able to understand complex texts, as this will inform their writing. Students will be exposed to new words and phrases to improve their vocabulary through reading assignments and class discussions. Building a strong vocabulary allows students to express their ideas more accurately and clearly, ultimately leading to more effective writing.

Types of 6th Grade Writing Prompts

Narrative prompts.

Narrative prompts encourage students to tell a story, real or imagined. These prompts can range from personal experiences to creating stories based on given scenarios. For example, a narrative prompt could be “Describe the hardest thing you have ever learned to do.”

Short Story Ideas

Short story ideas are prompts that invite students to create a fictional story with characters, settings, and a plot. These writing activities push students to develop their writing skills, storytelling abilities, and creativity. An example of a short story idea might be to “Write a story about a magical forest.”

Personal Narratives

Personal narrative prompts ask students to write about their own experiences or thoughts. These types of prompts encourage reflection, introspection, and the exploration of personal feelings. A personal narrative prompt might be “Write about a time you overcame a fear.”

Story Starters

Story starters are prompts that provide the beginning of a story, challenging students to continue and develop the narrative. They help spark students’ imaginations and encourage them to think creatively. For example, “In a world where animals could talk, a young girl made a surprising discovery…”

Descriptive Prompts

Descriptive writing prompts ask students to describe a specific object, place, or situation in detail, using vivid language and sensory details. This type of prompt helps students practice their creative writing and observation skills. An example of a descriptive prompt could be “Describe your dream vacation destination.”

Persuasive Prompts

Persuasive writing prompts require students to convince the reader of a particular opinion or point of view. Students practice building strong arguments, using evidence and facts, and addressing opposing viewpoints. An example of a persuasive prompt might be “Convince your readers why cell phones should or should not be allowed in school.”

Expository Prompts

Expository writing prompts ask students to explain, evaluate or analyze a topic, providing information and facts to support their position. This style of writing promotes critical thinking and research skills. A sample expository prompt might be “Explain the benefits and drawbacks of renewable energy sources.”

Creative Writing Prompts

Encourage your students to express their emotions and creativity through poetry. Here are some poetry prompts to inspire them:

• Write a poem about the changing seasons.
• Describe your favorite place using vivid imagery and sensory details.
• Compose a haiku about an everyday object.
• Create a poem from the perspective of an animal.

Imaginative Stories

Imagination is a powerful tool for developing writers. Provide these creative story prompts to spark their ideas:

• Write a story about a school where magic is real.
• Imagine you are a time-traveling scientist. Describe your adventures.
• Develop a story that revolves around a mysterious key.
• Create a tale where the main character’s best friend is a talking animal.

Scriptwriting

Scriptwriting can build dialogue and narrative skills. Suggest these engaging scriptwriting prompts for your students:

• Write a short script about two friends with a deep secret.
• Develop a scene featuring an unexpected encounter.
• Create a script that mixes elements of reality and fantasy.
• Compose a dialogue-rich scene set in a public place.

Using these creative writing prompt categories, 6th grade students can develop their writing abilities while letting their imagination soar.

Essay Writing Prompts

In this section, we explore a variety of essay writing prompts for 6th-grade students. These prompts are categorized under opinion essays, informative essays, and persuasive essays.

Opinion Essays

Opinion essays allow students to express their thoughts on a specific subject. Here are some prompts for 6th graders:

• What is your favorite hobby, and why?
• Which is better, traditional books or e-books? Explain your choice.
• What’s the best (or worst) birthday you’ve ever had?
• What is your greatest aspiration? Or, your darkest fear?

Informative Essays

Informative essays help students develop research and presentation skills. They should provide factual information about a topic. Here are some informative essay prompts:

• Describe your favorite short story in your own words.
• Write about the life cycle of a butterfly.
• Explain the process of photosynthesis in plants.
• Describe the history and importance of a famous landmark.

Persuasive Essays

Persuasive essays help students to develop their argumentative skills. They should present clear reasons and evidence to support their opinion. Here are some persuasive essay prompts:

• Should school uniforms be mandatory? Why or why not?
• Is it essential to learn a foreign language? Explain your view.
• Do video games have a positive or negative impact on children?
• Should students be allowed to use mobile phones in school? Provide reasons for your opinion.

Subject-Specific Prompts

Integrating subject-specific writing prompts can help students connect their writing skills to various subjects. This section will explore writing prompts for Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, and Life Skills.

Language Arts

Language Arts writing prompts encourage students to analyze literature, express their thoughts, and improve their vocabulary. Examples include:

• Write a character analysis of the protagonist in your favorite book.
• Create a poem describing a historical event.
• Compose a short story inspired by a well-known myth.

Science writing prompts assist students in describing experiments, explaining scientific concepts, and making real-world connections. Examples include:

• Describe the steps of the water cycle and its importance to Earth.
• Explain the theory of evolution and provide examples of natural selection.
• Write about the role of technology in reducing the environmental impact of humans.

Social Studies

Social Studies writing prompts help students to explore historical events, cultural perspectives, and global issues. Examples include:

• Write an essay comparing the government systems of two countries.
• Discuss the significance of a famous historical figure’s actions.
• Analyze the impact of a specific geographical feature on human settlement.

Math writing prompts challenge students to apply mathematical concepts in various contexts and describe the logic behind problem-solving. Examples include:

• Explain how to solve a given math problem using the order of operations.
• Describe a real-world scenario where fractions are used and explain how to solve it.
• Discuss the role of geometry in architecture and provide examples.

Life Skills

Life Skills writing prompts encourage students to reflect on their personal experiences, goals, and values. Examples include:

• Write a letter to your future self, discussing the lessons you’ve learned and the goals you hope to accomplish.
• Discuss the importance of effective communication in relationships and provide examples.
• Explain the steps to achieving a specific personal goal and the challenges you may encounter.

Framework for Developing Prompts

When developing 6th grade writing prompts, balancing challenging and engaging topics is crucial. This allows students to explore new concepts while encouraging creativity and critical thinking. The framework presented in this section offers a few guiding principles for crafting effective prompts for this age group.

First, consider the interests and experiences of 6th grade students. Choosing topics related to their lives and what they care about will increase their motivation to write. For example, you might create prompts about the school, friendships, hobbies, or current events.

Next, design prompts that encourage a variety of writing genres, such as narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. This helps students develop skills in different writing styles and formats. For example, a narrative prompt might ask students to tell a story about a memorable experience, while an expository prompt might ask them to explain how a particular invention works.

Ensure to include prompts requiring students to practice critical thinking and problem-solving. These prompts often involve solving a given situation, analyzing a topic, or comparing and contrasting ideas. This helps 6th graders develop analytical and evaluative skills essential for academic and personal success.

Lastly, incorporate opportunities for reflection and self-expression. Reflective prompts allow students to examine their feelings, beliefs, and ideas. For example, ask students to consider how they would handle a specific dilemma or what they appreciate most about their family or friends.

Following these guiding principles, you can create a diverse collection of 6th-grade writing prompts that encourage creativity, critical thinking, and self-expression.

Techniques to Engage Students

Creating meaningful and engaging writing prompts for sixth-grade students involves considering their interests, skills, and development stage. Several techniques can help achieve this.

First, one can use creative prompts to encourage students to think outside the box and express their unique perspectives. Some examples of creative writing prompts for sixth graders include writing a poem about feeling outraged or imagining a day from a cell phone’s perspective.

Next, incorporating argumentative and persuasive prompts can help students learn to articulate their opinions and support them with strong evidence. This is particularly useful in developing research and critical-thinking skills. Examples include writing a persuasive essay on a current issue or debating the merits of a controversial book or movie.

Another effective technique involves using real-world connections in prompts to make them more relevant and applicable to students’ lives. For instance, ask students to write about their first hospital experience or discuss how technology has impacted their daily routines.

Lastly, integrating different writing styles like narrative, expository, and descriptive prompts will allow students to experiment with various writing techniques and improve their writing skills. Examples include composing a personal narrative about overcoming a challenge, writing an expository essay on a historical event, or crafting a descriptive piece about a favorite place or object.

Assessing and Providing Feedback

One of the key aspects of 6th Grade Writing Prompts is the assessment and provision of constructive feedback to students. Assessing their writing skills helps teachers identify strengths and weaknesses and guide future instruction tailored to student needs.

When evaluating student writing, it’s essential to consider various aspects, such as content, organization, word choice, sentence structure, and grammar. Providing specific and actionable feedback allows students to improve their skills and better understand writing concepts.

A helpful approach for grading and feedback is to use rubrics. Rubrics offer a structured way to outline the expectations for a writing assignment and help students understand the evaluation criteria. There are different types of rubrics, such as analytic, holistic, grid, numeric, and hybrid, which can be customized to suit a variety of writing prompts.

Another strategy for providing effective feedback is ensuring students know the learning objectives and quality expectations for their writing assignments. Explicitly discussing the writing goals and criteria helps students focus their efforts and self-assess their progress.

Lastly, integrating student-teacher conferences or peer review sessions can benefit the feedback process. These sessions allow for dialogue, clarification, and additional insights from different perspectives.

Narrative Writing: A Complete Guide for Teachers and Students

MASTERING THE CRAFT OF NARRATIVE WRITING

Narratives build on and encourage the development of the fundamentals of writing. They also require developing an additional skill set: the ability to tell a good yarn, and storytelling is as old as humanity.

We see and hear stories everywhere and daily, from having good gossip on the doorstep with a neighbor in the morning to the dramas that fill our screens in the evening.

Good narrative writing skills are hard-won by students even though it is an area of writing that most enjoy due to the creativity and freedom it offers.

Here we will explore some of the main elements of a good story: plot, setting, characters, conflict, climax, and resolution . And we will look too at how best we can help our students understand these elements, both in isolation and how they mesh together as a whole.

WHAT IS A NARRATIVE?

A narrative is a story that shares a sequence of events , characters, and themes. It expresses experiences, ideas, and perspectives that should aspire to engage and inspire an audience.

A narrative can spark emotion, encourage reflection, and convey meaning when done well.

Narratives are a popular genre for students and teachers as they allow the writer to share their imagination, creativity, skill, and understanding of nearly all elements of writing.  We occasionally refer to a narrative as ‘creative writing’ or story writing.

The purpose of a narrative is simple, to tell the audience a story.  It can be written to motivate, educate, or entertain and can be fact or fiction.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING NARRATIVE WRITING

Teach your students to become skilled story writers with this HUGE   NARRATIVE & CREATIVE STORY WRITING UNIT . Offering a  COMPLETE SOLUTION  to teaching students how to craft  CREATIVE CHARACTERS, SUPERB SETTINGS, and PERFECT PLOTS .

Over 192 PAGES of materials, including:

TYPES OF NARRATIVE WRITING

There are many narrative writing genres and sub-genres such as these.

We have a complete guide to writing a personal narrative that differs from the traditional story-based narrative covered in this guide. It includes personal narrative writing prompts, resources, and examples and can be found here.

As we can see, narratives are an open-ended form of writing that allows you to showcase creativity in many directions. However, all narratives share a common set of features and structure known as “Story Elements”, which are briefly covered in this guide.

Don’t overlook the importance of understanding story elements and the value this adds to you as a writer who can dissect and create grand narratives. We also have an in-depth guide to understanding story elements here .

CHARACTERISTICS OF NARRATIVE WRITING

Narrative structure.

ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Set the scene by introducing your characters, setting and time of the story. Establish your who, when and where in this part of your narrative

COMPLICATION AND EVENTS (MIDDLE) In this section activities and events involving your main characters are expanded upon. These events are written in a cohesive and fluent sequence.

RESOLUTION (ENDING) Your complication is resolved in this section. It does not have to be a happy outcome, however.

EXTRAS: Whilst orientation, complication and resolution are the agreed norms for a narrative, there are numerous examples of popular texts that did not explicitly follow this path exactly.

NARRATIVE FEATURES

LANGUAGE: Use descriptive and figurative language to paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read.

PERSPECTIVE Narratives can be written from any perspective but are most commonly written in first or third person.

DIALOGUE Narratives frequently switch from narrator to first-person dialogue. Always use speech marks when writing dialogue.

TENSE If you change tense, make it perfectly clear to your audience what is happening. Flashbacks might work well in your mind but make sure they translate to your audience.

THE PLOT MAP

This graphic is known as a plot map, and nearly all narratives fit this structure in one way or another, whether romance novels, science fiction or otherwise.

It is a simple tool that helps you understand and organise a story’s events. Think of it as a roadmap that outlines the journey of your characters and the events that unfold. It outlines the different stops along the way, such as the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, that help you to see how the story builds and develops.

Using a plot map, you can see how each event fits into the larger picture and how the different parts of the story work together to create meaning. It’s a great way to visualize and analyze a story.

Be sure to refer to a plot map when planning a story, as it has all the essential elements of a great story.

THE 5 KEY STORY ELEMENTS OF A GREAT NARRATIVE (6-MINUTE TUTORIAL VIDEO)

This video we created provides an excellent overview of these elements and demonstrates them in action in stories we all know and love.

HOW TO WRITE A NARRATIVE

Now that we understand the story elements and how they come together to form stories, it’s time to start planning and writing your narrative.

In many cases, the template and guide below will provide enough details on how to craft a great story. However, if you still need assistance with the fundamentals of writing, such as sentence structure, paragraphs and using correct grammar, we have some excellent guides on those here.

USE YOUR WRITING TIME EFFECTIVELY: Maximize your narrative writing sessions by spending approximately 20 per cent of your time planning and preparing.  This ensures greater productivity during your writing time and keeps you focused and on task.

Use tools such as graphic organizers to logically sequence your narrative if you are not a confident story writer.  If you are working with reluctant writers, try using narrative writing prompts to get their creative juices flowing.

Spend most of your writing hour on the task at hand, don’t get too side-tracked editing during this time and leave some time for editing. When editing a  narrative, examine it for these three elements.

• Spelling and grammar ( Is it readable?)
• Story structure and continuity ( Does it make sense, and does it flow? )
• Character and plot analysis. (Are your characters engaging? Does your problem/resolution work? )

1. SETTING THE SCENE: THE WHERE AND THE WHEN

The story’s setting often answers two of the central questions in the story, namely, the where and the when. The answers to these two crucial questions will often be informed by the type of story the student is writing.

The story’s setting can be chosen to quickly orient the reader to the type of story they are reading. For example, a fictional narrative writing piece such as a horror story will often begin with a description of a haunted house on a hill or an abandoned asylum in the middle of the woods. If we start our story on a rocket ship hurtling through the cosmos on its space voyage to the Alpha Centauri star system, we can be reasonably sure that the story we are embarking on is a work of science fiction.

Such conventions are well-worn clichés true, but they can be helpful starting points for our novice novelists to make a start.

Having students choose an appropriate setting for the type of story they wish to write is an excellent exercise for our younger students. It leads naturally onto the next stage of story writing, which is creating suitable characters to populate this fictional world they have created. However, older or more advanced students may wish to play with the expectations of appropriate settings for their story. They may wish to do this for comic effect or in the interest of creating a more original story. For example, opening a story with a children’s birthday party does not usually set up the expectation of a horror story. Indeed, it may even lure the reader into a happy reverie as they remember their own happy birthday parties. This leaves them more vulnerable to the surprise element of the shocking action that lies ahead.

Once the students have chosen a setting for their story, they need to start writing. Little can be more terrifying to English students than the blank page and its bare whiteness stretching before them on the table like a merciless desert they must cross. Give them the kick-start they need by offering support through word banks or writing prompts. If the class is all writing a story based on the same theme, you may wish to compile a common word bank on the whiteboard as a prewriting activity. Write the central theme or genre in the middle of the board. Have students suggest words or phrases related to the theme and list them on the board.

You may wish to provide students with a copy of various writing prompts to get them started. While this may mean that many students’ stories will have the same beginning, they will most likely arrive at dramatically different endings via dramatically different routes.

A bargain is at the centre of the relationship between the writer and the reader. That bargain is that the reader promises to suspend their disbelief as long as the writer creates a consistent and convincing fictional reality. Creating a believable world for the fictional characters to inhabit requires the student to draw on convincing details. The best way of doing this is through writing that appeals to the senses. Have your student reflect deeply on the world that they are creating. What does it look like? Sound like? What does the food taste like there? How does it feel like to walk those imaginary streets, and what aromas beguile the nose as the main character winds their way through that conjured market?

Also, Consider the when; or the time period. Is it a future world where things are cleaner and more antiseptic? Or is it an overcrowded 16th-century London with human waste stinking up the streets? If students can create a multi-sensory installation in the reader’s mind, then they have done this part of their job well.

Popular Settings from Children’s Literature and Storytelling

• Fairytale Kingdom
• Magical Forest
• Village/town
• Underwater world
• Space/Alien planet

2. CASTING THE CHARACTERS: THE WHO

Now that your student has created a believable world, it is time to populate it with believable characters.

In short stories, these worlds mustn’t be overpopulated beyond what the student’s skill level can manage. Short stories usually only require one main character and a few secondary ones. Think of the short story more as a small-scale dramatic production in an intimate local theater than a Hollywood blockbuster on a grand scale. Too many characters will only confuse and become unwieldy with a canvas this size. Keep it simple!

Creating believable characters is often one of the most challenging aspects of narrative writing for students. Fortunately, we can do a few things to help students here. Sometimes it is helpful for students to model their characters on actual people they know. This can make things a little less daunting and taxing on the imagination. However, whether or not this is the case, writing brief background bios or descriptions of characters’ physical personality characteristics can be a beneficial prewriting activity. Students should give some in-depth consideration to the details of who their character is: How do they walk? What do they look like? Do they have any distinguishing features? A crooked nose? A limp? Bad breath? Small details such as these bring life and, therefore, believability to characters. Students can even cut pictures from magazines to put a face to their character and allow their imaginations to fill in the rest of the details.

Younger students will often dictate to the reader the nature of their characters. To improve their writing craft, students must know when to switch from story-telling mode to story-showing mode. This is particularly true when it comes to character. Encourage students to reveal their character’s personality through what they do rather than merely by lecturing the reader on the faults and virtues of the character’s personality. It might be a small relayed detail in the way they walk that reveals a core characteristic. For example, a character who walks with their head hanging low and shoulders hunched while avoiding eye contact has been revealed to be timid without the word once being mentioned. This is a much more artistic and well-crafted way of doing things and is less irritating for the reader. A character who sits down at the family dinner table immediately snatches up his fork and starts stuffing roast potatoes into his mouth before anyone else has even managed to sit down has revealed a tendency towards greed or gluttony.

Understanding Character Traits

Again, there is room here for some fun and profitable prewriting activities. Give students a list of character traits and have them describe a character doing something that reveals that trait without ever employing the word itself.

It is also essential to avoid adjective stuffing here. When looking at students’ early drafts, adjective stuffing is often apparent. To train the student out of this habit, choose an adjective and have the student rewrite the sentence to express this adjective through action rather than telling.

When writing a story, it is vital to consider the character’s traits and how they will impact the story’s events. For example, a character with a strong trait of determination may be more likely to overcome obstacles and persevere. In contrast, a character with a tendency towards laziness may struggle to achieve their goals. In short, character traits add realism, depth, and meaning to a story, making it more engaging and memorable for the reader.

Popular Character Traits in Children’s Stories

• Determination
• Imagination
• Perseverance
• Responsibility

We have an in-depth guide to creating great characters here , but most students should be fine to move on to planning their conflict and resolution.

3. NO PROBLEM? NO STORY! HOW CONFLICT DRIVES A NARRATIVE

This is often the area apprentice writers have the most difficulty with. Students must understand that without a problem or conflict, there is no story. The problem is the driving force of the action. Usually, in a short story, the problem will center around what the primary character wants to happen or, indeed, wants not to happen. It is the hurdle that must be overcome. It is in the struggle to overcome this hurdle that events happen.

Often when a student understands the need for a problem in a story, their completed work will still not be successful. This is because, often in life, problems remain unsolved. Hurdles are not always successfully overcome. Students pick up on this.

We often discuss problems with friends that will never be satisfactorily resolved one way or the other, and we accept this as a part of life. This is not usually the case with writing a story. Whether a character successfully overcomes his or her problem or is decidedly crushed in the process of trying is not as important as the fact that it will finally be resolved one way or the other.

A good practical exercise for students to get to grips with this is to provide copies of stories and have them identify the central problem or conflict in each through discussion. Familiar fables or fairy tales such as Three Little Pigs, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Cinderella, etc., are great for this.

While it is true that stories often have more than one problem or that the hero or heroine is unsuccessful in their first attempt to solve a central problem, for beginning students and intermediate students, it is best to focus on a single problem, especially given the scope of story writing at this level. Over time students will develop their abilities to handle more complex plots and write accordingly.

Popular Conflicts found in Children’s Storytelling.

• Good vs evil
• Individual vs society
• Nature vs nurture
• Self vs others
• Man vs self
• Man vs nature
• Man vs technology
• Individual vs fate
• Self vs destiny

Conflict is the heart and soul of any good story. It’s what makes a story compelling and drives the plot forward. Without conflict, there is no story. Every great story has a struggle or a problem that needs to be solved, and that’s where conflict comes in. Conflict is what makes a story exciting and keeps the reader engaged. It creates tension and suspense and makes the reader care about the outcome.

Like in real life, conflict in a story is an opportunity for a character’s growth and transformation. It’s a chance for them to learn and evolve, making a story great. So next time stories are written in the classroom, remember that conflict is an essential ingredient, and without it, your story will lack the energy, excitement, and meaning that makes it truly memorable.

4. THE NARRATIVE CLIMAX: HOW THINGS COME TO A HEAD!

The climax of the story is the dramatic high point of the action. It is also when the struggles kicked off by the problem come to a head. The climax will ultimately decide whether the story will have a happy or tragic ending. In the climax, two opposing forces duke things out until the bitter (or sweet!) end. One force ultimately emerges triumphant. As the action builds throughout the story, suspense increases as the reader wonders which of these forces will win out. The climax is the release of this suspense.

Much of the success of the climax depends on how well the other elements of the story have been achieved. If the student has created a well-drawn and believable character that the reader can identify with and feel for, then the climax will be more powerful.

The nature of the problem is also essential as it determines what’s at stake in the climax. The problem must matter dearly to the main character if it matters at all to the reader.

Have students engage in discussions about their favorite movies and books. Have them think about the storyline and decide the most exciting parts. What was at stake at these moments? What happened in your body as you read or watched? Did you breathe faster? Or grip the cushion hard? Did your heart rate increase, or did you start to sweat? This is what a good climax does and what our students should strive to do in their stories.

The climax puts it all on the line and rolls the dice. Let the chips fall where the writer may…

Popular Climax themes in Children’s Stories

• A battle between good and evil
• The character’s bravery saves the day
• Character faces their fears and overcomes them
• The character solves a mystery or puzzle.
• The character stands up for what is right.
• Character reaches their goal or dream.
• The character learns a valuable lesson.
• The character makes a selfless sacrifice.
• The character makes a difficult decision.
• The character reunites with loved ones or finds true friendship.

5. RESOLUTION: TYING UP LOOSE ENDS

After the climactic action, a few questions will often remain unresolved for the reader, even if all the conflict has been resolved. The resolution is where those lingering questions will be answered. The resolution in a short story may only be a brief paragraph or two. But, in most cases, it will still be necessary to include an ending immediately after the climax can feel too abrupt and leave the reader feeling unfulfilled.

An easy way to explain resolution to students struggling to grasp the concept is to point to the traditional resolution of fairy tales, the “And they all lived happily ever after” ending. This weather forecast for the future allows the reader to take their leave. Have the student consider the emotions they want to leave the reader with when crafting their resolution.

While the action is usually complete by the end of the climax, it is in the resolution that if there is a twist to be found, it will appear – think of movies such as The Usual Suspects. Pulling this off convincingly usually requires considerable skill from a student writer. Still, it may well form a challenging extension exercise for those more gifted storytellers among your students.

Popular Resolutions in Children’s Stories

• Our hero achieves their goal
• The character learns a valuable lesson
• A character finds happiness or inner peace.
• The character reunites with loved ones.
• Character restores balance to the world.
• The character discovers their true identity.
• Character changes for the better.
• The character gains wisdom or understanding.
• Character makes amends with others.
• The character learns to appreciate what they have.

Once students have completed their story, they can edit for grammar, vocabulary choice, spelling, etc., but not before!

As mentioned, there is a craft to storytelling, as well as an art. When accurate grammar, perfect spelling, and immaculate sentence structures are pushed at the outset, they can cause storytelling paralysis. For this reason, it is essential that when we encourage the students to write a story, we give them license to make mechanical mistakes in their use of language that they can work on and fix later.

Good narrative writing is a very complex skill to develop and will take the student years to become competent. It challenges not only the student’s technical abilities with language but also her creative faculties. Writing frames, word banks, mind maps, and visual prompts can all give valuable support as students develop the wide-ranging and challenging skills required to produce a successful narrative writing piece. But, at the end of it all, as with any craft, practice and more practice is at the heart of the matter.

TIPS FOR WRITING A GREAT NARRATIVE

• Start your story with a clear purpose: If you can determine the theme or message you want to convey in your narrative before starting it will make the writing process so much simpler.
• Choose a compelling storyline and sell it through great characters, setting and plot: Consider a unique or interesting story that captures the reader’s attention, then build the world and characters around it.
• Develop vivid characters that are not all the same: Make your characters relatable and memorable by giving them distinct personalities and traits you can draw upon in the plot.
• Use descriptive language to hook your audience into your story: Use sensory language to paint vivid images and sequences in the reader’s mind.
• Show, don’t tell your audience: Use actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal character motivations and emotions through storytelling.
• Create a vivid setting that is clear to your audience before getting too far into the plot: Describe the time and place of your story to immerse the reader fully.
• Build tension: Refer to the story map earlier in this article and use conflict, obstacles, and suspense to keep the audience engaged and invested in your narrative.
• Use figurative language such as metaphors, similes, and other literary devices to add depth and meaning to your narrative.
• Edit, revise, and refine: Take the time to refine and polish your writing for clarity and impact.
• Stay true to your voice: Maintain your unique perspective and style in your writing to make it your own.

NARRATIVE WRITING EXAMPLES (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of narratives.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to read these creative stories in detail and the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the critical elements of narratives to consider before writing.

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of story writing.

We recommend reading the example either a year above or below, as well as the grade you are currently working with, to gain a broader appreciation of this text type.

NARRATIVE WRITING PROMPTS (Journal Prompts)

When students have a great journal prompt, it can help them focus on the task at hand, so be sure to view our vast collection of visual writing prompts for various text types here or use some of these.

• On a recent European trip, you find your travel group booked into the stunning and mysterious Castle Frankenfurter for a single night…  As night falls, the massive castle of over one hundred rooms seems to creak and groan as a series of unexplained events begin to make you wonder who or what else is spending the evening with you. Write a narrative that tells the story of your evening.
• You are a famous adventurer who has discovered new lands; keep a travel log over a period of time in which you encounter new and exciting adventures and challenges to overcome.  Ensure your travel journal tells a story and has a definite introduction, conflict and resolution.
• You create an incredible piece of technology that has the capacity to change the world.  As you sit back and marvel at your innovation and the endless possibilities ahead of you, it becomes apparent there are a few problems you didn’t really consider. You might not even be able to control them.  Write a narrative in which you ride the highs and lows of your world-changing creation with a clear introduction, conflict and resolution.
• As the final door shuts on the Megamall, you realise you have done it…  You and your best friend have managed to sneak into the largest shopping centre in town and have the entire place to yourselves until 7 am tomorrow.  There is literally everything and anything a child would dream of entertaining themselves for the next 12 hours.  What amazing adventures await you?  What might go wrong?  And how will you get out of there scot-free?
• A stranger walks into town…  Whilst appearing similar to almost all those around you, you get a sense that this person is from another time, space or dimension… Are they friends or foes?  What makes you sense something very strange is going on?   Suddenly they stand up and walk toward you with purpose extending their hand… It’s almost as if they were reading your mind.

NARRATIVE WRITING VIDEO TUTORIAL

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

When teaching narrative writing, it is essential that you have a range of tools, strategies and resources at your disposal to ensure you get the most out of your writing time.  You can find some examples below, which are free and paid premium resources you can use instantly without any preparation.

FREE Narrative Graphic Organizer

THE STORY TELLERS BUNDLE OF TEACHING RESOURCES

A MASSIVE COLLECTION of resources for narratives and story writing in the classroom covering all elements of crafting amazing stories. MONTHS WORTH OF WRITING LESSONS AND RESOURCES, including:

NARRATIVE WRITING CHECKLIST BUNDLE

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Narrative Writing for Kids: Essential Skills and Strategies

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• How to write a narrative essay | Example & tips

How to Write a Narrative Essay | Example & Tips

Published on July 24, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

A narrative essay tells a story. In most cases, this is a story about a personal experience you had. This type of essay , along with the descriptive essay , allows you to get personal and creative, unlike most academic writing .

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Table of contents

What is a narrative essay for, choosing a topic, interactive example of a narrative essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about narrative essays.

When assigned a narrative essay, you might find yourself wondering: Why does my teacher want to hear this story? Topics for narrative essays can range from the important to the trivial. Usually the point is not so much the story itself, but the way you tell it.

A narrative essay is a way of testing your ability to tell a story in a clear and interesting way. You’re expected to think about where your story begins and ends, and how to convey it with eye-catching language and a satisfying pace.

These skills are quite different from those needed for formal academic writing. For instance, in a narrative essay the use of the first person (“I”) is encouraged, as is the use of figurative language, dialogue, and suspense.

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Narrative essay assignments vary widely in the amount of direction you’re given about your topic. You may be assigned quite a specific topic or choice of topics to work with.

• Write a story about your first day of school.
• Write a story about your favorite holiday destination.

You may also be given prompts that leave you a much wider choice of topic.

• Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself.
• Write about an achievement you are proud of. What did you accomplish, and how?

In these cases, you might have to think harder to decide what story you want to tell. The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to talk about a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

For example, a trip where everything went according to plan makes for a less interesting story than one where something unexpected happened that you then had to respond to. Choose an experience that might surprise the reader or teach them something.

Narrative essays in college applications

When applying for college , you might be asked to write a narrative essay that expresses something about your personal qualities.

For example, this application prompt from Common App requires you to respond with a narrative essay.

In this context, choose a story that is not only interesting but also expresses the qualities the prompt is looking for—here, resilience and the ability to learn from failure—and frame the story in a way that emphasizes these qualities.

An example of a short narrative essay, responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” is shown below.

Hover over different parts of the text to see how the structure works.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

• Ad hominem fallacy
• Post hoc fallacy
• Appeal to authority fallacy
• False cause fallacy
• Sunk cost fallacy

College essays

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If you’re not given much guidance on what your narrative essay should be about, consider the context and scope of the assignment. What kind of story is relevant, interesting, and possible to tell within the word count?

The best kind of story for a narrative essay is one you can use to reflect on a particular theme or lesson, or that takes a surprising turn somewhere along the way.

Don’t worry too much if your topic seems unoriginal. The point of a narrative essay is how you tell the story and the point you make with it, not the subject of the story itself.

Narrative essays are usually assigned as writing exercises at high school or in university composition classes. They may also form part of a university application.

When you are prompted to tell a story about your own life or experiences, a narrative essay is usually the right response.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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Free Printable Narrative Writing Worksheets for 6th Grade

Narrative Writing: Discover a vast collection of free printable Reading & Writing worksheets tailored for Grade 6 students, crafted by Quizizz to enhance their storytelling skills and creativity.

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Explore printable Narrative Writing worksheets for 6th Grade

Narrative Writing worksheets for Grade 6 are an essential tool for teachers looking to enhance their students' reading and writing skills. These worksheets provide a structured and engaging way for students to practice their narrative writing abilities, focusing on key elements such as plot development, character creation, and descriptive language. As Grade 6 students transition from writing simple paragraphs to more complex compositions, these worksheets serve as a valuable resource for teachers to guide their students through the process. By incorporating nonfiction writing exercises, students can also develop their research and critical thinking skills, making these worksheets a versatile and effective teaching tool. With the right selection of Narrative Writing worksheets for Grade 6, teachers can ensure their students' success in reading and writing.

Quizizz offers a comprehensive platform for teachers to access a wide variety of educational resources, including Narrative Writing worksheets for Grade 6. In addition to these worksheets, Quizizz also provides teachers with an extensive library of interactive quizzes and games that can be used to supplement their students' learning experience. These resources cover a diverse range of topics, including reading and writing, nonfiction writing, and other essential subjects for Grade 6 students. Teachers can easily integrate Quizizz into their lesson plans, allowing them to track student progress and provide targeted feedback to help their students excel. By utilizing Quizizz's extensive collection of worksheets and other educational resources, teachers can create a dynamic and engaging learning environment for their Grade 6 students.

6th Grade Essay Topics – Best 100 Essay Ideas for Sixth Graders

6th grade essay topics don’t have to be boring and uninspiring. With the right essay topics, sixth graders can express themselves in depth and descriptively. This article aims to highlight 100 amazing essay topics for 6th graders that’ll enhance their writing skills and improve their mental performance. These essay topics all meet the Common Core Standards.

Since the 6th grade is the bridge to middle school, teachers will ensure students are prepared for middle school. The emphasis will be laid on the quality of writing and frequent writing assignments and tasks. The key to boosting the writing creativity of 6th graders is allowing them to research essay topics in advance. This will enable you to be more prepared and organised. To find the perfect 6th-grade essay topics, you have to allow your students to sift through the list of essay topics and select the one they feel interested in.

Narrative Essay Topic for 6th Grade 

Whether you want your students to recount an event that happened shortly or an adventure that need them to fuel their imaginative spirit, narrative essays tell a story. The narrative essay is structured with a plot, which organizes it into beginning, middle and end.

Here are some narrative essay topic for 6th graders:

• Think about the best day of your life. What made it so great?
• Who is the oldest person you know?
• Describe a friend situation that changed over only one day.
• Write about how it feels when you’re alone.
• Describe your favourite vacation.
• Has a book, movie, or album ever changed your life?
• Think about your future self. Write about a day in your life, one year from today.
• Tell a family story from your perspective.
• Describe a memory you have of extreme weather.
• Think about a time you had to work hard to learn something.
• Your first day of school.
• Your most exciting day of school
• A field trip that your class took.
• Your favourite summer vacation.
• A trip that included something unexpected or surprising.
• A time that you experienced something spooky.
• A time that you experienced something truly frightening.
• A time that you learned something new that changed you in some way.
• The moment when you met someone who changed your life.
• The day that you got your first pet.
• A move from one place to another.
• Something funny that happened to you.
• Something funny that happened to one of your family members or friends.
• Something embarrassing that happened to you.
• Your favourite birthday party.
• A birthday that was disappointing.
• A big storm (rain, snow or even a tornado!).
• A time that the power went out.
• A summer day when the temperature got much higher than expected.
• A time when you went to an amusement park
• A time when you got lost somewhere.
• A memorable experience with a favourite family member
• A sad experience with someone about whom you care
• Your most exciting moment playing sports
• Your most exciting moment is performing in a play, singing, playing music, or dancing.
• An experience that left you feeling frustrated.
• An experience that was hard but ended up being worth it.
• A time that you experienced rejection.
• A weird encounter with a stranger
• A random act of kindness.
• A time that you took a stand for someone or for an issue that you care about.
• A moment when you thought you might get hurt but didn’t.
• Breaking a bone (or otherwise suffering an injury).
• Your first time away from home for the night (or longer).
• A time when you experienced a historic event.
• Where were you when a major event happened? (Note: You don’t need to have been at the site of the event; this prompt is about where you were when you found out about the event and how you reacted.)
• A time when you rebelled against your parents or teacher.
• A dangerous experience.
• A misunderstanding between yourself and someone else.
• A difficult decision that you had to make.
• The end of a friendship or relationship.
• The beginning of a friendship or relationship.
• A time when you judged someone first and then realized that you were wrong about the person.
• A time when someone judged you first and then realized that he or she was wrong about you.
• A moment when you felt that you were starting to grow up.
• A time when you saw one or both of your parents in a different light.
• A time when you looked up to your older sibling
• A time when your younger sibling looked up to you
• A time when you were grateful to be an only child.
• An experience that you think has only ever happened to you!

Expository essay topic for the 6th Grade

Expository essays are informative. They are fantastic tools you can use to teach your 6th graders about the method of exploring and researching. You’d want to build their writing skills. So here are some Expository essay topic for the 6th graders:

• Write an extended  definition essay  on one of your vocabulary words.
• Pretend a friend hasn’t seen your favorite TV show. And what is it about?
• Compare and contrast two of your friends.
• Describe your school year so far. And what have been the most important events?
• Choose a problem at your school. And what’s the best solution?
• What was the cause of a recent argument you had? And what was the effect?
• Compare and contrast two of your favorite sports or activities.
• Discuss a conflict in a movie you like. And how was it resolved?
• Write a definition essay about the concept of empathy.
• Explain how to send a friendly text message.
• Teach a reader how to play your favorite board or card game.
• Write about the steps needed to tie a shoe.
• Create a user manual for something you use a lot (e.g., hair straightener or cell phone).
• Describe how you get home after school.
• Tell a younger reader how to do homework without wasting time.
• How do you get to the library from your classroom?
• How do you choose what to watch on a streaming service?
• Explain how to pass a difficult level in a video game.
• Write about the steps you follow to listen to your favourite music.

Argumentative essay topic for the 6th Grade

Read:  How to Write a Unique Scholarship Application

The argumentative essay is about debating. It is formal writing that aims to persuade readers to the writer’s line of thought or point of view. It is one way of spurring curiosity in your 6th grader, allowing them to passionately research and boost their writing skills.

Here are some argumentative essay topics for the 6th grade:

• Would you rather get or give a gift?
• If you were anybody when you grow up, who’d you be?
• What is the most selfless thing that you have ever done?
• Do you believe that there are things that only men or only women can perform? Why or why not?
• Do you think that astrological horoscopes are true?
• What are some of the problems faced by immigrants to a new country? How did this experience make you feel?
• What was the funniest moment you’ve ever experienced? Why?
• How do you talk to somebody who has political or spiritual beliefs which are different than your own?
• What is the longest time that you have ever kept a secret? What was the key?
• Write about an experience where you thought you knew something for certain, but were later turned out to be wrong.
• Name and explain somebody that has been a inspiration to your life.
• In 20 years, where do you think you’ll be? What will you do?
• How do you start a conversation with somebody that you do not know?
• What is your deepest, darkest fear?
• What would you believe at the most? How can you create this belief? What’s it about?
• What is your favorite thing to do after school or on this weekend?
• Have you ever been lost? How did you end up finding your way?
• Should kids have homework?
• Is your city a good place to live?
• Is it important to learn math?
• Should school start later?
• What’s the best way to eat an ice cream cone?
• Should skateboarding be allowed in private parking lots?
• Is Monday through Friday the best school schedule?
• Does pizza make a good breakfast?
• Are hamsters fun pets?
• Should students be allowed to go anywhere they want on the Internet?

Narrative essay topic for the 6th Grade

The Narrative essay is used to motivate students to tell a beautiful story and craft pictures in the mind of readers. Here are some Narrative essay topic for the 6th graders,

• Your favorite summer vacation.
• Your favorite birthday party.
• A time when you went to an amusement park.
• A memorable experience with a favorite family member.
• A sad experience with someone about whom you care.
• Your most exciting moment playing sports.
• Your most exciting moment performing in a play, singing, playing music or dancing.
• A weird encounter with a stranger.
• A moment when you thought you might get hurt but didn’t.
• Where you were when a major event happened. (Note: You don’t need to have been at the site of the event; this prompt is about where you were when you found out about the event and how you reacted.)
• A time when you looked up to your older sibling.
• A time when your younger sibling looked up to you.

Descriptive essay topic for the 6th Grade

Here are some fun and inspiring essay topic for 6th graders:

• Describe your favourite place.
• Describe your ideal bedroom.
• Describe the house in which you grew up.
• Describe what the first house on the moon would look like.
• Describe some of your favourite places in your hometown.
• Describe a peaceful place that you’ve visited.
• Describe a place that exists only in your imagination.
• Describe a friend’s or family member’s house where you enjoy spending time.
• Describe your perfect fantasy vacation destination.
• Describe your favourite store.
• Describe your favourite teacher’s classroom.
• Describe a museum that you’ve visited recently.
• Describe a place you have dreamed about that doesn’t exist in real life.
• Describe a place where your pet likes spending time.
• Describe an outdoor place that you know well.
• Describe your favourite person.
• Describe each of your family members.
• Describe a famous person that you would like to meet.
• Describe one of your friends.
• Describe one aspect of someone that you like (for example laugh, style of dress, words that the person likes to use, etc.)
• Describe yourself to someone who has never met you.
• Describe the average human to an alien who has never before seen a person.
• Describe your pet.
• Look at some old family photos and describe an older family member as he or she was when at your age.
• Describe someone whom you miss.
• Describe an object that is special to you.
• Give a tour of one room in your house by describing the most important objects in that room.
• Describe one of your favorite outfits.
• Describe your favorite toy as a child.
• Describe how you get around (for example: a bicycle, skateboard, sneakers, your parents’ car, the school bus).
• Describe your favorite piece of furniture where you like to spend time and relax.
• Describe something that you would bury in a time capsule to tell people about what life is like today.
• Describe an object that has been in your family for a long time.
• Choose a piece of food to eat; then, write a description of it that includes the way it looks, smells and tastes.
• Describe a smartphone to a time traveler from the 1900s.
• Describe your oldest memory.
• Describe your best summer vacation.
• Describe a memorable concert you attended.
• Describe a memorable trip you took.
• Describe a special time that you and your family had together.
• Describe the first time you met one of your friends.
• Describe a time you met someone famous.
• Describe one of your happiest memories.
• Describe one of your saddest memories.
• Describe a time that you felt scared.
• Describe a time that you felt excited.
• Describe a time that something totally unexpected happened.
• Describe a memory of someone whom you miss.
• Describe one of your most memorable first days of school.
• Describe one of your most embarrassing moments.

Creative Essay Topics for 6th Grade

• What is the best thing someone has ever given to you?
• What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
• Write about what you can teach others. Everyone is good at something. This question helps children think about what they’re good at and how they can help others.
•  Did you ever get into an argument with a friend or family member? How did that make you feel?
• Did you ever hurt someone’s feelings? Explain what happened and how it made you feel.
•  Did someone ever hurt your feelings? How did it make you feel? Did you talk to that person about it?
•  Is there anyone you would like to switch places with? who and why?
• What does it mean to be loyal?
•  When was a time you were loyal to a friend or a friend who was loyal to you?

Self-Esteem Essay Topics for 6th Grade

• Has a friend ever betrayed you? How did it make you feel? What do you think your friend should have done differently.
• Have you ever been friends with someone who was unpopular or not part of the group? This is a great question to ask children when teaching them about acceptance and how it feels not to be part of a group.
• When was a time you felt you were treated unfairly? How did it make you feel?
• Is it fair to give someone a head start in a race? When is it fair? When is it not fair?
• Write about a time when you had a strong opinion about something? Why did you feel so strongly about it?
• Write about a time you made a big mistake. How did you fix it? Everyone makes mistakes. This writing topic helps children understand that mistakes are part of the learning experience.
• Write about a time when you were very angry. What happened? How did being angry make you feel? I find that many times children will feel sad when they are angry. Did I make a good choice when I was angry?
•  If you heard a rumour about a friend that you knew wasn’t true, what would you do? How would it make you feel?
• \Write about a time when you cheered someone up. What did you do? How did it make you feel? How did it make that person feel?
• Write about a time when you used your inner strength to get through a tough situation.
•  Write about 3 things that are hard for you and why.
• When was the last time you were afraid? What scared you? How did you react?
•  What is the bravest thing you’ve ever done?
•  Who is your hero and why?
• What do you think risk-taking is? Have you ever taken a risk?
• Write about your best friend. Who are they, how long have you known them, why are they your best friends?
• What does it mean to have good character? Do you think you have a good character? Why?

Compare and contrast essays for grade 6

• Group work and individual work
• Only child vs. having siblings
• Nature vs. nurture
• Anxiety and depression
• Old friends and new friends
• Your teacher vs. your parent/guardian
• Car ownership and public transportation
• Working your way through college as you go or taking out student loans
• Parents and grandparents
• Elementary school and high school
• Learning to read vs. learning to write
• The importance of any two school subjects
• Wearing glasses vs. having braces
• You and your best friend
• Friendship vs. romantic love
• Public and private schools
• Online school and in-person school
• Any two schools or colleges
• Going to college vs. starting work full-time

2 thoughts on “6th Grade Essay Topics – Best 100 Essay Ideas for Sixth Graders”

I don’t like those give me feed back how you could give me gaming stuff for narrative essay

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• Mar 24, 2021

Essays in 6th Grade: A Basic Format that Elevates the Standard 5-Paragraph Structure

6th grade is such a funny year. Funny haha and funny weird. Student writing levels are all over the map. You will have students coming to you writing on a very elementary level, still needing loads of help with grammar and paragraph formation. Then, you will have students ready to write critique pieces and analyses. How do you navigate this? Read to find out more!

Give Them a Format...to Start

I've learned that 6th graders still need format . They still need structure. They still need checklists. As much as I loathe limiting them in this way, I think it is very reassuring to them. That's not to say you can't tweak for the strong writers, but I do still feel they need it.

For my students in particular, I like to let them dabble in looser formats of non-fiction writing in other ways. They do book reviews , a debate , podcasting , etc. They are offered choices in reading responses to non-fiction reading and analysis, too. My classes actually write digital eBooks, too. But on the whole, they are expected to write two essays with a very similar format twice a year.

Bye-Bye 5-Paragraph Essay

Alright, so this is kind of not totally true. My students do end up writing 5 paragraphs, but that typical structure we all commonly know, I navigate away from. I think it's a fine format, but as they get into middle school they are expected to compare a LOT more and not focus on one specific topic . They are expected to follow through on a thread, a claim, a theme, an idea and how it is shown in various sources. And this is super new for them, analyzing various sources on the same concept. They really need a structure for this.

So, the typical essay, before they get to me, goes like this, and it is a good precursor:

Introduction that states your thesis and 3 major reasons to support your claim.

Conclusion that looks a whole lot like the introduction.

This format does not allow analysis of multiple sources and if you throw in other sources, it gets messy. Instead, I gear my students to focus on each source separately, then comparing them all.

The Format that Works (Research and Literary Analysis)

First of all, it's important to know what essays I actually do with my kiddos. I do a research unit. This changes almost every year, but typically they choose some kind of topic, I group them based on their topic choice. First, they do research (non-fiction skills) using a book, article, and video. They then use those sources to write an essay on a claim they make based on their topic. Later, they make eBooks in groups based on their topic.

The other essay I do is Literary Analysis . This follows a dystopian unit . They read a dystopian book in book clubs. Then, I have them choose from a short list of short stories that are dystopian. Lastly, we watch the movie The Truman Show . (This year I had them watch "The Scarecrow" on YouTube since we were hybrid due to the pandemic). They then determine a theme that is true for all three sources and write an essay based on that theme.

This essay format works for both of these essays. So here it goes!

Introductory and Conclusion Statements

In a traditional essay, students have to write a hook, their claim/thesis, and essentially ANOTHER three sentences that state what their essays will be about. In my opinion, all of this is completely unnecessary. How many times do you read introductions in books? Okay, real avid readers do, but in reality many people don't. So for these, I tell my students to get right to the point .

Here's what should be in their introductory and conclusion statements:

A statement that introduces the topic. (This is a hook of some kind. I sometimes tell them to start it with "in our world..." or "in our lives..." and something that relates to their topic. Or just starting it with their topic and explaining what it is.)

The claim/thesis.

A statement that references there are differences and similarities in the sources. (For example: "[Title of sources] support this claim in different and similar ways." That's it.)

This all ends up being 2-3 sentences.

Topic Sentences

I have my students start their essay prep with topic sentences. This helps them get a sense of where their essays will go.

The big thing to understand here is how the paragraphs are set up .

Body #1 : Focus on source #1 and how it shows claim/thesis.

Body #2 : Focus on source #2 and how it shows claim/thesis.

Body #3 : Focus on source #3 and how it shows claim/thesis.

Body #4 : Focus on how ALL SOURCES show the claim/thesis in the same way.

So they start with creating topic sentences for those paragraphs. Each topic sentence is set up like this. The last topic sentence would start with "all sources..." instead of "source title".:

Body Paragraph Format

In the picture you see below, I have specific colors for specific aspects of body paragraphs. ALL body paragraphs follow this format in that exact sequence/order. I will be completely honest, I don't give them a ton of wiggle room since this is pretty new to them. However, my stronger writers dabble in mixing evidence stems and elaboration stems around.

Their paragraph starts with the topic sentence they already prepared. From there, the next sentence begins with an evidence stem . Here are a few examples of evidence stems:

According to the text,

The author states,

In [title],

Right after the evidence stem, in the same sentence, they add their text detail to support their topic sentence. I encourage them to quote exactly from the text for most text details. They can paraphrase, too, but should really try to get exact lines.

In regards to quoting, I also mention to them not to quote plop . I made this up. I plan on making a product for this at some point. A quote plop is bad . It's when students take a line from the text and just plop it in their essay. I show them how to break up the quote from the text with their own words.

So, a first sentence may look like this: According to the text [evidence stem, highlighted green] , when Luke was hiding due to being a third child, "they took the woods away" , [text detail with context, a.k.a. not just plopping the quote in the sentence, highlighted yellow].

Directly after that sentence should be an elaboration stem with an elaboration explaining how the text detail shows their claim/thesis. Students highlight this entire sentence in blue and their claim within it dark blue. Here are some elaboration stems:

This proves [claim] because...

This shows [claim] because ...

After that they do the same process two more times; two more text details with elaborations. Lastly they do a closing sentence .

Comparison Paragraph: This is set up almost exactly the same, except the focus is on how ALL the sources show the claim in the same way. They then provide a NEW text detail from each source to prove how the claim is being shown similarly in each.

Once all their body paragraphs are written, I have them go review their introductory and conclusion statements, put everything into a final draft and leave the highlights in the essay . This helps them visualize all the components and helps me grade!

For revision, the focus is on not quote plopping, being sure their details support their thesis, changing up the wording of claims/theses, and rearranging for strong writers.

Bottom Line

While this is very limiting for some, it is super helpful for struggling writers. Having that checklist and having the highlights helps students visualize what they need to compare sources in an essay format.

I'd say it'd be great to introduce this in 6th and by 8th, they can certainly make these more interpretive, creative, and unique.

You can find a lot more detail about this in the product below . What you see here is only a taste. This contains a full sample essay, checklists, tips, and more. You can also edit it to meet your needs.

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Really interesting - thank you!!

This exactly the kind of thing I've been looking for, and even better! I love your approach and it's so well explained. I couldn't disagree more with any of the negative feedback to this article. I think it's perfect for my style of teaching and my standard of writing. Most of all, the way you explained this and broke it down into small steps will make it so achievable for even lagging students to develop great writing skills and feel confident in the process! You nailed it. Thank you so much!

I read all the essay writing format instructions. All the points are useful for any kind of essay writing. But at the age of high-level essay writing learners need to be essay writer experts like the 6 Dollars Essay Website , ready to do professional essay writing for any essay grade.

This is beyond me and I teach HS English. Where does this lady teach, at Princeton? I do not know any 6th grader that does this or would understand this. I see why so many of our young people have become disinterested in the learning process. I also see why so many teachers quit. The profession is stale, boring, and antiquated. This article was not fun to read and I'm thinking this new 5 paragraph writing style would be a drag for the average ela teacher to teach.

. In the blog post, I mention the various types of writing I do with students. I also have other blog posts that discuss these other formats. This is not the end all be all. In my over a decade experience with teaching writing, having a structure helps struggling writers. This is not a writing style. This a format for one type of writing. As teachers, we should be offering all types of formats, especially with younger writers who are still learning how to write.