Narrative Elements Teaching Resources
Are you teaching narrative elements and looking for worksheets and activities to get students excited about tone, narration, plot and a host of other elements to writing a great story? Wondering how to engage primary students on the concept of character traits and make plot development as exciting as recess?
The English teachers on the Teach Starter team have done just that with a collection of printable worksheets and digital activities built around this core reading standard. Aligned with the Australian English curriculum, each narrative elements activity in this collection has undergone a careful review by a member of our teacher team to ensure it's ready for your lesson plans and your students.
Explore our teacher team's guide to learn more about the various narrative elements and how to bring them to life in your classroom!
Is this your first year teaching about these story elements? Or the first year in a while? Our teacher team has put together a quick refresher to get you ready to rock and roll in the classroom, including a way to explain what narrative elements are.
What Are Narrative Elements? A Kid-Friendly Definition
First thing's first: Let's talk about the definition.
Narrative elements are the basic components of writing that the author uses to share the story with the reader. Without them, the narrative falls apart!
They are sometimes referred to as story elements or literary elements. No matter what you call them, these elements give a piece of writing structure and help the author convey information to the reader.
On the reading side, literary elements are also key to breaking down a story to understand better what the author is trying to say.
What Are Examples of Narrative Elements? 8 Examples That Can Help Your Students
There are eight main examples of narrative elements that students will encounter in narrative texts:
1. Setting
This element is crucial for developing a story as it provides the time in which the story takes place as well as where it takes place. Setting helps ground the story.
2. Plot
The plot is the way a story unfolds. It's essentially a pattern for the text.
3. Conflict
Conflict helps move a plot forward as it offers the reader a climax to move toward as they read.
4. Characterisation
This element of writing covers the way characters are developed within a story.
5. Point of View
Also called narration, this literary element is the perspective from which a story is told, such as first person or third person.
6. Tone
The tone of a story can be boiled down to the author's attitude about the subject of the story.
7. Genre
Genre covers the type of story written, such as realistic fiction, science fiction or even magical realism.
8. Figurative Language
Similes, metaphors and onomatopoeia are just some examples of the figurative language students may encounter in a text.
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Narrative Elements Flipbook
Teach your students about narrative elements with this double-sided flipbook.
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Types of Characters - Poster
Remind students about the types of characters that can be found in stories with this colourful classroom poster.
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Movie Day Menu - Story Element Review Grid
Turn a movie day into a learning experience with our printable Movie Day Comprehension menu.
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Story Elements Cut and Paste Worksheets – Little Red Riding Hood
Explore story characters, settings and main events with this set of cut-and-paste worksheets based on a well-known fairy tale.
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Narrative Elements Graphic Organisers – Landscape
Encourage your students to write and draw about various story elements with this set of differentiated graphic organisers.
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Free Character Traits List
Teach your students to analyse characters more effectively by providing them with a list of character traits.
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Reading Response Character Report – Template
A comprehension template for students to write a character report about the text they have been reading.
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Story Elements Worksheets – The Ants and the Grasshopper
Practise identifying the story characters, settings and main events with this set of worksheets based on a traditional tale.
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Story Elements Worksheets – The Fox and the Grapes
Practise identifying the story characters, settings and main events with this set of worksheets based on a traditional tale.
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Inside Trait or Outside Trait? Interactive Game
Explore the internal and external traits of story characters with this interactive digital game.
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Character or Not? Cut and Paste Worksheet
Explore the difference between characters and non-characters with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Hey Diddle Diddle Sequencing Activity Cards
Read and retell the story within the Hey Diddle Diddle tale with a set of retelling sequencing cards.
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Humpty Dumpty Sequencing Activity Cards
Read and retell the story within the Humpty Dumpty tale with a set of retelling sequencing cards.
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Novel Study – Points of View Worksheet
Analyse the points of view of opposing characters in a literary text with this set of three worksheets.
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Book Report Mini Book
Have students write about their favourite literature with this fun-sized mini-book.
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Character Adjective Concertina Template – Blank
Learn how adjectives can be used to describe a character's appearance and personality with a hands-on craft activity aligned to the English curriculum.
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Character Development - Fakebook Page Template
Use research and creative writing skills to design a social media profile for fiction or nonfiction persons.
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Detailed Character Profile Worksheet
A worksheet for students to use when building a character for a story.
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5 Finger Retell Worksheets
Guide your students through using the 5 finger retell strategy with this set of worksheets.
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5 Finger Retell Classroom Posters
Guide students through the 5 finger retell process with this set of classroom posters and individual student guide.
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Retelling Caterpillar Writing Template
Help students break down their retells with this cute caterpillar writing template.
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Story Elements Worksheets – The Goose and the Golden Egg
Practise identifying the story characters, settings and main events with this set of worksheets based on a traditional tale.
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Character Appearance, Traits and Feelings - Worksheet
Explore and describe a character's personality, feelings and appearance with this differentiated worksheet to be used with any text.
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Beginning, Middle and End Mini-Book - The Three Little Pigs
Teach your students about the beginning, middle and end of a story with this mini-book retell of The Three Little Pigs.
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Why Bears Have Stumpy Tails – Sequencing Worksheet
Identify the story beginning, series of events and ending with this narrative text sequencing activity.
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Story Retell Interactive Graphic Organisers
Explore the elements of a retell with your students using this digital activity.
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Gingerbread Man Retelling Activity Cards
Teach your students about retelling with this set of sequencing cards for The Gingerbread Man.
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Create a Silly Story – Sorting Activity
Explore story characters, settings, problems and solutions by creating a silly story!
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Story Settings Mini Book
Allow your little learners to explore and write about story settings with this fun-sized mini-book.
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What Is the Setting? - Worksheets
Encourage your students to identify the setting in short and simple texts with this set of six worksheets.
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Little Miss Muffet - Sequencing Cards
Read and retell the story within the tale of Little Miss Muffet with a set of retelling sequencing cards.
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Elements of a Story Activity Workbook
Explore the different elements of a narrative story with this student mini workbook.
- Narrative Elements Worksheets
- Narrative Elements Templates
- Narrative Elements Teaching Presentations
- Narrative Elements for For Foundation Year
- Narrative Elements for For Year 1
- Narrative Elements for For Year 2
- Narrative Elements for For Year 3
- Narrative Elements for For Year 4
- Narrative Elements for For Year 5
- Narrative Elements for For Year 6