Tell narration from dialogue

Supplied materials

• Paper and pencil, or a browser text area. All named people/events/records are fictional learning inputs.
• Worked case: Line: The path is like a ribbon. Layout: four lines with no blank line. Direction: [whispers]. Narration: I opened the gate.
• Primary check: Line: The lake is a mirror. Layout: two lines, blank line, two lines. Direction: [walks left]. Narration: We opened the gate.
• Original two-stanza poem: A lamp beside the open gate Keeps company while I wait. The wind whispers through the tree; The next small step belongs to me. Original script adaptation: JO: I can see the gate now. LEA: Take your time. [Jo pauses, then steps forward.] The poem’s break separates waiting from deciding. Wind whispers is personification; the script makes a pause and movement explicit.

Learn the idea

Narration is the text’s telling voice. I marks first person singular, we first person plural, and names or third-person pronouns tell about other characters. Dialogue alone does not establish a narrator.

Inspect the sample marked narration. If it is instead only a speaker-labeled line, recognize that there is no narration sample.

Example to read or listen to: Line: The path is like a ribbon. Layout: four lines with no blank line. Direction: [whispers]. Narration: I opened the gate. The answer is first person singular. The relevant input states: Narration: I opened the gate. This fits first person singular. Narration is the text’s telling voice. I marks first person singular, we first person plural, and names or third-person pronouns tell about other characters. Dialogue alone does not establish a narrator. Check the designated sample rather than the whole scene.

1. Read or listen to the worked example. Say what the reading or writing task asks you to find. An adult can help with unfamiliar words.
2. Inspect the sample marked narration. If it is instead only a speaker-labeled line, recognize that there is no narration sample.
3. Check the worked solution: first person singular. The relevant input states: Narration: I opened the gate. This fits first person singular. Narration is the text’s telling voice. I marks first person singular, we first person plural, and names or third-person pronouns tell about other characters. Dialogue alone does not establish a narrator. Check the designated sample rather than the whole scene.
4. Try the question and the practice questions. Point to the words that helped you choose before checking the feedback.

Check your reasoning

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Take it further

Optional extra practice: Write a four-line original poem in two two-line stanzas, including a simile and personification. Turn one line into a speaker-labeled script line and add a bracketed pause. Explain the differences among poem layout, dialogue and narration. Practice this lesson’s skill as you complete the task. Use this idea to check your work: Narration is the text’s telling voice. I marks first person singular, we first person plural, and names or third-person pronouns tell about other characters. Dialogue alone does not establish a narrator.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.