Use these questions to guide your ... How quick and sharp and full of life! ... Frightened • heart pounds • eyes wide open • start to sweat • knees feel weak.
Grade 2 Narrative Student Pages | Empowering Writers
Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Pages for Print or Projection SECTION 3: Elaborative Detail www.empoweringwriters.com 1-866-285-3516 Student Page Name____________________________________________ STORY CRITICAL CHARACTERS, SETTINGS, OBJECTS In every story there are certain people, places and things that are especially important. These are called story critical characters, settings and objects. Authors highlight these story critical characters, settings and objects by stopping and taking time to describe them. Read each story plan below. Think about the characters, settings and objects that would be most interesting to the reader. Underline story critical characters in RED, settings in BLUE, and objects in GREEN. 1. The duck walked up to the edge of the pond and began to eat the bread crumbs scattered about. _____________________________________________________________________ 2. As Jenny stood in line at the face-painting booth, she picked out her favorite image of a unicorn. _____________________________________________________________________ 3. The small child stomped through the fresh puddles on the sidewalk wearing his bright yellow rain boots. _____________________________________________________________________ 4. This is a story about the time my baby sister stood up and fell out of the grocery cart while we were shopping at the market. _____________________________________________________________________ 5. The bee fluttered around the yard in search of the perfect flower. _____________________________________________________________________ 6. I stood tall on the chair and leaned over to blow out the candles on my birthday cake. _____________________________________________________________________ ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 53 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ IRRELEVANT DETAILS Remember, authors use elaborative detail to describe story critical characters, settings and objects. Read this story section below. This author has used description ineffectively. Cross out the describing words that do not add to the effectiveness of the writing. Underline the story critical characters, settings and/or objects that the author should have described in greater detail in an elaborative segment with vivid specific details. I walked outside into my nice backyard. I took off my blue sneakers and dirty socks and climbed up on the black trampoline. I jumped up and down for a long time until I got really, really, really tired. I laid down on the trampoline and looked up at the blue sky. It was cloudless, but the yellow sun was as bright as ever. When I rested for a minute, I stood back up and jumped really high. I wish I could do a flip, but I am not good at it yet. When I got tired again, I climbed down the silver ladder. CHALLENGE: Find an elaborative detail segment in a book you are reading or have read. Discuss the segment with a partner. Use these questions to guide your discussion: What story critical element was described? How did the author describe it? Pick out the specific description. Did he/she use just color or size words? How does elaborative detail make a story entertaining to read? SP 54 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 59 Student Page Name____________________________________________ GENERAL OR SPECIFIC? Read each pair of descriptions below. Circle the example in each pair that uses effective specific detail rather than overly general detail. Which description shows you more? Which is more entertaining? 1. She licked the yummy ice cream cone. The melting chocolate ice cream dripped down the edge of the cone as she licked around and around trying not to miss a drop. 2. The crooked legs of the bright green grasshopper hopped along the edge of the garden. The green grasshopper hopped in the garden. 3. The county fair was awesome because of all the rides and food. The fairgrounds were crowded with children racing from ride to ride. The smell of corndogs and sweet cotton candy filled the air. 4. The day was hot and the sun beat down as I jumped from the high diving board into the refreshing pool. I swam for hours enjoying every minute in the cool water. I had fun at the swimming pool. 5. I made a good art project. My green handprints created the leaves of the tissue paper tree. 6. My Lego animal was cool. My Lego animal had a small red and black face. Its legs were long and skinny like a giraffe. 7. The huge sunflowers covered the field in a sea of yellow. T he pretty flowers grew in the field. BONUS: G o back and read each GENERAL description. Underline the overly general adjectives that the author used ineffectively. ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 55 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ STORY CRITICAL CHARACTERS, SETTINGS, OBJECTS In every story there are certain people, places, and things that are especially important. These are called story critical characters, settings, objects. Authors highlight these story critical characters, settings, and objects by stopping and taking time to describe these. The author uses specific detail to describe a story critical character, setting, or object. Read the elaborative segments below and tell if the author is highlighting a character, setting, or object. Circle the appropriate elements. 1. Dawn didn't say anything. She took a notebook out of her schoolbag. It was pink with flowers on it. Then she unpacked her pencil box. It was the kind with drawers. Inside were paper clips. And erasers. And little round things to stick on loose-leaf. It had everything. Even a blue pencil with a pink tassel. From Fish Face by Patricia Reilly Giff, 1984, Random House Children's books, New York Character Setting Object (The author could have said: "Dawn took out her school things." Would that have been as effective?) 2. THUMP! Mouse landed in a snowdrift. When he climbed out, what a sight met his eye: Heaps of snow like mounds of mashed potatoes! Flakes of snow like powdered sugar! The chilly birds fluffed up their feathers and chirped. From Snow Day for Mouse by Judy Cox, 2012, Harcourt Brace, New York Character Setting Object (The author could have said: "Mouse landed in the snow." Would that have been as effective?) 3. Henry's favorite toy was a rabbit called Raspberry. Raspberry was white with floppy silver ears and a red nose that looked just like a raspberry. Sometimes Henry was sure that Raspberry smelled like raspberries too. From The Power of Henry's Imagination by Skye Byrne, 2015, Simon and Schuster Publishing Division, New York Character Setting Object (The author could have said: "I have a rabbit." Would that have been as effective?) SP 56 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 61 Student Page Name____________________________________________ A SENSE OF AUTUMN REMEMBER:· W hen you elaborate, you STOP THE ACTION and observe. · Use the five senses! · Y our description should make the reader feel as though he or she is right there with the main character. · Y our elaborative segment should be at least 3 - 4 sentences long. · Remember that sentence variety is important! Read the sentence below. Write an ELABORATIVE SEGMENT describing the story critical setting: autumn. "Autumn is a beautiful time of year!" I said, gazing over the countryside. ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 57 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ PUMPKIN REMEMBER:· When you elaborate, you STOP THE ACTION and observe. · Use the five senses to describe! · Y our elaborative segment should make the reader feel as though he or she is right there with the main character. · Use specific rather than general details. · Remember that sentence variety is important! Write an ELABORATIVE SEGMENT of the object below. Tell SPECIFICALLY what it looked like (color, features, size), what it reminded you of, and how it made you feel. Do NOT write a grocery list. Use interesting words and make it entertaining! A pumpkin sat on the top step of the porch. SP 58 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 63 Student Page Name____________________________________________ GRANDPARENT REMEMBER:· When you elaborate, you STOP THE ACTION and observe. · Use the five senses to describe! · Y our elaborative segment should make the reader feel as though he or she is right there with the main character. · Use specific rather than general details. · Remember that sentence variety is important! Write an ELABORATIVE SEGMENT of the character below. Tell SPECIFICALLY what he/she looked like (kind/color hair, what he/she wore, and other remarkable characteristics). Do NOT write a grocery list. Use interesting words and make it entertaining! My grandmother/grandfather sat on the porch, slowly rocking back and forth. ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 59 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ POND REMEMBER:· When you elaborate, you STOP THE ACTION and observe. · Use the five senses to describe! · Y our elaborative segment should make the reader feel as though he or she is right there with the main character. · Use specific rather than general details. · Remember that sentence variety is important! Write an ELABORATIVE SEGMENT of the setting below. Tell SPECIFICALLY what it looked like, and what you heard. Do NOT write a grocery list. Use interesting words and make it entertaining! I walked along the pond. SP 60 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 65 Student Page Name____________________________________________ WILD THING REMEMBER:· When you elaborate, you STOP THE ACTION and observe. · Use the five senses to describe! · Your elaborative segment should make the reader feel as though he or she is right there with the main character. · Use specific rather than general details. · Remember that sentence variety is important! Write an ELABORATIVE SEGMENT of the animal character below. Tell SPECIFICALLY what it looked like (color, features, size), what it reminded you of, and how it made you feel. Do NOT write a grocery list. Use interesting words and make it entertaining! I stared at the wild thing standing before me. ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 61 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ CROWN REMEMBER:· When you elaborate, you STOP THE ACTION and observe. · Use the five senses to describe! · Y our elaborative segment should make the reader feel as though he or she is right there with the main character. · Use specific rather than general details. · Remember that sentence variety is important! Write an ELABORATIVE SEGMENT of the object below. Tell SPECIFICALLY about its color, size, material and texture. Do NOT write a grocery list. Use interesting words and make it entertaining! The crown was breathtaking. SP 62 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 67 Student Page Name____________________________________________ DESERT REMEMBER:· When you elaborate, you STOP THE ACTION and observe. · Use the five senses to describe! · Y our elaborative segment should make the reader feel as though he or she is right there with the main character. · Use specific rather than general details. · Remember that sentence variety is important! Write an ELABORATIVE SEGMENT of the setting below. Tell SPECIFICALLY what the desert looked like, felt like. Do NOT write a grocery list. Use interesting words and make it entertaining! I fanned my face as I stepped out into the hot desert. ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 63 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ PUPPY REMEMBER:· When you elaborate, you STOP THE ACTION and observe. · Use the five senses to describe! · Y our elaborative segment should make the reader feel as though he or she is right there with the main character. · Use specific rather than general details. · Remember that sentence variety is important! Write an ELABORATIVE SEGMENT of the character below. Tell SPECIFICALLY what the puppy looked like (color, features, size) what it reminded you of, and how it made you feel. Do NOT write a grocery list. Use interesting words and make it entertaining! I looked at my new puppy. SP 64 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 69 Student Page Name____________________________________________ STORY CRITICAL CHARACTER, SETTING OR OBJECT MAKE-IT-YOUR-OWN REMEMBER: · When you elaborate, you STOP THE ACTION and observe. · Use the five senses to describe! · Your elaborative segment should make the reader feel as though he or she is right there with the main character. · Use specific rather than general details. · Remember that sentence variety is important! Write an ELABORATIVE SEGMENT of the character, setting or object of your choice. Tell SPECIFICALLY what's it looks like (color, size, features, etc.) what it reminded you of and how it made you feel. Do NOT write a grocery list. Use interesting words and make it entertaining. ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 65 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ ELABORATIVE DETAIL (1) Read this descriptive segment below. The author uses elaborative detail to describe this story critical character. The sensory information allows the reader to see, hear, and experience this character. Think about the kinds of detail-generating questions the author would have to ask himself or herself in order to generate this type of detail. On the lines below, write your questions. Mr. Wonka was standing all alone just inside the open gates of the factory. And what an extraordinary man he was! He had a black top hat on his head. He wore a tail coat made of a beautiful plum-colored velvet. His trousers were bottle green. His gloves were pearly gray. And in one hand he carried a fine gold-topped walking cane. Covering his chin, there was a small neat pointed black bearda goatee. And his eyes--his eyes were most marvelously bright. They seemed to be sparkling and twinkling at you all the time. The whole face, in fact, was alight with fun and laughter. And oh, how clever he looked! How quick and sharp and full of life! He kept making quick jerky little movements with his head. From: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, 2007, Puffin Books, reprint edition CHALLENGE: Think about a character from your favorite book. Write an elaborative detail segment describing the character on a separate piece of paper. Use the following questions to help generate specific detail. · How tall or small is this character? (size) · What kind/color hair? · How old is the character? · What kind of eyes/ears/nose/mouth does the character have? · What is he/she wearing? · What distinguishing characteristics does he/she have? · What kind of expression is on the face? · What does the character remind you of? SP 66 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 71 Student Page Name____________________________________________ ELABORATIVE DETAIL (2) Read this descriptive segment below. The author uses elaborative detail to describe this story critical object. The sensory information allows the reader to see, hear and experience this object right along with the main character. Think about the kinds of detail-generating questions the author would have to ask himself or herself in order to generate this type of detail. On the lines below, write your questions. It was a little insect, about an inch long and covered with dirt. It had six legs, two long antennae on its head and what seemed to be a pair of wings folded on its back. Ever so softly he tapped the hard, black shell, and the antennae, and legs, and wings. Gradually the dirt that had collected on the insect fell away. His true color was still black, but now it had a bright glossy sheen. From: The Cricket in Times Square by George Shelden, 1960, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing CHALLENGE: Think about an insect you have seen, either inside, outside or in pictures. Write an elaborative detail segment describing an insect of your choice on a separate piece of paper. Use the following questions to help generate specific detail. · How big or small is the insect? · What kind/color body? Wings? Eyes? · What unusual markings does it have? · How does it sound? · How does it move? ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 67 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ ELABORATIVE DETAIL (3) Read this descriptive segment below. The author uses elaborative detail to describe this story critical setting. The sensory information allows the reader to see, hear and experience this setting right along with the main character. Think about the kinds of detail-generating questions the author would have to ask himself or herself in order to generate this type of detail. On the lines below, write your questions. The barn was very large. It was very old. It smelled of hay and it smelled of manure. It smelled of the perspiration of tired horses and the wonderful sweet breath of patient cows. It often had a peaceful smell as though nothing bad could happen ever again in the world. The barn had stalls on the main floor for the work horses, tie-ups on the main floor for the cows, a sheepfold down below for the sheep, a pigpen down below for Wilbur and it was full of all sorts of things that you find in barns: ladders, grindstones, pitch forks, monkey wrenches, scythes, lawn mowers, snow shovels, ax handles, milk pails, water buckets, empty grain sacks, and rusty rat traps. From: Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, 1952, Scholastic, Inc. CHALLENGE: Think about an old barn that you've seen in real life or in pictures. Write an elaborative detail segment describing an old barn on a separate piece of paper. Use the following questions to help generate specific detail. · How big or small is the barn? · How old is the barn? · What kind/color? · What lives there? · What kind of noises do you hear? · What does it smell like? · What tools do you see? SP 68 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 73 Student Page Name____________________________________________ ELABORATIVE DETAIL - MAKE-IT-YOUR-OWN TEMPLATE Select a passage of elaborative detail from a book you are reading, and write it on the lines below. The author uses elaborative detail to bring this ordinary character, setting or object to life and make it real. The sensory information allows the reader to see and experience the character, setting, or object. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Now, think about the questions the author must have asked himself in order to compose this descriptive passage. Write the questions on the lines below. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 69 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ FLIP THE SENTENCE SUBJECT! (1) DIRECTIONS: Look at the sample sentence revision. Then, try your hand at revising the other redundant sentences using this technique. EXAMPLE: I saw a leaf. A leaf blew off of the tree. BONUS: A colorful leaf blew off of the almost bare tree. 1. I saw a pumpkin. 2. I saw a scarecrow. 3. I saw a football player on the field. 4. I saw a black cat. BONUS: Turn and talk with a partner and discuss what the sentences are describing. Then, discuss other items that would be found in the same setting. How would you include those items in the description and add sentence variety? SP 70 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 75 Student Page Name____________________________________________ FLIP THE SENTENCE SUBJECT! - CUPCAKE (2) DIRECTIONS: Look at the sample sentence revision. Then, try your hand at revising the other redundant sentences using this technique. EXAMPLE: The cupcake had icing on top. On top of the cupcake was icing. BONUS: Atop the delicious cupcake was vanilla icing. 1. The cupcake had a paper wrapper. 2. It had sprinkles. 3. It had chocolate candies. 4. It had a candle. BONUS: Turn and talk with a partner and discuss what the sentences are describing. Then, discuss other decorations the object would have. How would you include those items in the description and add sentence variety? ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 71 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ FLIP THE SENTENCE SUBJECT! - FISHING (3) DIRECTIONS: Look at the sample sentence revision. Then, try your hand at revising the other redundant sentences using this technique. EXAMPLE: There was a pond. A pond was nestled among the trees. BONUS: A small pond was nestled among the tall pine trees. 1. There was a bank on the pond. 2. There was a fishing pole. 3. There were fish in the water. 4. There was bait in the bag. BONUS: Turn and talk with a partner and discuss what the sentences are describing. Then, discuss other items that would be in the setting. How would you include those items in the description and add sentence variety? SP 72 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 77 Student Page Name____________________________________________ WHAT FEELINGS LOOK LIKE What do you look like when you're angry? How do you look when you're sad, or happy, tired, or cold? Look at the list of feelings below. Pantomime each feeling with a group of friends. Use facial expressions and body language. See if you can guess the feeling they are trying to show. · HAPPY · SAD · HOT · TIRED · ANGRY · SHOCKED · COLD · SHY · FRIGHTENED Now, use a line to connect each feeling with what that feeling looks like: Tired· smile on face · heart leaps · jump up and down · hands clasped together · eyes open wide Cold · eyes well up · lips quiver · heart drops · wring hands Hot · brow furrowed · frown · fists clenched · heart pounds · stamp feet · teeth clenched Angry · mouth drops open · eyes open wide · heart pounds · cover mouth with your hand · jump back · gasp Happy · slump · yawn · eyes droop · legs feel heavy Sad · sweat beads on forehead · face gets red · wipe your brow · move slowly · fan yourself Shocked· shiver · teeth chatter · hug yourself · blow into your hands · rub hands together Frightened· heart pounds · eyes wide open · start to sweat · knees feel weak · butterflies in stomach · mouth drops open ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 73 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ SHOWING OR TELLING? Read each story segment below. If the author SHOWS the character's feelings, write an "S" in the blank. If the author just TELLS the character's feelings, write a "T" in the blank. 1. _____ Joey was really scared. 2. _____ Annabelle felt a smile spread across her face. Her heart seemed to leap in her chest and she clapped her hands together in delight. 3. _____Laticia slammed her book onto the table and stamped her foot. You could almost see steam coming out of her ears! 4. _____ David was mad at Sam. 5. _____ Paulo dragged his backpack behind him. Sweat trickled down his back. Each step took a huge effort. He wiped his brow and thought about how nice an ice cold lemonade would taste. 6. _____ Nick's stomach seemed to churn. His palms were sweaty and he watched the clock. The time seemed to drag along. He thought again and again about the test. He gulped as the teacher handed out the paper. 7. _____ Sarah was excited about her big day. 8. _____ That was when Janie got furious. 9. _____ Tommy shivered and his teeth chattered. 10._____ C lara felt a lump in her throat. Her lips began to quiver and her eyes welled with tears. BONUS: Go back to each "S" example. Write the feeling after the sentence. SP 74 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 79 Student Page Name____________________________________________ HOW DOES THIS CHARACTER FEEL? SHOWING RATHER THAN TELLING? Showing how a story character feels allows the reader to get to know that character and to understand/relate with the character. Read each story segment below. Circle the emotion that best describes how the character is feeling. Underline the language that demonstrates that feeling. 1. Terrance crossed the finish line in the mile run and immediately dropped to his knees. Sweat poured from his forehead and he was barely able to catch his breath. He dragged himself over to the winner's table to pick up his 3rd place ribbon, propping his hands on the table, trying not to collapse in front of the crowd. How was Terrance feeling? The author could have said, "Terrance was ___________." Happy Mad Tired 2. Keller ripped the paper from the package and tore open the box. His eyes grew wide as he looked inside to find the present he had been hoping for. He sprinted across the room and squeezed his mother so tight, he almost cut off her air. Then he let out a holler that made the party-goers cover their ears. How was Keller feeling? The author could have said, "Keller was ____________." Shy Excited Hot 3. Halleigh threw on several layers of clothing and ran outside in the yard. She stood staring at the blanket of white covering the ground. Her teeth chattered and she blew into the palm of her hands. She watched as a cloud of smoke billowed from her mouth every time she let out a breath of air. Another pair of socks might have been necessary to keep her toes from becoming numb. How was Halleigh feeling? The author could have said, "Halleigh was __________." Cold Angry Sad 4. Mr. Jeans walked into his classroom to find a room full of empty desks. His mouth dropped open and he blurted, "What is going on here? Did I miss something?" He walked back to the hallway and saw not a student in sight. He rubbed his chin and scratched his forehead. His room was as quiet as the library was supposed to be. He turned back toward his classroom and stepped back inside. All of a sudden his students jumped out from under their desks and yelled, "SURPRISE!" How was Mr. Jeans feeling? The author could have said, "Mr. Jeans was _________?" Happy Hot Shocked ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 75 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ BEFORE AND AFTER REVISION ACTIVITY (1) ELABORATIVE DETAIL Read this description of how the character in a novel is feeling. It tells rather than shows. It is BORING! Everyone could see that Louisa was really, really mad! Revise this by SHOWING rather than TELLING. Be sure to describe her facial expression, body language, and even any sounds she made. SP 76 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 81 Student Page Name____________________________________________ BEFORE AND AFTER REVISION ACTIVITY (2) ELABORATIVE DETAIL Read this description of how the character in a novel is feeling. It tells rather than shows. It is BORING! Zane was so sad that school was still in session while the snow was falling. Revise this by SHOWING rather than TELLING. Be sure to describe his facial expression, body language, and even any sounds he made. ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 77 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ BEFORE AND AFTER REVISION ACTIVITY (3) ELABORATIVE DETAIL Read this description of how the character in a novel is feeling. It tells rather than shows. It is BORING! Alana couldn't believe how tired she was after the swim meet. Revise this by SHOWING rather than TELLING. Be sure to describe her facial expression, body language, and even any sounds she made. SP 78 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 83 Student Page Name____________________________________________ BEFORE AND AFTER REVISION ACTIVITY (4) ELABORATIVE DETAIL Read this description of how the character in a novel is feeling. It tells rather than shows. It is BORING! Aubrey was scared when the lights flickered during the storm. Revise this by SHOWING rather than TELLING. Be sure to describe his facial expression, body language, and even any sounds he made. ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 79 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ Pitching In "Everybody, rise and shine." My mom's voice rang out loud and clear in the stillness of the early morning. It was Saturday and it would've been nice to sleep in, but Mom had told us last night that we had a lot of work to do in the yard and the garden. Everybody had to pitch in. The warm September sun was high in the sky and beaming down on us. I watched a flock of geese flying south. I admired their graceful wings and long necks. There were still leaves of gold, red and orange on many of the trees and the colors seemed to shimmer in the bright sunlight. Autumn, I decided, was my favorite season. Dad handed everyone a rake and the five of us got to work. We raked piles as high as the sky. Dad loaded the leaves onto a sheet and we dragged them to the edge of the woods. Sweat dripped down our faces. We soon finished raking and fell to the ground. "Come on lazybones," Dad laughed. There was still work to do. We got a quick water break and the five of us headed to the garden to harvest the last of the vegetables. Dad and I dug up a heaping bushel of potatoes while Rosie and Brian pulled bunches of carrots from the rich, dark soil. Mom harvested the squash from which she would make a creamy, spicy soup. While I dug, I watched a busy little squirrel gathering acorns from beneath the big oak tree and listened to Rosie sing a goofy song she'd made up herself. Once the vegetables were harvested, we stacked firewood. By the end of the day, we were all tired and dirty, but really proud of all we'd accomplished. Our yard was the neatest one on the block! (continued) SP 80 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 85 Student Page That evening, I remembered how I'd grumbled about getting up early and working outdoors. How silly of me! My shoulders were aching, but I was so glad that I'd discovered the fun of pitching in. Summarizing Framework: This is a story about_________________________________________. The experience was__________________________________________. The experience ended when__________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ . ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 81 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ LITERARY ANALYSIS TASK: ELABORATIVE DETAIL Read the story Pitching In and draw a ring around the elaborative detail segment where the author described the setting. Where is this story set? How do you know? Write in complete sentences and provide the evidence that proves your answer. Sentence starters are provided to help you frame up your response. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sentence Starters: The story takes place in_____________________________________________ . The reader knows this because______________________________________ . In the story _____________ the author describes the setting as _________ . The author wrote___________________________________________________ . We see this when __________________________________________________ . The setting is______________________________________________________ . This shows us______________________________________________________ . We find out the setting is___________________________________________ . SP 82 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 87 Student Page Name____________________________________________ NARRATIVE EXTENSION TASK: ELABORATIVE DETAIL Read the story Pitching In and draw a ring around the elaborative detail segment of the setting. This story takes place in autumn. Think about this same story if it took place in winter. Write an elaborative detail segment for this story if it is set in winter in a snowy place. Productive Questions for Elaborative Detail What did you see? What did the sky look like? What did the air feel like? What did the ground look like? What kind of trees, bushes, or plants? What did you hear? What did you smell? What kind of animals? What kind of weather? What did the houses, buildings or cars look like? Everybody had to pitch in and shovel out from the latest winter storm. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sentence Starters for Elaborative Detail Looking closely, ____ noticed ____________. His/her eyes widened when he/she saw ____. The sound of ___________. On the ground lay _____________. ____ smelled ___________ in the air. Falling from the sky was ___________. Looking down ____________. ___ caught the scent of ________. ______ looked up and ___________. The air felt ___________. It was strange to see ____________. ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 83 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide Student Page Name____________________________________________ A Special Gift "Grandma's here!" I shouted. I ran toward the door and swung it open. Grandma was coming up the front walk. She waved with one hand and carried a big shopping bag in her other hand. Grandma bent down and gave me a hug. "I have a surprise for you!" she said. She opened the bag and took out a package. It was wrapped in shiny red and gold paper. It was topped with a big red bow. "Can you guess what it is?" Grandma asked. She smiled at me and winked. I took the present. It was heavy. "Be careful," Grandma said. "Don't drop it!" There were eight holes in the top of the box. I heard a scratching sound. My heart began to beat faster. I pulled off the bow and ripped the colorful paper. Suddenly I heard something purr. I looked up at Grandma. My mouth dropped open. I gasped. I quickly opened the box and put my hands inside. I felt something soft and furry. "Meow...." In the blink of an eye my special surprise jumped out of the box and into my lap. "Thank you, Grandma!" I said. I hugged my gift and felt warm and happy inside. "I'm going to name her Taffy," I said. I'll never forget the day when Grandma gave me the best present of all. Having a pet has made me the happiest kid in the world! Summarizing Framework: This is a story about_________________________________________. The experience was__________________________________________. The experience ended when__________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ . SP 84 Grade 2 Narrative Writing Guide ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC 89 Student Page Name____________________________________________ LITERARY ANALYSIS TASK: FEELINGS Read the story A Special Gift and underline the places in the story where the main character feels a strong emotion. How does the main character feel? How do you know? Write in complete sentences to provide the evidence that proves your answer. Sentence starters are provided to help frame up your response. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Sentence Starters: The main character feels____________________________________________ . The reader knows this because______________________________________ . In the story _____________ the author describes the feelings as ________ . The author wrote___________________________________________________ . We see this when __________________________________________________ . This shows us______________________________________________________ . We find out the main character is _____________ when_________________ . ©2019 Empowering Writers, LLC SP 85 Grade 2 Narrative Writing GuideAdobe Acrobat.com CombinePDF Service 1.0.0 Adobe Acrobat.com CombinePDF Service 1.0.0