Lesson overview

Introduction
Story - Narrative
Middle years and up
change
cause
effect
character growth
changing circumstances
cause and effect chains
syntax of cause and effect
connectors
inferring from context
inferring cause and effect
narrative
story structure
story arc
characterisation
making sense
connecting events
grammar of cause and effect
actions and consequences
describing results
describing impacts
describing situations
caught up in events
learning from experience
describing emotional impact
clarification
adjusting to circumstances
story architecture
establishing the norm
story beginnings
contrast
conflict
story middle
narrative midpoint
narrative end
character arc
causality
Narratives are ultimately about creating chains of cause and effect. In this lesson we explore cause and effect from both a syntax and a story point of view. We look at what happens when cause and effect is broken, how connectors clarify cause and effect relationships, how context and description help readers infer cause and effect, and finally how all this combines to create change in characters and circumstances by the end of a story. For a checkpoint piece, students combine 3 of their responses to create a snapshot story arc. This lesson suits older middle-years and young adult students, and takes 2-3 hours to complete.