Lesson 40: Stories for the Future, Using Narrative Techniques

Quick Write

Students set a goal for the drafting of their narrative writing in today’s lesson.

Tell students to take out their narrative drafts from Lesson 39 and to write a response to the following prompt.

Say these Directions: In Lesson 39, we drafted a narrative opening. Today, you will continue developing your narrative by making the experiences, events, and characters more vivid and clear. You will strengthen your scenes using dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection.

• Ask: What is one specific writing goal you have for today, and which narrative technique will help you reach your goal?

  • My goal is to make my conflict feel more intense. I am going to slow down the moment when my character opens the memory vault and use dialogue so the reader can hear the pressure in the scene.

Guide students to make their goals specific and actionable (such as “add one line of dialogue,” “slow down one moment,” or “add a line of reflection”). Circulate and encourage students to connect their goal to a specific part of their draft.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Now that you have a goal, you will study how voice—active and passive—can strengthen your scene by showing who is responsible and how the conflict feels.

Language Study

Teach: Active and Passive Voice, Verb Mood, and Correcting Shifts

• Say: Writers choose between active and passive voice depending on what they want the reader to notice about a particular moment or scene. Writers also choose verb mood to show whether a sentence states something, asks something, gives a command, or imagines a possibility.

Display this sentence pair:

Say these Directions: Read the sentences below.

• The system erased the stories.

• The stories were erased by the system.

Explain the following:

• Say: When I study sentences like this, I ask two questions: Who is doing the action, and who is receiving it?

Point to the first sentence. Underline the subject, system, and the verb, erased.

• Say: In the first sentence, the subject is “the system,” and the verb is “erased.” The system does the action. This is active voice, and it feels direct because I know who is responsible.

Point to the second sentence. Underline the subject, stories, and the verb, were erased.

• Say: In the second sentence, the subject is “the stories,” and the verb phrase is “were erased.” The stories receive the action. This is passive voice, and it shifts attention to the result instead of the actor.

Explain that passive voice is usually formed with a helping verb plus a past participle, as in were erased. Point out the spelling pattern in many past participles ending in -ed, and remind students to check those endings in their drafts.

• Say: Writers use the active voice to create urgency and clarity. They may use passive voice to show helplessness or to shift attention away from who caused the action. As a writer, I choose the voice that best matches what I want the reader to notice in that moment.

Display the following additional sentence set:

• Petra pressed her hand to the vault door.

• If the alarm sounded, she would freeze.

• Open the archive door now.

Explain the following:

• Say: When I compare these sentences, I notice that the first one is a regular statement, so it uses the indicative mood. The second one imagines a possible situation, so it uses the conditional mood. The third one gives a command, so it uses the imperative mood. In narrative writing, the narration often stays in the indicative mood unless the writer intentionally shifts into a question, a command in dialogue, or a hypothetical possibility. If I accidentally jump from narration into a command or another mood with no reason, the scene can sound choppy or confusing. That means strong writers do not just pick voice and mood on purpose; they also reread and correct inappropriate shifts.

Display the following mentor sentences.

Say these Directions: Review the six mentor sentences below. Then answer the questions.

1. Petra guarded the hidden stories.

2. The city was swallowed by silence.

3. The drones surrounded the valley.

4. Jim was stunned by the empty streets.

5. If the guards found the room, Petra would hide the key.

6. Do not touch the recorder.

• Ask: Which of these sentences are active, which are passive, and which show a different verb mood?

  • Sentence 1 is active because Petra does the action. Sentence 2 is passive because the city receives the action. Sentence 3 is active because the drones do the action. Sentence 4 is passive because Jim receives the action. Sentence 5 uses a conditional mood because it shows what might happen. Sentence 6 uses an imperative mood because it gives a command.

• Ask: How does the voice or mood change the effect of the sentences?

  • Sentence 3 feels urgent because the drones are clearly acting, so the danger moves fast. Sentence 4 feels more helpless because Jim is being acted on, which makes the moment sound shocking and out of his control. Sentence 5 adds suspense because it shows a possible consequence. Sentence 6 sounds forceful because it is a direct command.

Display the following draft example.

Say these Directions: Review the draft example and consider the shift in verb voice or mood.

• Petra crept toward the vault. The code was entered. Open the door before the drones return.

• Ask: Which part of this draft creates an inappropriate shift in verb voice or mood, and how could a writer correct it?

  • The command “Open the door before the drones return” creates an inappropriate shift if this is narration and not dialogue. A writer could revise it to, “If the drones returned, Petra would open the door quickly” or “Petra told herself to open the door before the drones returned.” The passive sentence “The code was entered” is not necessarily wrong, but if the writer wants clarity, it could become “Petra entered the code.”

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: Writers choose voice and mood intentionally to shape how the reader experiences the moment. When you return to your narrative writing, consider how you might use active or passive voice, keep the mood consistent, and correct any sentence that shifts in a way that weakens the scene.

Part A: Review of Narrative Techniques (W.8.3.b) (10 minutes)

Review how writers develop experiences, events, and characters by using dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection. Remind students that they learned about and practiced these narrative techniques in Lessons 15 and 16.

Direct students to work with a nearby partner and keep their own drafts visible.

• Say: Remember, writers do not just tell what happens—they develop the experiences, events, and characters so the reader can experience the conflict. Today, you will practice using dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection to bring life to the events and characters in your narrative.

Display the following model.

• I found the memory room and got scared.

• Say: If I write, “I found the memory room and got scared,” the conflict is there, but there isn’t enough description or reflection to know what the narrator is feeling or what she is facing in the memory room. I can develop that moment by adding dialogue to bring in another voice, pacing to slow down a key moment, description to make the setting vivid, and reflection to show what the character is thinking.

Display the revised example:

• The lock clicked once. Then again. “Hurry,” Tavo whispered behind me. Cold blue light spilled over the shelves, and every glass memory tube seemed to stare back at me. If the Council had sealed this room, why was it open now?

Guide students to notice how each technique adds to the moment: dialogue introduces pressure, pacing slows the action, description builds the setting, and reflection reveals the character’s thoughts.

• Ask: Which narrative technique in the model most clearly reveals the conflict, and how do you know?

  • The pacing reveals the conflict most clearly because the writer slows the moment down with “The lock clicked once. Then again.” That makes the reader feel the suspense and know there is a sense of urgency.

• Ask: How do dialogue, description, and reflection add to the tension in this scene?

  • The dialogue adds pressure because another character is urging the narrator to hurry. The description helps the reader picture the setting and feel the tension, and the reflection shows the narrator’s thoughts, asking why the room was open, which makes the moment feel more serious and uncertain.

• Ask: Where does the writer use active or passive voice in this model, and how does that choice affect the scene?

  • The sentence “Cold blue light spilled over the shelves” is active, which makes the scene feel immediate and vivid. A sentence like “The room was sealed” would be passive, which could make the situation feel more uncertain or out of the character’s hands.

Part B: Applying Narrative Techniques (W.8.3.b, W.8.4, L.8.1.b, L.8.1.d) (20 minutes)

Students continue drafting their narratives from their Story Arc Planners using the narrative techniques of dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection.

Say these Directions: Continue drafting your narrative. Focus on developing one part of your scene by showing what happens, not just explaining it. Use dialogue, pacing, description, or reflection to develop the characters, events, and experiences in your story. Choose one or two techniques to focus on first. As you draft, reread for verb choices. Keep the narration in an appropriate mood, and correct any accidental shifts into commands, questions, or possibilities that do not fit the moment. Remember to choose active or passive voice based on what you want the reader to notice in the moment.

As you draft, check your work for:

• Orientation (Clarity of Context and Point of View from Lesson 7)

  • Is it clear who is telling the story, where the scene is happening, and what is going on?

• Dialogue and Pacing (from Lesson 15)

  • Does the dialogue reveal something about the characters, conflict, or events?

  • Does the pacing slow down or speed up to develop key experiences, events, or characters?

• Description and Reflection (from Lesson 16)

  • Do the details help the reader picture, hear, or feel the experiences and events of the scene?

  • Do you show what the experiences or events mean to the narrator by reflecting what the character realizes, remembers, or feels?

• Verb Voice and Mood

  • Did you intentionally choose active or passive voice to further develop an event or character?

  • Did you keep the mood appropriate for narration, dialogue, or reflection?

  • If a sentence changes to a question, command, or conditional idea, did you make that shift on purpose?

  • Did you correct any inappropriate shifts in verb voice or mood that make the scene confusing?

Provide time for students to write. Circulate to ensure students are developing narrative techniques in their writing. Encourage them to revise one sentence by changing the voice (active or passive) or mood to better show responsibility or emotion.

As time allows, invite students to share portions of their drafts to celebrate their hard work and creativity.

Provide students with a Reflection (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Turn and Talk

Have students engage in a Turn and Talk discussion.

Say these Directions: Reflect on your narrative draft and the goal you wrote at the start of the lesson. Share with your partner what worked well in your writing today and what you want to focus on in the next lesson.

• Ask: How did you move toward your writing goal, and what is your next focus?

  • I strengthened my scene by adding dialogue and slowing down the moment when my character finds the hidden recording. Next, I want to improve my reflection so the reader understands why the moment matters.

Instruct students to continue drafting their narratives, focusing on the following:

• Developing scenes by adding at least one narrative technique (dialogue, pacing, description, or reflection)

• Revising one sentence to strengthen clarity or effect (e.g., adjusting word choice, pacing, or voice)