Stretch it out

Good writers stretch out the important scenes in a story to make them more interesting to their readers. In this lesson, students will learn to stretch out a scene by adding things that they see, hear, think, and say to others.

A lesson plan for grades 3–5 English Language Arts

By DPI Writing Strategies

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Related topics

• Learn more about details, language arts, main idea, and writing.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• identify sensory details relevant to the story
• incorporate sensory details into an existing story
• re-write a piece of their own writing to include relevant sensory details

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

1 hour

Materials/resources

• Transparency of Sample list-like story (Trip to Disney World, Draft 1) (attachment: pdf | rtf)
• Overhead transparency or chart paper
• Transparency and handouts of “Stretch It Out” Chart (attachment: pdf | rtf)

Technology resources

Overhead Projector

Activities

Modeling/Mini-lesson

1. Tell students that narratives that are just lists of events are boring to read. Say “Today you will be learning how to stretch out a scene in a story to make it more interesting.” Put transparency of sample list-like story on overhead and read aloud to students. (Trip to Disney World, Draft 1).
2. Ask students to recall all the events they remember. List events on an overhead or chart for class to view.
3. Tell students that even unimportant events, such as eating a hamburger, can be stretched out to make them more interesting. However, it is important to stretch out the important events in a story to make them interesting to the reader.
4. Have students decide which event was the most important or which was the main event. (probably the roller coaster ride)
5. Begin to cross off or combine less important or irrelevant events.
6. Zero in on the most important event and have students stretch it out by brainstorming what they would see, hear, think, and say to others to show their feelings on the “Stretch It Out” chart or transparency.
7. Ask students to write the stretched out scene. (Roller coaster ride)
8. Have students share their elaborated main event.

Guided Practice

9. Hand out copies of “Stretch It Out” chart. Have students select another event from the list of events and brainstorm sensory details and feelings to add to the scene. Ask students to write the revised, stretched out scene.

Independent Practice

10. Encourage students to find a main event in one of their drafts to elaborate, using the “Stretch It Out” chart. Students can also use the chart to plan their writing before they begin a new draft.

Assessment

• Can students list relevant sensory details and feelings on the “Stretch It Out” handout?
• Can students write a revised version of the stretched-out scene?
• Can students stretch out a scene in a draft of their own writing?

Supplemental information

• Writing Feature: Support and Elaboration
• Writing Process Stage: Planning, Revising
• Writing Environment: Expressive
• Writing Genre: Personal Narrative, Imaginative Narrative