Narrative Structure in We’ve Got a Job

Narrative Structure in We’ve Got a Job

I can determine narrative voice

Multiple Choice

all knowing

• Purpose

• Structure

• Narrative

• Omniscient

• Point of view

Multiple Choice

the way something is built, arranged , or organized

• Purpose

• Structure

• Narrative

• Omniscient

• Point of view

Multiple Choice

who is telling the story and how it is told

• Purpose

• Structure

• Narrative

• Omniscient

• Point of view

Multiple Choice

the reason an author writes, usually to inform, persuade, or entertain

• Purpose

• Structure

• Narrative

• Omniscient

• Point of view

Multiple Choice

a text that tells a story

• Purpose

• Structure

• Narrative

• Omniscient

• Point of view

Multiple Choice

Read this excerpt from "The Spirit of Alcatraz."

The name Alcatraz makes people all over the world think of the infamous prison that used to be there. But the small island in the San Francisco Bay has a different meaning for many American Indians, who see it as a symbol of freedom.

Which part of the narrative structure does the author develop in this excerpt?

• the plot

• the characters

• the setting

• the conflict

Multiple Choice

Read this excerpt from We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Children’s March.

When Arnetta Streeter was in elementary school, she wanted to become a nun. She loved the nuns who taught at St. Mary's, the Catholic school she attended through third grade. Arnetta said they were "very, very strict," and she liked the discipline and high academic expectations.

Which part of the narrative structure does the author develop in this excerpt?

• Plot is developed as Arnetta experiences the highs and lows of a school day.

• Characterization is developed, showing Arnetta’s enthusiasm for school.

• Conflict is developed as Arnetta is disciplined by the nuns at her school.

• Setting is developed, revealing the layout of Arnetta’s school building.

Multiple Choice

Read this excerpt from We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Children’s March.

Like James, she was so light-skinned that her friends sometimes called her names. "When they would get angry, they would call me ‘half-white' . . . ," she said. "It would really, really hurt my feelings." Although she had friends who passed, "I was black, and it was no doubt about it in my mind," she said.

Which part of the narrative structure does the author develop in this excerpt?

• Plot is developed as Arnetta seeks adventure.

• Characterization is developed as Arnetta nurtures friendships.

• Conflict is developed as Arnetta faces racial insults.

• Setting is developed as Arnetta describes her neighborhood.

Multiple Choice

Read this paragraph.

When the curtain closed, I breathed a sigh of relief. "We did it!” I exclaimed to Riya, knowing she would be equally thrilled. I wiped the sweat from my brow and prepared to take a bow when the curtain reopened. The thundering applause of the audience suggested that it approved.

Which statement describes the narrative voice of this paragraph?

• The paragraph has a first-person narrator offering thoughts and feelings.

• The paragraph has a second-person narrator addressing the reader.

• The paragraph has a third-person narrator sharing observations.

• The paragraph has an omniscient narrator with knowledge of the future.

Multiple Choice

Read this paragraph.

Curtis sat in the third row with his mother and father. They were quiet and reverential as the concert began. Occasionally, Curtis bowed his head as if in thought. When they stood at intermission, he took his mother’s arm and held her hand.

Which statement describes the narrative voice of this paragraph?

• The paragraph has a first-person narrator offering thoughts and feelings.

• The paragraph has a second-person narrator addressing the reader.

• The paragraph has a third-person narrator sharing observations.

• The paragraph has an omniscient narrator with knowledge of the future.

Multiple Choice

Read this excerpt from We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Children’s March.

Washington Elementary, which James and Wash also attended, was a shock to her. All of the teachers were black. The classes were more crowded, and the classrooms were less well equipped than those at St. Mary's.

In addition, she had a long walk to school. Every day, she passed by Elyton Elementary, the white school that was closer to her home. "My father would always say, ‘One day, black children will be able to go to Elyton.’" Arnetta wasn’t sure she believed that would ever happen.

How does the author use third-person narration in this excerpt?

• to present a contrast between black and white schools

• to describe the peer interaction at Washington Elementary

• to explain the laws that maintained racially separate schools

• to share Mr. Streeter’s plan to integrate the schools

Open Ended

Lesson Question:

What voices are used to tell the stories of the past?

Multiple Choice

Read this excerpt from We've Got a Job: The 1963 Children's March.

All of the students at St. Mary's were black, as required by law. But unlike the staff at black public schools, the teachers – all of whom were nuns – were white. So, Arnetta grew up mingling comfortably with white people. In fact, had she wanted to, she could have "passed" for white herself.

The excerpt uses third-person narration, because

• a character tells the events of the story.

• the author tells the facts of the story.

• the author speaks to the reader.

• the author knows how the story ends.

Multiple Choice

Read this excerpt from We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Children’s March.

Mr. Streeter was a barber and owned his own shop. Orphaned as a teenager, he had raised his five younger siblings by cutting hair, stopping only for Army duty and two years of study at Miles College. Mrs. Streeter had graduated from Tuskegee University, just like both of her parents and five of her seven siblings. She worked as the youth director at the black YWCA.

The excerpt uses third-person narration, because

• a character is sharing his personal history.

• the author is speaking to the reader.

• the author is sharing background information.

• the author explains how the story ends.

Multiple Choice

Read this paragraph.

Carla began to connect more with her peers than her family – I’m sure you have seen this in your community. Youths often prefer the company of their friends, seeking them out at the pool, the park, the mall. They no longer seek shelter behind mothers and fathers, you understand. Instead, they venture boldly into new social circles.

Which statement describes the narrative voice of this paragraph?

• The paragraph has a first-person narrator offering thoughts and feelings.

• The paragraph has a second-person narrator addressing the reader.

• The paragraph has a third-person narrator sharing observations.

• The paragraph has an omniscient narrator with knowledge of the future.

Multiple Choice

Read this paragraph.

Youths who were offered a chance at social activism turned out in droves at Milbrook High School yesterday afternoon. A poster in the hall had advertised simply, "Get involved! You can change lives!” This raised students’ curiosity, and many attended a meeting that introduced a neighborhood tutoring program. More than fifty students signed up to tutor children at nearby elementary schools.

Which statement describes the narrative voice of this paragraph?

• The paragraph has a first-person narrator offering thoughts and feelings.

• The paragraph has a second-person narrator addressing the reader.

• The paragraph has a third-person narrator sharing observations.

• The paragraph has an omniscient narrator with knowledge of the future.