D E V E L O P I N G N A R R AT I V E S K I L L S . B Y R O S I E N A V A R R O .

SPOOKY TALES.

LOOK AT THE PICTURES AND LISTEN TO THE SOUNDS. WHAT WILL THE STORY BE ABOUT.

UNDERLINE THE CORRECT WORD (1-6). LISTEN AND CHECK . WHICH PARAGRAPH(S):

1. DESCRIBE CHARACTER’S FEELINGS?2. SETS THE SCENE?3. INCLUDES THE EVENTS BEFORE THE CLIMAX?4. INCLUDES THE CLIMAX?

• 1. It was a cold, dark evening with wintry winds howling through the hills and mountains of the Great Smokies. The train slowly moved along and its engineer, James Burton, who was new to the area, yawned lazily as he drove the train into the black night. James was so exhausted that he could hardly keep his eyes open.

• 2. Suddenly / After all, he saw a figure of a Cherokee Indian standing very still on the tracks. Horrified, James violently sounded the train’s whistle to warn the man, but the strange figure didn’t respond. Frightened, James sounded the whistle again and desperately tried to slow the train down. 2) As soon as / Then , he realized that the lights of the train were shining right through the man on the tracks. The Indian was a ghost!

• 3. When/ Since James turned his head, the Indian was standing next to him. James thought the Indian would attack, but he said quietly, “Protect the land. Keep it beautiful! Live in peace! 4) Finally / Before James could say anything, he disappeared once again. 5) After that/ While, James was in such a state of shock that he completely forgot to stop at the next station.

• 4. James didn’t want to tell anyone about the ghost. “No one would believe me!” he thought. 6) But /Finally he decided to tell the story to a fellow driver. “Oh, that’s the ghost of Tsali, the Cherokee Indian who wanders the hills of North Carolina. He was shot to death in this area while he was trying to protect his people. Many people claim to have seen him”, his friend said. James breathed a huge sigh of relief. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who has seen the ghost”, he said.

WHICH TITLE BEST MATCHES THE STORY?

• THE INDIANS OF NORTH CAROLINA

•THE GHOST TRAIN

•THE WANDERING CHEROKEE

SPEAKING.• STUDY SKILLS.

• DEVELOPING NARRATIVE SKILLS.

• In order to make a story more interesting, use descriptive language. The use of vivid adjectives and verb-adverb combinations can help readers picture the story in their minds. Try to use direct speech to help readers experience the story and the characters more strongly.

UNDERLINE ALL THE ADJECTIVES USED IN THE STORY. WHICH NOUNS / PRONOUNS DO THEY DESCRIBE? CAN YOU THINK OF

SYNONYMS FOR THESE ADJECTIVES?

Adjectives Nouns

REPLACE THE UNDERLINED ADJECTIVES WITH: WASTEFUL, SKILLFUL, INTRIGUING, KIND

1. He’s a (n) good driver .2. Ann’s mother is nice.3. It is bad to throw away paper.4. This novel has a (n) good plot.

CIRCLE THE VERB-ADVERB COMBINATIONS IN THE

STORY. USE THEM IN SENTENCES OF YOUR OWN.

Verb Adverb