Narrative writing feels like a juggling act.

You’re trying to teach students how to write effectively and conference with each student and differentiate your lessons for all writing abilities.

But you’ve never been taught how to do any of that. You’re navigating narratives without a manual or guide - and it’s overwhelming. The result? You walk away from the unit feeling disappointed, and you're left to grade subpar essays.

• You teach students the elements of narrative writing, but the essays still feel bland and lack essential narrative elements, like effective dialogue.
• Your classroom is filled with students of various writing abilities, which makes it complicated to teach, plan, and differentiate lessons.
• You want to conference with students but don’t know what to say or how to manage behavior.
• Class time feels extremely limited, and you’re struggling to map out your narrative writing unit and fit everything you need into a class period.
• You're spending late nights and weekends grading essays where students struggle to go beyond the surface level.
• The stories they do write are littered with grammatical errors and strange plot points that leave you confused (and wondering if they gained anything from the unit).

You know there has to be a better way to build writing independence, but you haven’t found it yet.

If any of that feels relatable, you’re in the right place. My narrative writing units used to be stressful. I could barely get my students to put pen to paper, let alone get them to write effective narratives.

It wasn’t until I started using mentor texts and changed how I ran writing conferences that I noticed a shift in my students’ narratives. Writing days became less of a chaotic free-for-all and instead became a successful class period where students got the work done. And for once, I enjoyed reading my students' essays because they understood the assignment.

You’ve taught narrative writing before and the results ranged from meh to total disaster.

• You’ve tried the classic writing conference, but it ended with your class in chaos and your students no closer to their writing goals.

•  You’ve been alternating your reading and writing units, but it only leaves you pressed for time and rushing through essential parts of each unit.

•  You’ve searched the internet up and down for helpful tools (and even done the old trial-and-error method), but your narrative writing unit isn’t getting any better.

   You could stick to what you know and hope that it’ll be better next time. Or you spend 120 minutes with me on March 23rd, and I’ll help you transform your narrative writing unit!

During this live workshop, I’ll answer all your burning questions about narrative writing so you can take student essays from ordinary to meaningful.

• I’ll share how to organize and pace your narrative writing unit (without feeling like you’re cramming it in).
• I’ll give you easy-to-implement strategies for scaffolding and differentiating your writing instruction.
• I’ll walk you through how to select and use mentor texts in your narrative writing unit to increase writing success and independence.
• We’ll talk about how to increase students' use of effective narrative writing elements, so they write strong and cohesive stories.
• I’ll give you strategies and resources to conquer writing conferences, including how to give feedback and manage behavior issues.
• You’ll get six months of access to the replay (unless you’re in The Hungry Teacher’s Hub - you get extended access as long as you're in the membership).
• Plus a 2-hour PD certificate (check with your school to see if they accept them). 

You don’t have to figure out your narrative writing unit alone. Leave this workshop with strategies you can implement right away.

• I will walk you through a pacing guide for your narrative writing unit (and give you fifteen done-for-you lesson plans to scaffold the entire writing process - from learning the elements to a completed narrative).
• I’ll show you how to find and use mentor texts in your narrative writing unit, plus give you examples from grade-level texts.
• We’ll discuss each narrative writing element in depth, and I’ll provide you with additional tools (like the dialogue mini unit) and tips to support students' mastery of these skills.
• We’ll have a candid conversation about the realities of writing conferences and how you can make them work for your class (no matter how limited you are on time).
• I’ll share my best tools and resources for helping students write narratives that are worth reading.

We can talk about strategies all day, but I want you to have a concrete place to start. I’m passing along the complete Narrative Writing Unit, so you can confidently scaffold each part of the writing process.

• A complete 15-lesson unit, complete with a pacing guide, step-by-step teacher instructions, and detailed materials guide.
• Resources to help you scaffold and guide each student through the writing process, including student examples, mentor texts, reference pages, and editing checklists.
• Teaching tools to boost your confidence, such as teaching slides for each concept, narrative writing rubrics, and anchor chart examples.

I’ve included even more resources, so you can jump right into your narrative writing unit without any doubts or hesitations.

• The Narrative Dialogue Mini Unit digs even deeper into effective dialogue, plus it goes over the correct grammar and punctuation to use with dialogue.
• Access to the Writing Conference Tools that include writing checklists, writing conference templates, and essay rubrics to make discussing and grading student writing simple.
• The Narrative Element Teaching Slides to help you dig into each element and prepare students to apply it to their writing.

• A seat at the Navigating Narratives workshop on March 23rd at 12pm EST + workshop's lifetime recording access (Valued at $97) 
• 2.5 Hour PD Certificate 
• Complete Narrative Writing Unit with 15 done-for-you lessons and mentor texts (Valued at $57) 
• Editable, digital, and differentiated rubrics for 6th, 7th, and 8th (Valued at $17)

• Printable and digital narrative writing student reference pages (Valued at $17) 

• BONUS: Teacher digital and print slide decks for each lesson (Valued at $27) 

  BONUS: Exclusive Narrative Dialogue Mini-Unit (Valued at $17) 

• BONUS: Writing Assessment and Grading Workshop, editable writing conference forms, and standards checklists (Valued at $67) 

I'm Martina!

I still vividly remember my first year in middle school ELA. My students struggled with writing, and if we’re being honest, I wasn’t sure how to help.

Writing days in my classroom used to be chaotic. I tried writing conferences, but I was endlessly interrupted by students and issues in the classroom. I felt like a madman running around the room waking students up, getting them on task, and helping students who were totally lost.

To say it was a disaster would be an understatement. I knew something had to change. My student's essays were (for lack of a better word) horrible, and it sucked to spend all weekend grading them.

After lots of trials and more errors than I’d like to admit, I finally found the perfect recipe for a successful narrative writing unit. I discovered that with the right unit pacing, mentor text examples, and revamped writing conferences, my students could write effectively.

While not every writing day was perfect, it made a huge difference. I wasn’t running around the room anymore. Instead, my students used their reference pages and mentor texts to guide their writing. I was able to have impactful conversations with students that led to better writing. Slowly but surely, my students gained more confidence (and so did I!).

I know how overwhelming writing can be, which is why I’m sharing all my best resources and tips for transforming your narrative writing unit in this workshop.

Wave goodbye to late nights grading subpar essays that make you doubt if students learned anything from your narrative writing unit. I’ll show you how to implement mentor texts and writing conferences, so students fully grasp the narrative elements and can apply them independently to their writing.

• A seat at the Navigating Narratives workshop on March 23rd at 12pm EST + workshop's lifetime recording access (Valued at $97) 
• 2.5 Hour PD Certificate 
• Complete Narrative Writing Unit with 15 done-for-you lessons and mentor texts (Valued at $57) 
• Editable, digital, and differentiated rubrics for 6th, 7th, and 8th (Valued at $17)

• Printable and digital narrative writing student reference pages (Valued at $17) 

• BONUS: Teacher digital and print slide decks for each lesson (Valued at $27) 

  BONUS: Exclusive Narrative Dialogue Mini-Unit (Valued at $17) 

• BONUS: Writing Assessment and Grading Workshop, editable writing conference forms, and standards checklists (Valued at $67)