Planning, writing and editing a complete narrative composition for Primary 4

Class: Primary Four
Term: Third Term
Week: 7
Age: 9 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Studies
Curriculum Theme: Writing
Focal competence: Writing narrative and descriptive compositions
Skills:

• write a narrative composition

Previous Lesson: Reading Short Stories and Discussing Character, Plot, Setting and Theme
Topic: Narrative Composition: Final Draft
Subject Matter: Planning, writing and editing a complete narrative composition

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

• Identify the key steps in planning a narrative composition.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the importance of editing their written work.

Psychomotor Domain

• Write a complete narrative composition with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• Macmillan Primary English for Primary 4
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Textbooks showing various events
• Video clips of events, like people buying and selling in a market
• Real objects to describe how to do certain tasks
• A chalkboard or whiteboard
• Markers or chalk
• Pupils’ exercise books and pens

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because it equips pupils with the fundamental skills needed to express themselves creatively through written stories. Understanding how to plan, write, and edit a narrative composition helps pupils develop their imagination, improve their writing fluency, and produce clear, well-structured pieces of writing.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils should have basic knowledge of sentence formation, paragraph writing, and some common story elements like characters and setting.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Narrative Composition: Final Draft

Planning a Narrative Composition

Planning is the first important step before writing any story. It helps to organise your thoughts and ideas. Steps include:

1. Choosing a Topic: Select an interesting event or experience you want to write about.
2. Brainstorming Ideas: Think of all the details related to your topic, such as characters, setting, and what happens.
3. Outlining the Story: Create a simple plan for your story, including:
   1. Beginning: How the story starts, introducing characters and setting.
   2. Middle: What happens in the story, the main events and problems.
   3. Ending: How the story concludes and the problem is solved.

Writing a Narrative Composition

After planning, you can start writing your story. Remember to follow your outline:

1. Beginning: Introduce your characters and the setting. Set the scene and hint at the main event or problem.
2. Middle: Develop the main events of the story. Describe what happens in sequence, building up to the most exciting part (climax).
3. Ending: Resolve the problem or conflict. Conclude the story in a way that makes sense and leaves the reader satisfied.

Editing a Narrative Composition

Editing is checking your written work to make it better. It helps to correct mistakes and make your story clearer:

1. Check for Grammar and Spelling: Look for any incorrect words or sentence structures.
2. Check for Punctuation: Ensure you have used full stops, commas, question marks, and capital letters correctly.
3. Check for Clear Ideas and Flow: Read your story to see if the ideas are easy to understand and if the story flows smoothly from one part to another.
4. Check for Repetition: Remove any words or phrases that are repeated too often.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Explanation, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Group Work, Individual Practice

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activating prior knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and asks them to recall what they know about telling stories or writing short passages. The teacher then introduces the topic, “Narrative Composition: Final Draft,” explaining that they will learn how to plan, write, and edit a complete story.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the teacher’s questions and listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Prior knowledge activation

Step 2: Planning a Narrative

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Guided discussion

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the importance of planning before writing a story. Using a simple example (e.g., “A Day at the Market”), the teacher guides pupils to brainstorm ideas for characters, setting, and events. The teacher then introduces the steps for outlining a story (beginning, middle, end) and demonstrates how to create a simple outline on the board.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils participate in brainstorming, suggest ideas for the example story, and observe how to create an outline.

Learning Point: Narrative planning steps

Step 3: Elements of a Narrative

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Illustration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher further explains the components of a narrative: the beginning (introduction), the middle (main events/plot development), and the ending (resolution). The teacher uses the example outline from Step 2 to illustrate each part clearly.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanation and ask questions for clarification regarding the story elements.

Learning Point: Story structure elements

Step 4: Drafting the Narrative (Beginning)

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher instructs pupils to choose a simple topic for their own narrative composition (e.g., “My Best Holiday,” “A Visit to My Grandparents”). The teacher then guides them to write the beginning of their story in their exercise books, focusing on introducing characters and setting based on their chosen topic.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils choose a topic and begin writing the introductory part of their narrative composition.

Learning Point: Narrative beginning draft

Step 5: Drafting the Narrative (Middle & End)

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided writing/Monitoring

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher encourages pupils to continue writing the middle part of their story, describing the main events, and then to write a suitable ending that resolves any issues. The teacher moves around the classroom, offering support and guidance as pupils write.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils continue to write the middle and ending parts of their narrative compositions.

Learning Point: Narrative middle and end

Step 6: Editing a Narrative

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Correction

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains the importance of editing and demonstrates how to check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clear ideas using a short example passage on the board. The teacher then asks pupils to read through their own compositions and make simple corrections.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the editing demonstration and begin to check their own written work for errors.

Learning Point: Editing process steps

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What are the three main steps in creating a narrative composition?
2. Mention two things you should do when planning a story.
3. What are the three main parts of a story?
4. Why is it important to edit your story after writing it?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Narrative writing assessment

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to copy the essential Board Summary notes on planning, writing, and editing a narrative composition into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Narrative composition notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarises the lesson by reminding pupils that planning, writing, and editing are essential steps for writing good stories. The teacher encourages them to practice these skills regularly.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the summary and prepare for the next lesson.

Learning Point: Composition writing importance

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Write a short narrative composition of about 8-10 sentences on one of the following topics. Remember to plan your story, write it with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and then edit it for mistakes.

1. My Trip to the Village
2. The Day I Helped Someone
3. A Funny Incident at School

Lesson Keywords

• Narrative – A story or account of events.
• Composition – A piece of writing.
• Planning – Deciding on the steps and details before starting to write.
• Drafting – Writing the first version of a story.
• Editing – Checking and correcting mistakes in a written work.
• Outline – A plan for a piece of writing, showing the main points.

Differentiation

For weaker learners: Provide simpler story prompts or sentence starters. Offer more direct guidance during the planning and drafting stages, perhaps working in pairs. Focus on getting the main events down before worrying too much about perfect grammar.

For faster learners: Encourage them to include more descriptive words (adjectives and adverbs), develop more complex characters, or add dialogue to their stories. Challenge them to write a story with a surprising twist at the end.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further understanding, search on YouTube for: how to write a narrative composition primary 4 nigeria

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, review the concept of narrative writing and prepare a simple example narrative composition or a story outline to use as a model. Ensure you have enough writing materials for all pupils. During the planning stage, actively guide pupils through brainstorming and outlining, as this foundation is key to a well-structured story. Emphasise that the first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. Encourage pupils to write freely and then focus on the editing process as a separate, important step. Circulate around the classroom during individual writing time to offer personalised support and identify common errors. Pupils should copy the Board Summary notes after the main teaching and practice activities, allowing them to focus on understanding and application first.