Narrative Know-How

Trevor Bryan loves stories. He has been exploring them for decades. Through this exploration, Trevor has forged some unique insights that help students to read and write. These insights have led to collaborations with the Princeton University Art Museum, author and illustrator Jarrett Lerner, and best-selling author and illustrator Peter H. Reynolds and his education company FableVision Learning. Trevor has been an art teacher in New Jersey for over 25 years. His first book, The Art of Comprehension: Exploring Visual Texts to Foster Comprehension, Conversation and Confidence, was published in 2019 by Stenhouse Publishers. Trevor enthusiastically presents and shares his work with teachers and schools throughout the country whenever he gets the chance.

Acknowledgments About the Author PART 1: Small Steps into Story Introduction Foundations of This Approach Chapter One: Teach Text Structure with Mood Structure Traditional Text Structure Teaching A Bottom-Up Approach The Solution: The Mood Structures Mood Structure: A Closer Look Chapter Two: Determining Mood as a Critical Reading Skill How Moods Show Up in Stories The Access Lenses in Action Chapter Three: Using Mood and Mood Structure to Bolster Comprehension During Reading What Do We Want Students to Pay Attention To? Using the Three Key Questions to Set a Purpose for Reading Chapter Four: Using the Mood Structures for Summarizing and Identifying Themes After Reading Using Moods and Mood Structures to Lean Into Symbolism Using the Terms Helpers and Harmers to Simplify Symbolism Chapter Five: An Instructional Sequence that Connects Reading and Writing Our Instructional Sequence Clearly Connecting the Reading and Writing Connection Research on Integrating Reading and Writing Instruction PART 2: Lessons Introduction Lesson Layout The Reading Lessons The Very First Lesson: Checking for the Understanding of Negative and Positive Moods Reading Lesson 1: Noticing Mood Structures When Reading Reading Lesson 2: Look for the Helpers Reading Lesson 3: Noticing Moods When They Are Directly Stated Reading Lesson 4: Using the Access Lenses to Infer Moods When Moods Are Shown Reading Lesson 5: Introducing the Concept of Harmers Reading Lesson 6: Three Key Questions That Readers Should Always Be Asking Reading Lesson 7: Making Predictions Reading Lesson 8: Making Text-to-Text Connections Based on Mood or Mood Structure Reading Lesson 9: Harmers Turned Helpers Reading Lesson 10: Generating Themes Through Moods and the Reasons for Those Moods Reading Lesson 11: Helpers and Harmers as Symbols Reading Lesson 12: The Three Ingredients of Story Reading Lesson 13: Using the Three Ingredients of Story to Summarize Reading Lesson 14: Using the Three Ingredients of Story and the Mood Structures to Summarize The Writing Lessons Writing Lesson 1: Generating Workable Story Ideas Writing Lesson 2: A Reading and Writing Lesson to Help Students Generate Story Ideas Writing Lesson 3: Showing the Mood With the Access Lenses Writing Lesson 4: Including Inner Thoughts Writing Lesson 5: Using Dialogue to Help Present Moods, Reasons for the Moods, and Events Four Versions of a Story Teaching the Opening of "The Catch": Version 1-4 PART 3: Starter Texts and Full-Text Deconstructions Introduction Starter Texts Full-Text Deconstructions Finding Your Own Resources THE STARTER TEXTS "Playing Outside" "Reading Time" "Cooper" (Five-Panel Comic) "Cooper" (Six-Panel Comic) The Kissing Hand Mercy Watson to the Rescue "One Sad Simba" Henry's Freedom Box Thank You, Mr. Falker Mr. Wayne's Masterpiece Stone Angel Each Kindness Frindle "The First Day" FULL-TEXT DECONSTRUCTIONS The Rain Came Down The Dot Ish "Taco Head" The Great Penguin Rescue "A Howlin' Success" Blank Deconstruction Form References Index

"Trevor Bryan's Narrative Know-How is an essential resource for any elementary classroom, offering a straightforward, bottom-up approach that elevates both reading comprehension and an understanding of author's craft. With a focus on Mood Structures, reading comprehension becomes visually accessible for students and teachers alike, creating a seamless connection between reading and writing. When students have a clear mental representation of text structure, they can easily engage with key components of any narrative piece, both fiction and nonfiction, in order to set a purpose for reading, make predictions, infer, summarize, and draw conclusions about themes and symbolism. The included scaffolded response and planning sheets ensure students are set up for success in both analyzing texts and crafting their own narratives. Backed by heavy research, this approach can be used with any literacy program, bringing joy to teaching and learning. I can't wait to plan with teachers using this book!" -- Whitney La Rocca, author and literacy consultant "Trevor Bryan's Narrative Know-How: A Fresh Approach to Support Comprehension and Craft in the K-6 Classroom shows how using a small set of high-utility tools across units, grades, and settings can provide on-ramps to high-level thinking skills across the literacy block. By connecting his classroom-tested tools, including Mood Structures and Access Lenses, to recent and robust research around the sciences of reading, Narrative Know-How prepares classroom teachers and instructional specialists to simplify and streamline joyful literacy learning." -- Pam Koutrakos, pre-K-8 instructional coach and author of Mentor Texts That Multitask: A Less-Is-More Approach to Integrated Literacy Instruction, Word Study That Sticks: Best Practices K-6, and The Wo "Fans of Trevor's first book, The Art of Comprehension, will find new tools and inspiration here. Mood remains meaningful, but the author offers a bigger and bolder set of intentions. Narrative Know-How paves the way for composition as readers are introduced to four essential story principles and practical strategies for applying them." -- Angela Stockman, instructor; executive director of distance education "Narrative Know-How is more than a professional development book. It is an insightful and engaging guide that transforms how we think, talk, and teach stories. With clear strategies, thought-provoking lessons, and supporting tools that stretch across all levels and abilities, this book is a game-changer for educators looking to lift their students' critical thinking." -- Jill Villecco, M.Ed., reading specialist "Trevor Bryan has a gift for making complex ideas simple, accessible, and joyful. His work has profoundly transformed my teaching, reshaping how I understand stories and, as a result, reshaping how my students comprehend and craft stories. After engaging with Trevor's work, you'll find yourself viewing every story through the lens of mood-it's the powerful missing piece that educators didn't know they were searching for." -- Shaina Brenner, educator and Milken Educator Award recipient