Writing a Narrative: Legend
Day 1 of 15 — Sharing Stories & Studying a Mentor Text
📚
Subject
ELA Writing
⏱️
Duration
45 min
🎯
Standard
W.5.3
📋 Standards & Objectives
📜Standards
W.5.3Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
W.5.3aOrient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
RL.5.2Determine a theme of a story from details in the text; summarize the text.
🎯SWBAT
- Define narrative writing and explain what makes a story a legend
- Read a mentor text as both a reader (understanding the story) and a writer (noticing techniques)
- Identify writing techniques used in a legend: dialogue, description, exaggerated details, transitions, and sensory language
- Describe a character using exaggerated characteristics in a Quick Write
📖 Key Vocabulary
📝Narrative Writing
A type of writing that tells a story about real or imagined experiences, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
When you write about what happened on your camping trip, you are doing narrative writing.
A fairy tale is an example of narrative writing because it tells a story with events in order.
📝Legend
An old story passed down through time, often about heroes or extraordinary events that may be partly true.
Many cultures have legends about brave warriors who protected their people from danger.
The story of Paul Bunyan is a famous legend about a giant lumberjack.
📝Characteristics
Features or qualities that describe a person, place, or thing and make it unique.
The characteristics of the hero included incredible strength and bravery.
One characteristic of a legend is that the main character often has exaggerated abilities.
📝Dialogue
The conversations between characters in a story, shown with quotation marks.
"Run!" shouted the guard — this is an example of dialogue because a character is speaking.
Writers use dialogue to show what characters think, feel, and want.
📝Description
Detailed writing that helps readers picture something using sensory language and vivid words.
Instead of saying "it was cold," good description might say "icy wind bit through his thin cloak."
Strong description uses details about sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch.
🚀 Sharing Stories
Every family has stories worth telling
Tim's great-grandfather was about to have his 90th birthday. Tim had been thinking about what to give him for this special occasion, and decided to write his life story. Tim asked his mom to share details about her grandpa's life.
"Grandpa George has done a lot of great things," she said. "He flew in the Air Force. He helped build a school in my hometown. He ran his own store. And, of course, he and Grandma Louise raised four kids." Tim wrote all of this down. Then his mom said, "Grandpa George has always been my hero."
📖 Tim Writes a Legend
A hero! Tim imagined his great-grandfather leaping across rooftops and wearing a cape. So Tim decided to write a legend to show how important George was to his family.
What is a Legend?
A legend is a story about a person in the past that has some truth to it. It would be George's story — made more exciting and fun to read with some new and exaggerated details.
From Tim's Legend of George:
"When George was a young man, he joined the Air Force. He flew generals across the Atlantic Ocean on important missions. One night, over the ocean, a wing started to fall off. George climbed outside and fixed the wing with duct tape. Then he went back inside and had a cup of coffee."
Notice the exaggerated details — climbing outside a plane mid-flight and fixing it with duct tape! That's what makes it a legend.
💬 Turn & Talk
🤔Discuss with a Partner
Have you ever heard a story that was passed down through your family or community? What made it special?
Sentence starter: "A story I've heard is about ___ . It's special because ___ ."
🔄 Our Writing Journey
15 days to write your own legend
Over the next 15 days, you will learn how to write a legend of your own. By the end of this unit, you will write:
Your Assignment
"Write a legend about the real-life hunter and soldier, Davy Crockett, in an alligator-wrestling contest set in early 1800s Virginia."
But first, we need to learn what narrative writing is and study how a great writer crafts a legend.
✨ What Is Narrative Writing?
Definition
Narrative writing tells a story, either real or imagined. Writers use techniques, such as dialogue and description, to bring the characters and events to life.
KEY FEATURES of Narrative Writing:
A beginning that introduces the characters, the setting, and the situation — the circumstances or problem — that sets the events in motion
A middle that shows events unfolding naturally and that describes the characters, their words and actions, and their responses to events
Dialogue that shows what the characters think and feel
Transitional words, phrases, and clauses that make the sequence of events clear
Concrete words and sensory details that help readers imagine the story
An ending that tells how the problem is solved and brings the story to a satisfying conclusion
📓 Write This Down
Write this in your notebook!
Key Word
Narrative Writing
In Your Notebook
Narrative writing tells a story about real or imagined experiences. It has a beginning, middle, and end. It uses descriptive details and clear event sequences. A legend is a special type of narrative.
📋 Steps for Writing
8 steps to write a narrative
1
Study a Mentor Text ⬅️ Today!
2
Unpack Your Assignment ⬅️ Today!
3
Find Text Evidence
4
Organize Your Details
5
Draft Your Legend
6
Revise: First Read
7
Revise: Second Read
8
Edit for Conventions
🎯 Today's Focus
Steps 1 & 2
Today we will focus on the first two steps of the writing process:
1️⃣Study a Mentor Text
We will read a legend written by a student named Lily. First, we read it as a reader to enjoy the story. Then, we read it as a writer to notice the techniques she used.
2️⃣Unpack Your Assignment
We will look at the writing assignment so you know exactly what you will be writing over the next 15 days: a legend about Davy Crockett in an alligator-wrestling contest.
✅ Quick Check
True or False?
Narrative writing tells a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
👍 Thumbs up if TRUE 👎 Thumbs down if FALSE
TRUE! Narrative writing tells a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
📚 Types of Narratives
Narrative writing comes in many forms. Here are some types you might know:
📖
Short Stories
Made-up stories with characters and plot
📝
Personal Narratives
True stories from your own life
🏰
Legends
Old stories passed down about heroes — our focus!
🧚
Fairy Tales & Myths
Stories with magical or supernatural elements
🔄 From Narratives to Legends
All legends are narratives — but not all narratives are legends. So what makes a legend special?
What We Just Learned
Narrative writing tells a story with a beginning, middle, and end using descriptive details and clear event sequences.
Next up: What makes a story a legend?
🏰 What Is a Legend?
Legend
A legend is an old story that has been passed down through generations. Legends are often about heroes or extraordinary events. Some legends may be based on real people or events, but the details have been exaggerated over time.
🔍 Characteristics of a Legend
What makes a story a legend? Look for these characteristics:
Passed Down
The story is told from one generation to the next — grandparents tell parents, parents tell children.
A Hero
The main character is someone brave, strong, or extraordinary — often with exaggerated abilities.
Exaggerated Details
The hero's strength, speed, or skills are described as larger-than-life — beyond what's normal.
A Lesson or Message
Many legends teach a lesson about bravery, loyalty, or doing what's right.
📓 Write This Down
Write this in your notebook!
Key Word
Legend
In Your Notebook
A legend is an old story passed down through time, often about heroes or extraordinary events. Characteristics include: passed down through generations, a hero with exaggerated abilities, and often a lesson or message.
🤔 Is Tim's Story a Legend?
Let's check Tim's story about Great-Grandfather George against the characteristics of a legend:
✅
Passed down? Yes — Tim's grandfather told the story to Tim.
✅
A hero? Yes — Great-Grandfather George saved the whole town.
✅
Exaggerated details? Yes — "the strongest man who ever lived," carried sandbags no ordinary person could lift, worked for three days and three nights.
✅
A lesson? Yes — bravery and selflessness can save a community.
Tim's family story IS a legend!
✅ Quick Check
Which one is a characteristic of a legend?
A) It must be a true story
B) It has a hero with exaggerated abilities
B! Legends feature heroes with exaggerated, larger-than-life abilities. They may or may not be true.
🔄 Time to Read a Legend
What We've Learned So Far
Narrative writing tells a story. A legend is a special type of narrative about heroes with exaggerated abilities, passed down through generations.
Next up: We're going to read a legend written by a student named Lily. First as readers, then as writers!
📖 Step 1: Study a Mentor Text
A mentor text is a piece of writing that we study to learn how good writers craft their stories. We read it two times with different purposes:
👀Read as a Reader
Enjoy the story! Understand the characters, problem, events, and solution. Ask: What happened?
✏️Read as a Writer
Notice the techniques! Study dialogue, description, exaggerated details, transitions, and sensory language. Ask: How did the writer do this?
📜 Our Mentor Text
Written by Lily Alfarsi
The Best Gator Wrestler of 1804
by Lily Alfarsi
Lily wrote this legend about the real-life frontiersman Davy Crockett. We are going to study how she crafted it so we can learn from her techniques.
First, let's read as readers — just enjoy the story! Pay attention to the characters, the problem, and how the story ends.
📜 The Best Gator Wrestler of 1804
Paragraphs 1–2 (p. 64)
1 You've probably heard about Davy Crockett's skill at wrestling big, scaly alligators. Here's something you might not know, though. One year, another great gator wrestler challenged him for his title of "Best Gator Wrestler." Lulu Mae Hardeen, a cook from Alabama, faced Davy Crockett in the Southern States Gator Wrestling Competition of 1804, in the Great Swamp of Virginia.
2 Though still a teenager, Davy had won the contest the last four years running. Every year, three or four brave fellows came forward to challenge him, but they always lost. Sometimes they lost body parts, too!
📜 The Best Gator Wrestler of 1804
Paragraph 3 (p. 64)
3 Then came that hot, cloudy day in 1804. The air was as thick and heavy as a blanket, as if a storm was about to break. Still, hundreds of people turned out to watch the contest. Davy Crockett strode into the ring, faced his enormous alligator, and shouted, "Are you ready for me, gator?" The gator didn't say a word, of course, but swept its scaly tail back and forth. Faster than you could blink, Davy straddled that gator and flipped it onto its back. Then, like a cowboy roping a steer, he tied the gator's front and back legs together. The gator was defeated.
📜 The Best Gator Wrestler of 1804
Paragraphs 4–6 (pp. 64–65)
4 The next wrestler didn't do as well. He lost the tip of his finger to his gator's sharp teeth and ran away howling.
5 Then Lulu Mae entered the ring. She was nearly as tall as Davy. Her arms were powerful from years of kneading bread dough. She looked her big, mean gator straight in the eye and cried, "Are you ready for me, gator?" just as Davy had done. The gator gave her a big gator smile.
6 The battle began. Lulu Mae was light on her feet, dancing around the gator as it spun to snap at her. The gator got so dizzy that Lulu Mae flipped and tied it without breaking a sweat.
📜 The Best Gator Wrestler of 1804
Paragraphs 7–9 (p. 65)
7 Now it was time to break the tie, and Davy was getting nervous. Could Lulu Mae Hardeen wrestle a bigger gator than he could? He and Lulu Mae stood together in the ring and shook hands.
8 "Hope you won't be a sore loser, Lulu Mae Hardeen," Davy boomed.
9 Lulu Mae waved a finger at him and tossed one of her fresh-made biscuits his way. Davy easily caught it and shoved the sweet-smelling biscuit into his pants pocket. "Hope YOU won't be a sore loser, Davy Crockett," Lulu Mae said. Then she gave him a gator-sized smile.
📜 The Best Gator Wrestler of 1804
Paragraphs 10–12 (p. 65)
10 Just then, the guards led in two of the biggest gators the crowd had ever seen. Everybody clapped and cheered. Lulu Mae didn't look the least bit worried. Her gator moved on her fast. She got her hands around its snout, but it was so big she couldn't flip it. Instead, the two of them, gator and cook, just stood still. Lulu Mae kept trying to flip the beast, and the beast kept trying to escape. Each was exactly as strong as the other. Neither could move an inch.
11 Davy, on the other hand, thought fast. As his gator approached, he took the light, fluffy biscuit out of his pocket and tossed it over the gator's head. Surprised, the gator snatched at the biscuit, grabbing it and chewing it up. The biscuit was so delicious that the gator closed its eyes in pleasure. While the gator was distracted, Davy got his hands around it and flipped it, tying its legs tightly. "Cheater! Cheater!" cried the crowd.
12 The judges argued for an hour, yelling and shouting and shaking their fists. Eventually, however, they ruled that biscuits were allowed. And that is how Davy Crockett used his strength and some quick thinking to beat Lulu Mae Hardeen at gator wrestling, winning the title of "Best Gator Wrestler" of 1804.
💬 Turn & Talk
React to the story!
🤔Discuss with a Partner
What did you think of Lily's story? What was your favorite part?
Sentence starter: "My favorite part was when ___ because ___."
🔍 Is Lily's Story a Legend?
Let's check "The Best Gator Wrestler of 1804" against the characteristics of a legend:
✅
Set in the past? Yes — the Gator Wrestling Competition of 1804, in the Great Swamp of Virginia.
✅
Based on a real person? Yes — Davy Crockett was a real frontiersman in American history.
✅
Exaggerated details? Yes — wrestling alligators, "faster than you could blink," flipping gators with bare hands.
✅
A hero? Yes — Davy Crockett uses strength AND quick thinking to win the title.
Lily's story IS a legend!
🔄 Now Let's Read as Writers
What We Just Did
We read Lily's legend as readers — we enjoyed the story, followed the characters, and understood the problem and solution.
Next up: We're going to read the story again, but this time as writers. We'll look at HOW Lily made her story so good!
👀 Read as a Reader: The Problem
❓What is the PROBLEM in the story?
Who challenges Davy Crockett's title as "Best Gator Wrestler"?
Lulu Mae Hardeen, a cook from Alabama, challenges Davy Crockett!
She is very strong from years of kneading bread dough. After they each wrestle one gator and tie 1–1, they must face the two biggest gators the crowd has ever seen.
👀 Read as a Reader: The Events
📋What EVENTS happen in the story?
What happens during the gator wrestling competition?
1.
Davy wrestles and defeats his first gator easily — straddling, flipping, and tying it.
2.
Lulu Mae enters and defeats her gator too — dancing around it until it's dizzy, then flipping and tying it.
3.
It's a tie! They must face two even bigger gators.
4.
Lulu Mae grabs her gator's snout but can't flip it — they're stuck, exactly as strong as each other.
5.
Davy uses Lulu Mae's biscuit to distract his gator, then flips and ties it while the gator eats.
👀 Read as a Reader: The Solution
✨How is the problem SOLVED?
How does the story end? Who wins?
The crowd cries "Cheater!" but the judges rule that biscuits are allowed!
Davy Crockett used his strength and some quick thinking to beat Lulu Mae Hardeen, winning the title of "Best Gator Wrestler" of 1804.
📓 Write This Down
Write this in your notebook!
Key Words
Problem
Events
Solution
In Your Notebook
In "The Best Gator Wrestler of 1804": Problem: Lulu Mae Hardeen challenges Davy Crockett for the title of Best Gator Wrestler. Events: Both wrestlers tie 1–1, then face even bigger gators. Lulu Mae gets stuck; Davy uses a biscuit to distract his gator. Solution: Judges rule biscuits are allowed — Davy wins the title.
✏️ Now Read as a Writer
Now we know what happens in the story. But as writers, we need to ask a different question:
The Writer's Question
HOW did Lily make this story so good? What techniques did she use?
Let's look at five writing techniques Lily used in her legend:
💬 Dialogue
🎨 Description
💪 Exaggerated Details
🔗 Transitions
👃 Sensory Language
💬 Technique 1: Dialogue
Dialogue is conversation between characters. It shows what characters think, feel, and want. Notice how Davy and Lulu Mae say practically the same thing to each other — the writer does this on purpose!
Davy's Words
"Are you ready for me, gator?" ... "Hope you won't be a sore loser, Lulu Mae Hardeen," Davy boomed.
Lulu Mae's Words
"Are you ready for me, gator?" just as Davy had done. ... "Hope YOU won't be a sore loser, Davy Crockett," Lulu Mae said.
💡 Click the buttons to highlight dialogue — notice how both characters say nearly the same thing!
🎨 Technique 2: Description
Description uses detailed, vivid words to help readers picture what is happening. In paragraph 5 (p. 65), Lily uses description to show Lulu Mae's strength.
Paragraph 5 (p. 65) — Lulu Mae
She was nearly as tall as Davy. Her arms were powerful from years of kneading bread dough. She looked her big, mean gator straight in the eye.
Paragraph 3 (p. 64) — The Setting
The air was as thick and heavy as a blanket, as if a storm was about to break. Still, hundreds of people turned out to watch the contest.
💡 Click to highlight Lily's descriptions
💪 Technique 3: Exaggerated Details
In a legend, the hero and events are described as larger-than-life. Lily exaggerates details to make Davy and the competition seem extraordinary.
About Davy's Speed:
"Faster than you could blink, Davy straddled that gator and flipped it onto its back."
About the Other Wrestlers:
"Sometimes they lost body parts, too!" ... The next wrestler "lost the tip of his finger to his gator's sharp teeth and ran away howling."
About the Gators:
"Two of the biggest gators the crowd had ever seen."
About the Biscuit:
"The biscuit was so delicious that the gator closed its eyes in pleasure."
These exaggerated details make the story feel larger-than-life — that's what makes it a legend!
✅ Quick Check
Which of these is an exaggerated detail?
A) "Davy got his hands around it and flipped it"
B) "Great-Grandfather George, the strongest man alive"
B! No one can literally be "the strongest man alive" — that's an exaggeration to make the character feel larger-than-life!
🔗 Technique 4: Transitions
Transitions are words and phrases that connect events and show the order of what happens. They help the story flow smoothly from one event to the next.
Transitions Lily Used:
One year
Then came
Just then
Now
Eventually
While
Each transition word signals a shift in time or action. Without them, the story would feel choppy and disconnected.
👃 Technique 5: Sensory Language
Sensory language uses words that appeal to the five senses — sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. It helps readers experience the story.
👁️ Sight
"swept its scaly tail back and forth"
✋ Touch
"The air was as thick and heavy as a blanket"
👃 Smell
"shoved the sweet-smelling biscuit into his pants pocket"
👁️ Sight
"the gator closed its eyes in pleasure"
💬 Turn & Talk
🤔Discuss with a Partner
Which writing technique do you think made Lily's story the MOST interesting? Was it dialogue, description, exaggerated details, transitions, or sensory language?
Sentence starter: "I think ___ made the story most interesting because ___."
📓 Write This Down
Write this in your notebook!
Key Words
Dialogue
Description
Exaggerated Details
Transitions
Sensory Language
In Your Notebook
5 techniques for writing a legend: 1) Dialogue — conversations between characters. 2) Description — vivid details that help readers picture the story. 3) Exaggerated Details — making the hero larger-than-life. 4) Transitions — words that connect events (suddenly, meanwhile, when). 5) Sensory Language — words that appeal to the five senses.
⭐ 5 Techniques for Writing a Legend
1. Dialogue
Character conversations
tap to explore
2. Description
Vivid, detailed writing
tap to explore
3. Exaggerated Details
Larger-than-life qualities
tap to explore
4. Transitions
Words connecting events
tap to explore
5. Sensory Language
Appeals to the 5 senses
tap to explore
👆 Click each technique to see an example from the story
📖 Vocabulary Review
●
Narrative writing — a type of writing that tells a story about real or imagined events in order
●
Legend — an old story passed down through time, often about heroes or extraordinary events
●
Characteristics — features or qualities that describe a person, place, or thing
●
Dialogue — conversation between characters in a story
●
Description — detailed writing that helps readers picture something
✏️ Quick Write
Time to write!
Your Prompt
Do you agree that the ending of "The Best Gator Wrestler of 1804" is satisfying? Why or why not?
Think about how the story wraps up — Davy Crockett uses his strength and quick thinking to beat Lulu Mae Hardeen at gator wrestling, winning the title of "Best Gator Wrestler of 1804." Does this feel like a good ending? Does it make sense with the rest of the story?
✏️ Quick Write — Tips
Directions
- State your opinion — Do you think the ending is satisfying or not?
- Give reasons — Explain WHY you feel that way. Use details from the story!
- Think about: Does the ending feel finished? Does it make sense with the rest of the plot?
- Would you change anything about the ending? What would you do differently?
- Write for 5–7 minutes in your notebook.
💡 Need a Spark?
Try one of these sentence starters
✅
"I think the ending IS satisfying because…"
tap for example
❌
"I do NOT think the ending is satisfying because…"
tap for example
🤔
"The ending makes sense, but I wish the author had…"
tap for example
📖
"One detail from the story that supports my opinion is…"
tap for example
👆 Click each card to see an example response. Remember — there's no wrong answer!
📓 Summary Note
Write 1 Sentence
In the bottom of your notebook page, write one sentence explaining what you learned today about narrative writing and legends.
🔮 Looking Ahead
Day 1 of 15 — Complete!
Today We Learned
Narrative writing tells a story. A legend is a special narrative about heroes with exaggerated abilities. We studied Lily's mentor text and identified 5 writing techniques: dialogue, description, exaggerated details, transitions, and sensory language.
Tomorrow
We'll unpack your writing assignment and prepare to write your own legend about Davy Crockett in an alligator-wrestling contest set in early 1800s Virginia!