What is Narrative Tension and Why Does It Matter?

Narrative tension is the driving force that keeps readers turning the page. It’s the sense of anticipation, curiosity or suspense that makes a story compelling. For many students, understanding this concept is key when it comes to improving their own writing.

This resource has been designed to teach your students about narrative tension through age-appropriate sample texts. It includes three narrative passages accompanied by targeted questions to help your students analyse how the author builds narrative tension within the text. Students will identify the mood, explore the author’s word choices, and reflect on how sensory details influence tone and feeling.

The passages featured in this resource are:

1. The Cabin Door
2. The Lost Project
3. The Bridge Before Dark

This resource downloads as a black-and-white PDF or editable Google Slides file. Answers are also included in the download to make marking quick and easy.

The Art of Building Tension in Narrative Writing

By working through these activities, your students will develop essential literacy skills that go beyond simple comprehension. After engaging with this resource, your students will be more confident with the following key skills:

• Identifying tension points in a narrative text.
• Understanding literary techniques for creating narrative tension,
• Recognising the role of cause and effect in plot development.
• Applying techniques for developing plot tension in their writing.

These skills not only improve reading analysis but also empower students to become stronger, more confident writers.

Instantly Download These Narrative Tension Worksheets

Are you ready to get your hands on these narrative tension worksheets? Use the Download button above to access the full set of passages, accompanying questions and associated answer pages.

As this resource contains answer pages, we recommend printing one copy of the entire file, then selecting and removing the pages you wish to photocopy for the students.

This resource was created by Kaylyn Chupp, a teacher and Teach Starter collaborator.

More Resources for Teaching Narrative Tension

Click below to browse and download more teacher-created, curriculum-aligned resources to use when exploring narrative tension with your primary school students.

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