Features of a narrative: Foreshadowing

Learning Intention and Success Criteria Students will understand how foreshadowing is used in narrative writing. Students will be able to: Define ‘foreshadowing’. Identify examples of foreshadowing from Coraline and other narrative texts. Predict the meaning of hints and clues in a visual text. Use foreshadowing in their own narrative writing.

What is Foreshadowing? Record this page into your English books: Foreshadowing is a literary device that provides the reader with hints or clues about what will happen later in the story. Dictionary definition: a warning or indication of a future event.

More about foreshadowing Often appears at the beginning of the story or chapter. Helps the reader develop expectations about the coming events in the story. Often creates an atmosphere of suspense and keeps the reader engaged in the story.

What does foreshadowing look like? An author might use a number of strategies to provide a hint or clue to the reader. Foreshaowing may come in the form of: Character dialogue A chapter title An event or action within a chapter A picture or illustration

Foreshadowing in Coraline Task: Read each of the below examples of foreshadowing from Coraline. What is Neil Gaiman hinting to the reader? Example Three: She passed the stone with the hole in it. ‘What’s it for?’ asked Coraline. ‘It might help’ said Miss Spink. ‘They’re good for bad things sometimes’. Example Two: Miss Spink peered short-sightedly at the black tea leaves in the bottom. She pursed her lips. ‘You know, Caroline,’ she said after a while, ‘you’re in terrible danger’. Example One: They strated to sing: We are small but we are many We were here before you rose We will be here when you fall.

Examples of foreshadowing Identify and explain the foreshadowing in the below text: We are in the cockpit of an airplane. The plane hits turbulence and the captain struggles to regain control. It doesn't last long, and everything is soon fine again. This is not a great start to the trip I’ve been anxiously waiting for. I’m a nervous flyer but take comfort in knowing the captain has everything under control.

Examples of foreshadowing Identify and explain the foreshadowing in the below text: Fred left the house at eleven o'clock and drove into town. He was meeting his father for lunch at Brown's. Officially, they were just 'catching up', but they both knew Fred needed money again - and not such a small amount this time, either.

Examples of foreshadowing Identify and explain the foreshadowing in the below text: When Ruth Jones's alarm clock woke her at seven o'clock that morning, she had no idea that today would be the longest day of her life.

A picture is worth a thousand words What might this sign be hinting to the reader? Task: Create a list of narrative plot ideas that might relate to the image. Share these with the class.

Using foreshadowing Your task: You are to practice using foreshadowing in your own creative written piece. You are to select one of the plot ideas from the previous slide and build on it in the form of a narrative. Remember to provide the reader with hints and clues of what will happen in your story, but still provide an element of surprise to keep the reader engaged.