'Step It Out, and Guides Students to an Understanding of
Narrative Fiction. a lesson plan by Pamela Bostelmann Pretty
Nancy cried in anguish, she wept and tore her hair, She slipped
into her father’s room and found a pistol lying there. On the
Sunday came the wedding, the town folks gathered at noon, They
saw Nancy pull the pistol and shoot down that wealthy groom.
Background and rationale: People worldwide, young and old, enjoy
stories. “Story grammar” — the literary terms of plot, climax,
resolution, etc. — provides a way for students of all ages and
cultures to understand, discuss, analyze, evaluate, and even
create narratives, using all four language modalities with ample
opportunity to expand instruction into culture, vocabulary,
grammar, and pronunciation. The song “Step It Out, Nancy,” with
its strong aural and oral dimensions, explicitly demonstrates
each element of story grammar. “Step It Out, Nancy” helps my USA
students learn and remember the literary elements of character,
setting, theme, and plot