Rising Tension

This worksheet supports students in Grades 5 and 6 as they analyze a personal narrative centered on a group project disrupted by technical problems. Through guided questions, learners identify conflict, examine rising tension, analyze character feelings, and use textual evidence to explain why the problem matters, strengthening comprehension and narrative analysis skills.

Learning Goals

• Identifying Narrative Conflict (Grades 5-6)
  Determine the central problem that drives the story forward.
• Textual Evidence and Analysis
  Support responses with specific details from the narrative.
• Reading Comprehension of Personal Narratives
  Understand how events, emotions, and stakes are connected.
• Understanding Character Motivation and Feelings
  Analyze how challenges affect the narrator’s thoughts and reactions.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Close-Reading Task
  Designed to deepen understanding of narrative conflict and tension.
• Evidence-Based Questioning
  Encourages students to cite and explain relevant text details.
• Supports Analytical Thinking
  Helps learners move beyond summary to interpretation.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Works well for independent practice, small groups, discussion, or assessment.

This activity helps students see how conflict and rising tension give a story purpose and momentum. By analyzing stakes, emotions, and evidence of tension, learners build stronger close-reading habits and a clearer understanding of how narratives develop. It fits naturally into classroom and homeschool language arts instruction focused on comprehension, analysis, and narrative structure.

This worksheet is part of our Personal Narrative Worksheets collection.