Implementation Guide

This guide covers the practical logistics of running Narrative Crossroads in a secondary ELA classroom.

Before You Begin

Teacher Preparation

You don’t need to be a gamer. Narrative Crossroads is a solo journaling game played by everyone at once — students write, they don’t compete. If you’ve never played a TTRPG, you can still run this effectively.

What helps:

  • Familiarity with the text you’re teaching
  • Comfort with facilitation (you already do this)
  • Willingness to improvise within structure

Materials Needed

  • Text being studied (students should have read relevant sections)
  • Character Frame cards (one per student)
  • A die per table, if you want to assign lenses by chance rather than choice
  • Crossroads scenario (teacher-prepared or from modules)
  • Debrief reflection prompts

The die is optional. Students can simply pick a lens, and any online roller works if you’d rather not hand out dice.

Time Required

Format Minimum Time Recommended
One round, quick harvest 30 minutes 45 minutes
Full session with character framing 45 minutes 60 minutes
Extended module (several rounds) 90 minutes Split across 2 days

Session Structure

Phase 1: Frame the Character (15-20 min)

Before any writing, students gather evidence about the character they’ll inhabit.

Individual or small group work:

  1. Identify the character — Who are we reading today?
  2. Complete the Character Frame — the same two evidence boxes as the printed card, each needing a line or page number:
    • Wants — What does this character want right now?
    • Fears — What are they afraid of?

Teacher moves:

  • Circulate and push for textual evidence
  • Challenge vague claims (“Where do you see that in the text?”)
  • Note interesting interpretations to surface in debrief

Phase 2: Present the Crossroads (5 min)

The teacher frames the scenario:

“We’re at the moment in Chapter 7 where [character] has just learned [information]. They’re standing in [location]. In front of them is [choice/obstacle]. Everyone is writing as [character], right here.”

Key elements:

  • Ground it in a specific textual moment
  • Choose a moment where the character could genuinely have gone either way
  • Make stakes clear
  • Leave the reading open

Phase 3: Write the Round (15-25 min)

Everyone writes at once, as the same character, at the same moment. Nobody waits for a turn.

The round:

  1. Take a lens. Students pick one, or roll a die to spread the room:
Roll Lens Read the moment as…
1–2 Confrontation A clash. What are you up against, and what does facing it cost?
3–4 Comprehension A realization. What do you understand now that you didn’t a moment ago?
5–6 Connection The bonds. Who is this really about, and what do you owe them?
  1. Write in character. A few sentences, in the character’s voice, at that moment, showing one thing from the evidence boxes.
  2. Harvest. Read several aloud, at least one from each lens.
  3. Ask the question: which reading does the text support, and what’s your evidence?

The die only seeds. It decides which way in a student gets; it never decides how anything turns out. There is nothing to succeed or fail at, so a student who dislikes their lens can simply take another.

Teacher moves during writing:

  • Circulate and read over shoulders; note readings worth surfacing in the harvest
  • Push for character consistency: “Would [character] see it that way? Based on what?”
  • Keep the focus on the character’s voice, not on plot invention

Variations:

  • Whole class: Everyone writes, then harvest as one group
  • Small groups: Harvest at tables first, then send one reading per lens to the whole class
  • Partner work: Pairs trade papers and argue the other person’s reading from the text

Phase 4: Debrief (10-15 min)

The debrief is where learning crystallizes. Don’t skip it.

Discussion questions:

  • How did your reading compare to what the character actually does in the text?
  • What did writing in character reveal that you hadn’t considered before?
  • What textual evidence supports or complicates your interpretation?
  • How would the moment have read through a different lens?

Written reflection options:

  • Quick-write: “One thing I understand about [character] now that I didn’t before…”
  • Analytical paragraph connecting roleplay to textual evidence
  • Comparison: “My interpretation vs. the author’s choice”

Classroom Management

Grouping

Group Size Best For
Whole class Teacher modeling, high-stakes moments, shared experience
4-5 students Standard play; everyone writes, the table harvests together
Pairs Low-stakes practice, dialogue scenes, ML scaffolding

Noise Level

TTRPG-based activities are louder than silent reading. Set expectations:

  • “Game voice” vs. “discussion voice”
  • Signal for attention (raised hand, bell, etc.)
  • Clear transitions between phases

Student Facilitators

After modeling, students can run the harvest for small groups. Benefits:

  • Develops close reading (a facilitator must know the text)
  • Builds leadership and facilitation skills
  • Frees teacher to circulate and assess

Train student facilitators on:

  • Making sure every lens gets read aloud at least once
  • Asking “what’s your evidence?” and waiting
  • Keeping the table focused on the text

Assessment

Formative Assessment During Play

Observe and note:

  • Quality of textual evidence in Character Frames
  • Consistency between the evidence gathered and the reading written
  • Depth of reasoning when challenged

Summative Options

Assessment What It Measures
Character Frame worksheet Close reading, evidence gathering
Debrief reflection Analytical thinking, self-assessment
Analytical essay Transfer to traditional academic writing
Recorded reading + commentary Performance + metacognition

Connecting to Standards

Narrative Crossroads supports ELA standards including:

  • Cite textual evidence to support analysis (RL.9-10.1)
  • Analyze character development (RL.9-10.3)
  • Participate in collaborative discussions (SL.9-10.1)

Troubleshooting

“Students aren’t taking it seriously”

  • Tighten the magic circle: clearer boundaries, explicit “we’re in the character’s head now”
  • Increase stakes in the scenario
  • Model the tone you want

“One student dominates”

  • Structured turn-taking: “Going around the table…”
  • Smaller groups
  • Assign roles: spokesperson, note-taker, devil’s advocate

“Students just do random things”

  • Enforce the Character Frame: “Is that consistent with the evidence you wrote down?”
  • Require evidence before a reading is accepted in the harvest
  • Pause and redirect: “Interesting. How does the text support that reading?”

“I don’t know what to do when they go off-script”

  • Improvise within the text’s logic
  • Ask: “What would actually happen if [character] did that?”
  • It’s okay to say: “Let’s pause and check the text”

Next Steps