Working...
Have you ever been asked what's your story? Have you ever tried telling a story and it not come out as well as you wanted it to? Sometimes having a plan will help get your story off the ground.
The sixth grade students are telling me their stories. I have asked every student to pick a personal experience to write about. The students have started this project by creating a four square graphic organizer. This type of organizer splits the story up into five different paragraphs. Those paragraphs are as follows: Introduction, 1st Big Idea, 2nd Big Idea, 3rd Big Idea, and Conclusion. This graphic organizer helps the student gather information for his/her story.
The students have completed their four square graphic organizer and have moved onto the process of actually writing out the different paragraphs. The next step for the students is to edit their work. Some questions that the students should be asking themselves are: Does this make sense? Is the story in sequential order? Do I have correct punctuation? Do I have correct grammar? Is my introduction catching? Do I have sensory details?
After the students have evaluated their own piece of writing, I will ask them to work with another student and do some peer editing. This allows the students to share their personal narrative and think as a team rather than an individual. When this process is completed the students will have the opportunity to publish their work. Each student will type his/her personal narrative and then display it in the hallway.
By exploring the different phases of the writing process, the sixth grade students are going to become better writers. Practice makes perfect....Have you practiced writing lately?