Hi everyone!

Today students wrote the paragraph which corresponded with their "emotional arc." This focused on taking a pivotal moment in the story (written last Thurs.) and drawing it out to show emotion and action. Most likely, these were the moments leading up to a powerful point in your story. If you didn't finish in class, please finish at home.

Also, I introduced meaningful endings. Students analyzed the ending description on their narrative checklist, and then I read examples from novels of (what I thought) were meaningful endings. Try doing this at home: look at the last paragraph of books you have read and borrow the technique the author uses. Students decided the ending has to relate to the meaning of their story, should have inner thoughts, and should be reflective. The only "new" detail to add would be a new realization or insight.

H/W:

• Finish the paragraph that goes with your emotional arc. Write the ending to your narrative, making sure you are looking at the checklist. Period 3- the ending may be difficult for you to write. I can review this with you tomorrow. 
• Come in tomorrow with your story that you took through the writing process. You can add an emotional arc and ending to it tomorrow (or tonight, if you have time)
• Keep reading your novel! 

Thanks, and see you tomorrow!

Hello!

Today was a day to regroup after being out last Thurs. and Friday. Students earned plenty o' signatures for Archer Cards today because of their almost perfect behavior for our guest teacher. Fantastic!

The learning goal today was to create tension and suspense in a narrative by stretching out the most problematic scene. This scene does not have to be scary or dramatic, it can be something happy or funny also. Writers do this by creating an "emotional arc" (sometimes called a "character arc"). They pick the most important or tense part of the story, and create a story arc based on just that moment - kind of like the car chase scene in a movie. It may happen over the course of a few minutes, but in the movie it lasts 20 minutes. This is the attention you are giving to the important part in your story. The story students are using is the one they wrote last Thursday.

We also talked about our novels and how students need to write with a "pencil in hand." They are underlining when they learn something new about a character, and then in the margin writing what they learned, and what the author did to help them learn that.
Example-
Excerpt:When I was a baby I would crawl under my bed and snuggle into a corner to sleep. I felt warm and safe leaning into two walls at the same time. 
What did I learn about the character? He perhaps didn't have parents who held him.
What did the author use to show me this? Flashback and inner thoughts

H/W: Draw an label an emotional arc. To do this, draw an arc (a curve). On the outside, write the events and details of each moment. You should have many because you are making the moment bigger than it actually was. On the inside, attach internal thinking and feelings to each moment. You can bring in more than one character, and you can also add dialogue. You will need this for tomorrow.

Thank you!

Hello!

Thank you for giving our guest teacher a wonderful day! Today students wrote their next narrative, and they will be applying some new skills to this piece. After that, they will share published piece, pass it in, and then they will be graded on a piece of writing done in one sitting in class. This is the graded piece so students can be assessed on what they can do on their own. They have had plenty of practice!

Tomorrow, students will be given time to dive into their novels. Remember...in my room, we always read with a pencil in hand! I will be asking you to track a specific character in your novel and underline in your book when you notice information about a character, and in the margin write what this shows the reader about the character. Do this whenever you read for now.  You will get a suggested reading schedule tomorrow.

To view the reading schedule, look under "links" on the right side of the blog page. I will also give you a paper copy tomorrow.

H/W: Look over your narrative from today. Spend 10 minutes revising or editing it. Read your novel for about 20 minutes. For the weekend, you will still need to follow the reading schedule.


Have a great evening!

Hi Everyone!

Today was a great day! There was a lot of partner sharing and students "owning" their writing. Not only were students proud to share, but some students also discovered how it feels to be unprepared...and that's not pretty. It affects a partnership when someone doesn't do his/her job. Because we are continuing this tomorrow, tonight would be a good time to get caught up if you found yourself without what you needed today.

After Alphablock organization for strategies, we reviewed listening skills and "reading your writing like it's gold" for partner sharing. Students read their story to a partner and recorded what they learned about the meaning of their story and how flashbacks and flashforwards strengthened the meaning. It was nice to see students "lean in" and learn.

H/W: Come in tomorrow with a new idea for a personal narrative. This can be an idea you already wrote about in your composition book. This is JUST the IDEA, not a written narrative. Also, highlight your writing goals on your Alphablocks. These are two or three goals you need to work towards in your writing.

Thank you! Have a good evening!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I went to visit my daughter and her new puppy, and I have the little bite marks to prove it :)

Today we focused on paragraphing (organization of writing) and the strategies of using Flashforward and Flashback for elaboration.

For paragraphing, students learned the acronym of P.A.T.S as a reminder of when to indent. Everyone should have this in their notes. If you were absent, paragraph indentation is when there is a change of PLACE, a change in ACTION, a change in TIME, and a change in SPEAKER. Students went back into their narratives and wrote the paragraph symbol to indicate a new paragraph.

We discussed how flashbacks we have read added meaning to a narrative, and I would like everyone to have a flashback (a past true event) in their story. Another way to elaborate is with a flashforward, and this is when a narrator imagines an event (they are essentially daydreaming). The event has to be realistic and occurs at a time in the story where the narrator does not know the outcome. For example, in the mentor text the narrator doesn't know whether his kitty will live or die. He states, "I imagined I was 17 and brought the cat to Dr. Milk's..." This about how you daydream or create events in your mind when you are not sure how a problem will be resolved.

H/W: Your narrative should have a flashback and a flashforward. This is the narrative you chose as your piece to take through the writing process. Also, your narrative should be marked up with the paragraph symbol (like a backwards 'P') in the places where you should have started a paragraph but didn't. Students had time to work on this in class.

Enjoy this beautiful day!

Happy Friday!

We took a big breath today and stepped aside from all the hard work we have done this week. I thanked my students for all the effort they have put forth in writing...wow! Today was the time for finally sharing; this reminded me of actors when they are finally ready for an audience. Some of my students were at that point. Today we shared laughs and shed tears as students read their personal narratives aloud. All of us, as writers, realize so much about our writing when we hear it aloud. To hear a personal story in the author's voice makes it enormously meaningful, and many thanks to all who shared. Beautiful stories about meaningful moments, and, truly, you put us "in the moment."

One thought I came away with is that, overall, we need to revisit the story arcs and confirm that inner thoughts and feeling are being woven throughout the story...not just at the beginning or end.

H/W: Do you need to fine tune your elaboration? Be ready for it to be assessed on Monday. Do you need to tweak your story? Perhaps look at your checklist for Elaboration and Craft.

What a fabulous day! Enjoy your weekend, and I'll see you Monday.

Hello!

Today was an IMC day, and Ms. Sneider gave a Book Talk about "banned books." We were so surprised at some books that were on the "banned" shelf! Students could also check out books.

After re-envisioning their narratives and writing them last night (according to their story arc), students learned today how to "elaborate" on a scene in their writing. They learned why the elaboration adds meaning to their story and why it has to add meaning. With an elaboration, they are drawing a box around the part of the story upon which they can elaborate, and then they are writing their elaboration on the page after their story...they will fit it in later. If you typed your story, you can put your elaboration where it belongs; please highlight it or bold it so it is easy for me to see.

H/W: Due tomorrow (Friday)
Reread your story Find a spot where you can ZOOM in and write one scene only to elaborate a part of your story. Here are some suggestions to help you:

• Use the "Elaboration" part of your checklist to help guide you
• Choose a part of your story arc to pick your elaboration point
• Slow down the action to show what is happening
• Write telling actions and details
• Choose specific word choice and share your inner thoughts 
• Your elaboration must enhance the meaning of your story
• Think of a parallel moment - "Oh, this reminded me of the time when..."
• Think of moments that showed a change in relationship or circumstances, or a shift between old and new thinking.
• This can be a flashback, a dream, a connection to a song or poem
• Remember the bracelet story? That was an elaboration.

This is my favorite part of the writing process! Watch your story grow! Go for it!

Hi there!

Today students discussed the difference between their first and second story arcs. Many reported they could recall more inner feelings as they switched events around on their arcs. They shared with peers and picked their favorite arc. From there, they wrote a re-envision of their story. I asked students not to look at the old draft of their story; it should be fresh and new. This isn't like previous years when we keep going back to the draft we wrote weeks ago. We have learned new strategies to write better and stronger each time.

Some students want to abandon their old story and start a new narrative on a new experience. Go for it! Do you story arc in a few different ways first, then proceed with your writing.

Every time you write you should have:

• your "Powerful Personal Narrative" list 
• your leads strategies
• your story arc

Look through your "strategies" part of your binder; there are many resources to help you!

H/W: 

• Finish the personal narrative you started today. If you are typing it, make sure you type of googledocs and you create a "narrative" folder. Print out your paper. Please double-space and write in 14 font.
• In periods 2, 3, 6 I would like for you to weave a symbol into your story. If you can't come up with one now, you might be able to come up with something at a later date. Give it a try.
• Focus on the meaning of your story, and write about that through your inner feelings. Your story arc should help with this. That is what I will be looking for tomorrow.

Thank you!

Hello!

What a great day today! Thank you for adjusting so easily to the new seating arrangement...I feel much better having an area where we can meet as a group.

The learning goal today was to bring out the inner meaning of our choice narrative. A "story arc" is a good strategy for helping writers weave inner meaning into the story. In class I modeled my own story arc, and then students practiced creating their own based on their narrative. After that, they retold their story using their arc as a guide. How was it different from your original story? Do you see where you can add inner thoughts to show meaning? One important aspect is finding where you can add a hint of the meaning of your story at the start...give your reader something to connect with at the start.

H/W: Create another story arc on the other side of your paper, but this time change your first event. This will change the events and feelings in your story. Which arc shows your strongest feelings? Which more strongly shows the meaning of your story? Use the arc you picked up at the start of class if you need a reference.

Have a wonderful evening!

Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I shared feedback today regarding the "leads" that students wrote for their narratives using specific strategies. I am so happy with what I am seeing..students are grabbing onto those strategies and using them! I have written feedback on all your papers, but I have not yet attached a grade (the toughest part for me). You will get them back by Wed.

Today we looked at examples of zeroing in on a writing goal, and then digging back into our narratives to revise a meaningful moment. We picked a small but powerful moment, and revised it to make sure it hinted at the deeper meaning of the story. Students looked at their written dialogue and asked if it was connected to the meaning of the story. If not, they knew they had to add inner thinking or replace/delete the dialogue. We began this practice in class.

H/W: Tomorrow, I will be checking for two examples of parts of your story that you revised to show connection to the meaning of the story. You should use examples from different stories. Be prepared to share your examples and defend how they connect to the deeper meaning of the story. This work is to be done in your composition book with the format we used today. No more writing on random pieces of paper!
******************************************************************************
If you need review: Look below and think about how choice #2 is the better choice for dialogue follow-up. What is it showing as compared to #1? Does it tell more about the narrator and meaning of the story?

“Don't look down, just keep climbing – you're almost at the top,” Peter urged. I swallowed and snuck one quick look.

1)My sister, Mary, was standing at the bottom of the tree, holding my dark blue sandals and looking up at me as she shielded her eyes at the sun. (What does this SHOW? Mary)

2)The tree swayed slightly as I tightened my grasp on the trunk. A rough piece of bark dug sharply into my arm, but I didn't dare move. (What does this SHOW? I am alone and frightened)

Enjoy your evening!

Happy Friday!

Today (in all classes) students took their new "Memorable Leads" and rewrote the story they talked about with their partners yesterday. We are practicing the many ways a story can be told, and we also are practicing digging in to bring out a story's inner meaning. They wrote a "flashdraft," which is rewriting a story in one sitting without looking at the older version of the story. Students reported that they are writing stronger and longer!

Many of you have asked if you can continue to work on your story over the weekend. Of course! It is your writing! I would like for you to do this writing yourself...without any help this time...just continue the way you were writing in class.

H/W: You may need to use the weekend to get caught up if you have been absent.

Enjoy the weekend! Thank you for your hard work today.

Hi there!

Finally...today students were able to choose a narrative that they wanted to take through the writing process! It is a great thing to have several from which to choose! We examined four expressive leads (or introductions), and we found how they had been used in out mentor texts.

Students began writing their choice piece with several different leads. Tomorrow a partner will help them decide which one is strongest. I would like to see at least two different ways to see how you could start your narrative using the methods we reviewed in class.

H/W: Please come tomorrow with the paper that shows at least two different leads for your story. This will be collected for a grade. See the link on the right (under "Links") in case you forgot the list of Writing Memorable Leads.

Thank you! See you tomorrow!

Rainy Wednesday :(

It might have been dreary outside, but today my classes were shining bright with incredible examples of tone in personal narratives. Wow! You are getting there! Thanks for sharing your exemplars - it is a community service when you share.

After sharing, we broke out our  checklists for self-assessment. It's getting to be that time when students assess where they stand as writers. We are beginning with just looking at elaboration and craft. After reviewing the important words in the checklist, we read " Look Up and Watch the Show" to find elaboration and craft in the story. It is bursting with examples of these writing skills!

Notice our bulletin board? Strong writing from YOU showing writing examples before and after revisions. Keep them coming!

H/W: Look at your most powerful narrative that you have already written. Find examples of elaboration and craft. Highlight and label them. Can't find any? Then, you need to go into your story and find places where you can add elaboration and craft. Write them on a piece of paper, and then tape it (using just one strip of tape) over the part you revised. Then, I would like everyone to fill out their checklist for elaboration and craft.

If you left you checklist at school, look under "Links" (on the right side of the blog), and you can view it. Make sure you click on your correct class period. If you need to see the story again for ideas, it is pasted below.

I am excited to see what you produce for elaboration and craft! See you tomorrow!

Student Writing Exemplar: “Look Up and Watch the Show”

I walked up the stairs of the subway. We were almost there! I had been waiting to see this
for my whole life!
Five years before this I had been asking,
“Mom, can I go to the fireworks?”
My mom always replied, “No honey, maybe next year.”
“Dad, can I go to the fireworks, all my friends have.”
“You are too young and it is too late.” This went on for the next five years.
Finally I asked and they said, “YES.” I jumped up and down and kissed and hugged them
eight times. They said I was now old enough. I couldn’t wait to tell my friends.
And here we are an hour early, staring eagerly at the starlit sky. I looked at the barges straight
ahead of me. They were ready to fire! I imagined streams of color floating out of them in
every direction. Like ten hoses with ten different colors of water.
For the next hour I asked my parents at least 100 times, “When is it starting?” My parents
were giving me dirty looks. They were annoyed, but I really couldn’t help myself.
Then BOOM crackle, crackle, BOOM, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and white, all
seemed to be falling on me screaming, “Hi nice to meet you.” They were saying to most of
the other people, “I remember you from last year.”
I glanced straight ahead of me and bats were flying away from all the commotion, and noise.
It was eerie and exciting.
Amazing shapes, colors, and noises were bursting out of the four barges. Large booms from
previous fireworks echoed from one building to another behind us.
Now the time I had been waiting for, to see the grand finale. Smiley faces and 100’s of
shooting stars shot high in the sky with large booms. Everyone was oohing and aahing. But I
knew I oohed and aahed the loudest. I was sure I was more excited than anyone else.
It was now over. Silence rang in my ears and a heavy smoke lingered in the sky. The smoke
carried away with it all my dreams of this, because now I had seen and I experienced my first
ever, up close showing of the fireworks.
I hope my old dreams of seeing the fireworks for the first time is carried over to someone. And
just like me they can have this great first time experience and tell their friends all about it.
Now I have done it. I can tell myself I will never forget the first time I ever saw the fireworks.
Now I understand what people mean when they say how magical the fireworks are.

Hello!

Today we reviewed what we learned about "tone" on Friday through our mentor text, "Everything Will Be Okay." We discussed tone and the ways that the author showed tone in the story...how did we learn so much about so many characters? How did the author treat the characters? How can I write like that? As you write tonight, think about the list we generated about ways to write with tone, and also be looking at your "How to Write Powerful Narratives" chart. Take the time to do this, ok? Remember to SHOW not TELL! An example we used today: The wind was knocked out of me. SHOW what that is, what it feels like, what that looks like. Perspective slipped because the narrator didn't actually know the wind was knocked out of him at that time, he only knew what he was feeling at the moment.

My goal is to have you thinking "I could write about that" as you wander in your everyday life. Notice those memorable moments and put them on your "First Time - Last Time" chart.

H/W: Write your most powerful memorable moment using tone. Follow the goal you wrote at the top of your paper. As always, we are striving to be comfortable writing two pages. It should be easier for you at this point. Here are the ideas of how author James Howe wrote about the kitty using tone:

• in the moment
• tension
• details
• dialogue
• flashbacks
• foreshadowing
• dreams
• sentence structure
• narrator writing what they know using what he sees, hears, smells, thinks, feels
• actions
• staying in perspective

See you tomorrow, Writers!

Good afternoon!

I was out for the day at a language arts meeting, and my hope is that I will be able to stamp away on every student's archer card tomorrow! Thank you for being kind to our guest teacher; it is not easy to step into a sea of faces you don't know.

Today students wrote opinion responses by exploring bullying statements are writing why/ why not they think the statements are true or false. They then wrote about which truth surprised them they most, and why. This was shared as a class. After that, they had Read Aloud from Don't Feed the Bully.

H/W: Finish your response to the writing you started in class- your response to which bullying truth surprised you the most, and why. Please make sure you are up to date with your writing if you have been absent. Read my previous blogs to see where you stand. As always, talk to me if you need help.

See you tomorrow!

Happy Friday!

Another wonderful week! Today we took another look at the story excerpt "Everything Will be Okay" from yesterday and analyzed the way the author conveys tone. We annotated part of the story as a class, and then divided it up as a jigsaw activity. We may need to revisit this on Tuesday. So many students want to share their writing, and I will get to you. I need 90- minute classes! Don't lose faith..I will try to carve out more time for sharing. As an exit card, students wrote the original sentence from one of their stories and then the revised sentence using a strategy they have learned. I will be displaying these.

H/W: Nothing for the weekend, but use this opportunity to get caught up if you are behind. Remember to READ and notice the author's craft...what can you "borrow" from that author to use in your writing?

See you next week!

Hi there!

I really liked class today...I was able to look through Writer's Notebooks and see what's been brewing as students checked books in and out of the IMC. I checked the three narratives that have been written so far; I graded students on fluency...did they do the assignment and write the story length that was expected? Each was worth 10 points. If you see a grade lower than 30 points it means a story was underdeveloped or not done. I was very happy with all the fluent stories I saw! Keep it going!

Students shared the "author's perspective" revisions they did on a previous story and gave peer feedback. Tomorrow I will be sharing specific examples. We are moving from perspective to "tone" in writing, and today I did a read aloud with a very emotional personal narrative by author James Howe. Tomorrow we will analyze and annotate the story for "tone."

H/W: You have a choice:

• You can start writing a new narrative. Write at least a page, but you don't have to finish it. Just get it started. Remember, a moment....it can be about a place, an event ,an experience or a person.

          OR...

• You can add to one of your previously written narratives.

In either case, you need to use what you have learned about 1) being in the moment 2) using dialogue 3) using author's perspective (not slipping out of perspective - remember the sewing needle and the dog?) Stay in the moment.

Thank you! See you tomorrow!

Happy Wednesday!

Today we focused on "Author's Perspective" and how that affects a narrative piece. Students read and listened to several examples and determined if the author slipped out of their perspective or stayed true to it. Groups looked at a student example and decided where the student could make revisions on their perspective. Some brave souls shared their "life lesson" story they wrote last night; thank you for great listening moments full of details and emotion.

H/W:

• Choose one story (out of your three) in which you have the most interest. Read it, and determine where you lose perspective. Are you writing about what someone else was thinking? Did you really know what they were thinking at the time? Revise this part of your paper by rewriting it on a different piece of paper and taping it above the original writing.
• Bring a colored pen to class tomorrow - any color other than blue or black, please
• IMC is tomorrow - remember to bring your book if you are ready to return it

See you tomorrow!

Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a great long weekend! Our weather could have been more cooperative, but...

Our personal narrative focus today was on a memorable moment with someone who taught you a lesson about life, yourself, or someone else. We made a heart map and a three column chart to help map out ideas. This is probably the most emotional piece of the narrative writing, and I truly, truly appreciate the students who were willing to share difficult topics. It's not easy to put yourself out there. I also appreciate their classmates who listened with respect and sympathy. As we discussed, writers are at their best when they put themselves back in the moment..."No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader" (Robert Frost). If you don't feel it, neither will your reader. The story doesn't have to be sad (think broken cast-iron lawn furniture), but the person did have to teach you something. We're moving beyond, "The day I learned to Ride a Bike" ok?

H/W: Write TWO pages (stronger and longer) about the moment you learned a life lesson, and the person who taught you the lesson. SHOW by referring to that moment in time by describing your 5 senses. Don't TELL "I was overjoyed," really SHOW what "overjoyed" looks and feels like. Remember dialogue makes your writing authentic and puts the reader right there.

** On Thurs. you will be getting your first writing grade. I will be checking for fluency...this means I will be checking for

• three pieces of writing (a moment in time; a memorable place; a person who taught you a life lesson)
• Your writing should be the required lengths ( a full page; one and a half pages; two pages

If you are thinking you might need to get caught up, don't delay! I am always here before and after school if you need a quiet place to work or if you need help.

Thanks! See you tomorrow.