During my second visit this term I taught a lesson on writing stories to the students. I mentioned to Ms. Dolejsi that I needed a writing sample and she said “Okay, so you’ll teach a writing lesson today.” I thought she would just have me copy one of the students prior pieces, instead she gave me the opportunity to practice teaching. It was a pleasant surprise.
I started with the prompt word “star”, draw from Ms. Dolejsi’s prompt word jar. The jar was created by students writing down as many things that they could think of that they would want to write about. Ms. Dolejsi has had the jar for several years. She only uses it every other year as she doesn’t want students she has two years in a row to become bored with the topics.
I started the lesson out by doing a group idea webbing exercise with the class. I drew names out the popsicle stick jar and each student shared their idea. All of the students were very eager to participate and share their ideas. Some of the ideas were related and others were totally new ones. Here is a photo of our “finished” web.
Afterwards, I asked the class to think of a good story they had read. I then asked what makes a good story. The students shared their ideas. I wrote them on the board.
Finally, I wrote a list of three things pulled from their list that I thought they should concentrate on in their stories.
- Main Character: Who are they? Name? Age? Gender?
- Setting: Where? When?
- Problem: What does your main character have to overcome?
The students began to write. When I informed them that time was up they asked for more time. Ms. Dolejis and I agreed and gave them ten more minutes.
A few students finished their stories in the allotted time. I had them check their stories based on three questions I had written on the board.
Does my story have:
- A beginning, middle, and end?
- details, description?
- Is my story interesting/funny/engaging/scary? Does it do what I want it to do?
I paired up a few of the early finishers and had them share their stories with each other. All of the students were very excited about getting to writing after
This sounds like a really good writing lesson that the students were very engaged in. Having popsicle sticks to pull for names ensures that students are not missed and are accountable. Using criteria for their stories and having them self edit while creating them as well as share finished products are very good strategies for motivation and a more polished finished work