"What better way to start the year than inviting kids to share stories from their own lives? What better way to get to know your students, and for your students to learn that what they have to say is important? Starting with personal narrative–because it is so personal–sets the stage for all the rest of the writing your students will do this year. Whether it’s good, bad, or ugly, you should feel honored that your students *trust you enough to share their real true lives with you and their classmates" (Moore, 2015, para. 12).
How do I help students find writing topics to develop personal stories?
There are a variety of strategies that students can use to help them think about stories from their own lives that they can write about.. below are some great strategies to use in the classroom. The goal is not to have students write stories about a whole day they experienced for example, but to narrow down the focus and write personal stories about small moments in their life.
Heart Map: Listing things that are important to you can spark writing ideas or personal stories. Maybe listing your dog or Grandpa can bring back a special memory you had with them at the park when you were 6 (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 68).
Hand Map: Using the internal responses and emotions from a story to remember times in your own life where you felt these emotions. (Frye, 2019, slide 50).
Neighborhood Map: Spark ideas or stories that develop from a walk around your neighborhood or a memory you have. This can also be done using a place like your house for instance (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 73).
Inverted Triangle: Using your writing territories and broad topics to narrow down your writing to one specific story in time. Example: Celebrations, Holidays, Christmas time, Christmas Eve, Purple bird tradition (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 53-54).
Mentor Texts: Reading a story can help spark connections to the story and give readers writing ideas, reminding them of their own life stories. Example: the book 'Shortcut' can remind a reader about a time they thought something was a good idea and then regretted it later.
Read a Photograph: Using a personal picture of a person or moment in your life can help students write, thinking about who/what is in the picture, when it was taken, where, and why it is important. They can use their photo to tell a story about a small moment that happened during the time the picture was taken or a small moment the story inspires. (Frye, 2019, slide 35).
Look Closely at an Object: Using an object that matters to you, think about why the object is important, where you got it from, what purpose it serves, etc and write a small moment story related to it. (Frye, 2019, slide 32-33).
Important Place/Person/Animal to you: Listing small moments you had in this place or with this person/animal can inspire you to write off one of these small moments (Frye, 2019, slide 25).
It is important as teachers to provide students with writing strategies to get their ideas flowing. It is hard for many students to think about stories in their life without wanting to write about a broad topic such as all the moments they have spent with their dog or what they did from the time they woke up to when they went to sleep for example. So, by providing strategies where students can break down broad topics into specific, small moments in their life, their writing will improve, be more focused, detailed, and appealing to readers.
Always remember to model to students your own story and process. Show students what it looks like to use an above strategy, what your thinking looks like throughout, and how you take a small moment idea from your strategy brainstorming and move it onto paper to write about.
How do I help students develop the content and details of their writing?
Chapter 4 in Mentor Text by Dorfman & Cappelli gives teachers a variety of strategies to help students develop the content of their writing. They remind teachers the importance of helping students to "put their writing under a magnifying lens and look for those small moments that can be enlarged to take their readers there, wherever that might be" (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 78). We need to help students learn to pick out small moments in their life and develop these stories with content and details to engage readers. Below are some strategies mentioned in the text to help students further develop their writing.
Slowing down time: It is important to teach students to write about a small moment of time, focusing on the content of their writing. Through mentor texts, we can show students "how an author slows down a moment in time to look at an important event, examine a feeling, or reveal a character" (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 78).
Dipping into dialogue: Adding dialogue to writing can help writers add details to their writing, bring characters to life, and make it more interesting to readers. It is important for writers to know that "too much dialogue may make the piece tedious or difficult to understand", rather dialogue should be sprinkled on just like salt (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 81).
Descriptions: digging deeper: When adding details and descriptions, the writer should dig deeper and really describe the scene. "Setting is an important element of a story", so digging deeper into the setting creates a visual for readers. One strategy the book mentions to create this visual in readers minds, is to "take the unknown and compare it to the know" (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 83).
Appealing to the sense: Another way to add detail and bring the reader into your writing is by appealing to the senses. When describing the setting, characters, or details in the story, using the senses to describe it is valuable. Using 'I see, I hear, I feel, I smell, I taste' allows readers to visualize and remember the details of the story (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 84).
Using anecdotes to reveal details: anecdotes or short accounts of an event are great ways to add detail to writing. Anecdotes "add interesting or humorous content to their writing while revealing character traits or quirks about the subject" (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 87).
Moving from here to there: The idea of showing the movement through time, distance, or time passing is very beneficial for students, especially because they tend to want to write about every detail in their day. Teaching students that ellipses, commas, dashes, and transitional words can be added to writing to show this passage of time, distance, and movement. (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2017, pg. 88).
What do I do once students write their personal stories?
Teacher feedback, as well as peer feedback is so important in the writing process. Giving students time to peer conference after drafting their writing, can help writers improve their own ideas and make their stories more clear to readers. While engaging in the writing process, teach students how to give thoughtful, helpful, and clear feedback to peers. Using the two feedback charts below are a great resource to give students. Furthermore, the best way to teach students how to give feedback aside from assistive feedback charts is to model it to students. Show students what good, efficient feedback looks like and give them ideas on feedback they can use on others, by providing students with feedback from you, the teacher, as they write. By equipping students with feedback from both the teacher and peers across multiple writing drafts, they will feel better supported and ready to engage in writer's workshop.
(Frye, 2019, slide 1-2).
My small moment story:
Inspired by the mentor text, Happy Like Soccer. A book about a young girl's passion, love, and even sadness at times that the sport of soccer brings into her life. This is a story about a sport I loved growing up.
Draft 1:
As I heard my name called in my flight group, my nerves began to hit at an all time high. It was my turn to compete at Nationals. I quickly took my place in line behind a friend from my team, knowing at this point, we were competitors. We were led out in a single file line onto the competition floor by a volunteer, herding us like young school children.
As we reached the double mini, it looked so new, shiny, and foreign. Reminding myself I had practiced this routine hundred of times, trained on a double mini for years, and more than prepared myself for this competition, I was ready to perform.
Knowing my turn was next, I took one deep breath, looked at my coach with encouragement in her eyes, took one last look at the thousands of faces staring at me around the coliseum, and took the step onto the double mini track. As I turned and faced the judges, 6 unfamiliar faces staring at me, I stood frozen, waiting for my name to be called. As I heard my name, I lifted my arms and saluted the judges, making sure to give a friendly smile, even though my nerves were taking over. One more deep breath and I began my descent down the runway. Soon enough, it was time to jump onto the double-mini. With all my energy, I took a leap, the double mini hitting the bottom of my feet, jump, flip, double flip, my feet had hit the mat. It was over. I had stuck it. All the nerves and preparation I had worked so hard for were over in a matter of seconds. Quickly, taking a deep breath of relief, I saluted the judges and ran into the arms of my coach. I had done it. I had won a gold medal at Nationals.
Draft 2:
As a 10 year old girl in the sport of gymnastics, all I had ever wanted to do was win a gold medal at Nationals. The biggest accomplishment in the sport you can imagine. "Madison Sivret, Ultimate Air" ..that was it. My name. It was my turn. My turn to compete in Los Angeles, California. My turn to perform in front of thousands. It was my turn to compete at Nationals.. what I had worked this whole season for. I can do it.
I quickly took my place in line behind a young girl, wearing the same blue and black sparkly uniform as me, knowing even though we are friends, at this point we are competitors. We were swiftly led out in a single file line onto the competition floor by a volunteer, herding us like young school children. As I first laid eyes on it, it looked so new, shiny, and foreign. Even though I had just trained on this double mini the day before. Step. Step...you have practiced this routine hundreds of times...one foot after the other...you have trained on a double mini for years.. Step. Step... you have more than prepared for this competition..You are ready..
Knowing my turn was next, I took one long deep breath, looked at my coach with encouragement in her eyes, gazed one last time at the thousands of faces staring at me around the coliseum, and took that final step onto the double mini track. There was no turning back. I turned and faced the judges, six unfamiliar faces staring at me, frozen, waiting for my name to be called. "Madison Sivret". Hearing my name I lifted my arms, seeming heavier than usual, I saluted the judges, fighting back my nerves so a soft friendly smile could appear. You can do it..jump..backflip, double front..land. One more deep breath and I began my descent down the runway. One step..two steps..I was running..sprinting towards the double mini. With all my energy, I took a leap. Feeling the double mini press against the bottom of my feet, jump..toes pointed..kick-out..regain focus, squeeze tight..release.. my feet had hit the mat. It was over. I had stuck it. All the nerves and preparation I had worked so hard for were over in a matter of seconds. Taking a breath of relief and realizing what had happened, I quickly saluted the judges, and ran into the open arms of my coach. I had done it. I had won a gold medal at Nationals.
Your Turn Lesson #1:
Derived from Mentor Text by Dorfman & Cappelli
My Self Portrait Inspired by Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal:
Brown Girl Dreaming:
"Hard not to smile as I held it, felt the breeze as I fanned the pages. My sister thought my standing there smiling was crazy, didn't understand how the smell and feel and sight of bright white paper could bring me so much joy. 'And why does she need a notebook? She can't even write!' For days and days, I could only sniff the pages, hold the notebook close, listen to the sound the papers made. Nothing in the world is like this- a bright white page with pale blue lines. The smell of a newly sharpened pencil, the soft hush of it moving finally one day into letters" (Woodson, 2014, pg. 154-155).
My hope is to make my future students feel this way about a writer's notebook. I want to make their writer's notebook so special to them and deliver it in an exciting and magical way. All students should have a journal that they are proud of and that offers a space to write freely, which is what a good writer's notebook should be. I can't wait for my future students to experience the joy of writer's notebooks!
Useful links:
Examples of narrative writing across grade levels: https://asulearn.appstate.edu/pluginfile.php/556885/mod_page/content/52/Discovering%20the%20Inside%20Story_2019.pdf?time=1549414109370
Examples of narrative mentor texts: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L6vC7v7hxjqqNgbh-iDAWTBHqoE6CchXsj_f-jf-l2A/edit#
Why Narrative Writing Matters: https://twowritingteachers.org/2015/10/07/why-narrative-writing-matters/
Showing/Not Telling Handout: https://asulearn.appstate.edu/pluginfile.php/556885/mod_page/content/52/SHOWING%20NOT%20TELLING.pdf
Happy Like Soccer:
Mini-lessons connected to the book: https://asulearn.appstate.edu/pluginfile.php/556885/mod_page/content/52/CRAFT%20MOVES_Happy%20Like%20Soccer.pdf
Illustrator Lauren Castillo: http://www.laurencastillo.com/
Author Maribeth Boelts: https://maribethboelts.com/
Read aloud: https://vimeo.com/190501141
Sources:
Boelts, M. & Castillo, L. (2012) Happy like soccer. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Dorfman, L.R. & Cappelli, R. (2017) Mentor texts teaching writing through children's
literature, K-6. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Frye, B. (2019). CARE_TAG Feedback. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
Frye, B. (2019). Drafting Entries in the Writer’s Notebook: Heart Maps, Something
Beautiful, and Mentor Texts. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from
Moore, B. (2015, October 7). Why narrative writing matters. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://twowritingteachers.org/2015/10/07/why-narrative-writing-matters/
Rosenthal, A. K. (2016) Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal. New York, NY: Dutton.
Woodson, J. (2014). Brown girl dreaming. New York, NY: Puffin Books.