Slice: Today's slice comes straight from my classroom!
In preparation for state-mandated testing, today we pulled out all of our big pieces of writing and took time to reread each word in each of them! My 3rd graders were so involved in reading their own work that it was completely quiet except for a few giggles and gasps as if they were meeting up with an old friend. It was one of those magical moments! The quiet lasted for 10 delightful minutes, and was followed by an even more delightful period in which students were invited to share anything that we might consider strong writing. Here are a couple of the ideas they shared publicly from their Snowman Comes to Life (for only a specific time period, though) narrative writing. I'm also including why they felt it was strong - in the 3rd graders words:.
This was such a fun activity - it really helped (I hope!) them to see what strong writers they are, to celebrate them as writers, and it gave us a chance to talk about author's purpose and various genres in a truly authentic manner! Any moments that are magical are truly worthy of being the focal point of my SLICE! Connection: As adults many of us struggle with capturing ideas, often as elusive as a butterfly flitting in and out of our consciousness. For others, the issue is more one of storing ideas so you have a ready stash when you sit down to write. Do either of these describe you? For me personally, it's a storage issue - well, actually a "find it" issue. Which is why I loved that Lisa Keeler's post on the TWT (Two Writing Teachers) site shared several ideas for keeping track of ideas. The idea of having random photos that you find interesting isn't new to me, but having them organized into a SOLC17 file on my phone is! I am now the proud owner of such a photo-file! The idea of using a journal or notebook isn't novel either, I have a plethora of real notebooks and lovely journals, as well as electronic notebooks. What I've not established as habit yet is actually using them to write ideas and inspirations DAILY. Oh, I've used them - but sparingly rather than habitually. So here's my plan (and a little WHY behind it): I happen to be a self-proclaimed "sticky-note-queen" when reading, tagging favorite lines and sections of books. I'll keep a lovely little notebook or journal with the book and when I tag a line with a sticky note, I will know to write it in the book immediately. If not, I'll leave the sticky note in there (which may be better to give it time to percolate) and come back later to select the quotes or connections that were the most meaningful. {Sheesh, ok, there - it's public. That ups the ante a bit for accountability, doesn't it?}
4 Comments
3/3/2017 02:45:25 am
Love their insights and energy -- hope they keep their strong personal writing voices.
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Vanessa Worrell
3/3/2017 08:02:07 am
Sounds like a great activity and it's so nice that their past writing isn't just forgotten but can be reread,reflected and shared.
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3/3/2017 11:46:17 am
What a great idea that you have found from working with your 3rd Graders. I love a photo that accompanies a slice and find myself with a similar file on my phone! Great ideas!
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3/3/2017 11:54:51 am
This made me think about about using Pinterest for slicing too
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