Sharks Tell a Story!
Brainstorming to publishing!
Our second-grade Sharks just finished their first big writing project of the year: a personal narrative, planned, revised, and published as a real book.
They are using skills that began developing long ago. In Early Learning, letters and words begin to mean something. By first grade, students are already telling and writing stories with the words and skills they are learning. Second grade is where those stories get long enough to hold a whole small moment.
Students planned with graphic organizers so they could keep track of what belonged in the story and what came next. Along the way, teachers worked with them on capitalization and punctuation. They also studied how professional writers choose words and tried figurative language of their own: simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, and personification. That study will continue in the grades ahead.
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They are using skills that began developing long ago. In Early Learning, letters and words begin to mean something. By first grade, students are already telling and writing stories with the words and skills they are learning. Second grade is where those stories get long enough to hold a whole small moment.
Students planned with graphic organizers so they could keep track of what belonged in the story and what came next. Along the way, teachers worked with them on capitalization and punctuation. They also studied how professional writers choose words and tried figurative language of their own: simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, and personification. That study will continue in the grades ahead.
“They learned that authors make intentional choices with their words to create a unique writing style and voice,” said second-grade teacher Chloe Mazurek. One of the skills that mattered most was elaboration. A good story is not only what happened. It is what the writer noticed.
After drafting and revising several stories, each student chose one for a last round of revision, peer editing, and a final draft. They used Book Creator to type, design, and publish the finished book.
Then came the part that made the work feel real. Each book was printed, and students from all four classes moved through the rooms, reading one another’s stories and leaving a positive comment on each. Even Head of School Chris Johnson got in on the act.
“Hearing specific compliments about their stories, ideas, word choices, and creativity helped students recognize themselves as capable authors,” said Ms. Mazurek. “It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they realized that their writing could make an impact on someone else.”
After drafting and revising several stories, each student chose one for a last round of revision, peer editing, and a final draft. They used Book Creator to type, design, and publish the finished book.
Then came the part that made the work feel real. Each book was printed, and students from all four classes moved through the rooms, reading one another’s stories and leaving a positive comment on each. Even Head of School Chris Johnson got in on the act.
“Hearing specific compliments about their stories, ideas, word choices, and creativity helped students recognize themselves as capable authors,” said Ms. Mazurek. “It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they realized that their writing could make an impact on someone else.”
Jacksonville Country Day School
Located in Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Country Day School is a private school for Pre-K 3 through 5th grade. JCDS prepares students for a healthy and productive lifetime of intellectual exploration, character development, and social responsibility.
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