writing small moments

I found a turtle in the pond. Then we went to McDonalds. This is how 4th graders write. I like to use pictures to help them expand on those small moments. ( I like to call it stretccchhh the slinky). Here is a lesson using a picture of a small moment two boys have in a pond. Why did I pick this picture? Because this small moment could be tucked into many of our personal narratives that we are practicing for the MCAS. For example: Write about a special time you had with a friend. The lesson went like this: We listed the nouns in the picture and possible adjectives to describe the nouns. Then we explored many different verbs we could use in our paragraph. The big question in this picture is: What did they find in the water? Next I showed the children my model. (I wanted to find a a baby turtle). I also have the students close their eyes and I walk them through a visualizing activity having to do with the picture. What do you see, hear, smell? What does the water/sand feel like...and so on. The paragraphs came out quite good! Christine