“Those Shoes” by Maribeth Boelts
At home, Grandma says, “how kind of Mr. Alfrey.” I nod and turn my back. I’m not going to cry about any dumb shoes. But when I’m writing my spelling words later, every word looks like the word shoes and my grip is so tight on my pencil I think that it might burst. 

“now when recess rolls around that playground’s one great place. At the school bell’s dignity ring those two girls race zingity zing out the classroom door. jean doesn’t psh kids and smoosh kids, lollapaloosh kids hammer em slammer em kits and kajammer them because she is having too much fun with her friends. 

TEACHING POINT: I would use this book to show students how much more fun and interesting a book becomes when you add emotion into the story and show the readers how your characters are feeling rather than telling.  Throughout this book, you can see and feel the exhilarating emotions of the characters through words and illustrations even though it never explicitly says “we had fun.”    

“Most of these people are dizzy.  Some of them have wobbly knees.  But at least one of them is planning to ride the roller coaster again… right now!”

“It’s okay to feel a little scared,” said his dad. “Sometimes, if I feel a little scared, I take a deep breath and tell myself I am ready. And you know what? Sometimes it stops feeling scary and feels a little like a surprise.” Jabari loved surprises. Jabari took a deep breath and felt it fill his body from the ends of his hair right down to the tip of his toes. Jabari looked up. He began to climb. Up and up. Until he got to the top. Jabari stood up straight. He walked all the way to the end of the board. His toes curled around the rough edge. Jabari looked out as far as he could see. He felt he was ready. “I love surprises.” He whispered. He took a deep breath and spread his arms and bent knees. 
Then he sprung up! Up off the board! Flying!

My name is Zuri, and I have hair that has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls in every which way. Daddy tells me it is beautiful. They makes me proud. I love that my hair lets me be me! In funky braids with beads, I am a princess. And when my hair is in two puffs, I am above the clouds like a superhero. My hair even does magic tricks. One day Rocky and I were playing outside when along came the rain. From large to small it went. Presto! Just like that! Today I woke up extra early all by myself. I was too excited to sleep. It’s a big day! Daddy was still sleeping. “Shh,” I said to Rocky as we tiptoed past him. Lately Daddy has been worn-out! He makes me breakfast, takes me to school, goes to work, picks me up, and yesterday we went for a bike ride around the park. I think he needs a break. Because today is a special day, I want a perfect hairstyle. This calls for a professional’s touch. “Paws off, Rocky!” Daddy heard the crash. “Zuri, what on earth?” He asked. “I was only trying to help,” I said. Daddy smiled. “Can I help, too? It’ll be a piece of cake, Zuzu.” The first style was a big no way. The second was no better. “No, Daddy.” Then Daddy tried slicking my hair back into two puffs. “Ouch!” Daddy yelled. “Wait a minute” Daddy said as he reached into the drawer and pulled out a pick. “Ta-da!” Daddy, really?” I said. “I’ll be right back,” he promised. “Now. How’s that?” He asked, pulling a hat down over my eyes. “Daddy, come on. We can do better than that.” “I really need my hair to be special.” “Don’t worry,” he said, “we’ll figure this out.” Then I had a great idea. Daddy gathered all the tools we needed, and we were set! Watching carefully… Daddy combed, parted, oiled and twisted. He nailed it! Funky puff buns! Pretty, pretty, and so much fun. Rocky approved, too! I put on my superhero cape as the final touch to a perfect look. “Where’s my Zuzu?” Mommy called from the door. She could not get in the house fast enough. “You’ve got to be the prettiest supergirl I have ever seen,” she said. “And your hair is beautiful, Zuri. Who did it?” I looked at Daddy and beamed. Mommy smiled. “Very nice.” “Thank you. We learned from the best,” Daddy said as he gave her a big hug. My hair is Mommy, Daddy, and me. It’s hair love!

This story shows the way to different boys, one in India and one in the United States, live their lives the same but different. The boys write letters back and forth to one another explaining their lifestyles, interests, families, and much more.

My name is Elliot, and I love to climb trees. My name is Kailash and I love to climb trees too. Same, same but different! P.s. Do you live in a tree? I live in a red brick building with my mom, dad, and baby sister. O live with my family too- all twenty-three of us- my mom, dad, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather, aunties, uncles, cousins and our animals. I have pets too, but not nearly as many as you! Same, same but different! P.S. What does it look like where you live? A great river flows through my village, Peacocks dance under trees shaped like umbrellas. The sun is giant and especially hot here. In my city the sun hides behind buildings as tall as the sky. Taxis, buses, and cars fill the streets

I recently came across the book Kitchen Dance by Maurie J. Manning. I would use the following passage to teach students about the use of onomatopoeias and in general the use of adjectives that specifically describe sounds, when writing personal narratives. Oftentimes, students may not think about the sounds of their story when telling (or writing) a personal narrative. Yet, the use of words that describe sound in personal narratives can help readers feel as though they are in the book, experiencing the plot with the author. This book, and specifically this excerpt can teach students to think broadly and use all 5 senses (but specifically sound) when brainstorming about writing a personal narrative. 

“I wake up and listen.

Through the walls and the floor,

I hear kitchen sounds.

Glasses clinking.

Water swishing.

Forks clattering.

Then something else-

a deep voice humming a tune,

and someone laughing. “Hush!” “ 

“When I was eight years old, I went to see Papa after school one day. “May I go to the fish market with you?” I asked. Papa was surprised. “Hiromi, the Fulton Fish Market is no place for a child,” he said. I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I pleaded until Papa gave in. 

We left for the fish market before the sun came up. The market was loud and smelly. “No talking,” Papa said. “This is serious business.” I kept close to him, but I had many questions.

“What fish is this?” I asked, soon forgetting Papa’s warning. “What’s that?” I wanted to know about every fish in the market. At first Papa didn’t answer. Then he realized I was really interested. He began to teach me.” (p.19-21)

I like the text because it is a story related to our daily life that gives readers a lesson when dealing with friendship, judgment, and kindness. Also, it is a story structure that contains a clear beginning, middle, and end. The text helps students brainstorm a topic for writing and even builds up a sense of kindness and friendliness in the class and community.

The book “Enemy Pie” is narrated by a little boy looking forward to a perfect summer until Jeremy Ross moved into the neighborhood. Jeremy Ross became the little boy’s first potential enemy on his list after Jeremy Ross laughed at the little bot when he struck him out at basketball and not inviting him to a trampoline party. Later, the little boy talked to his dad about his problem. His dad told the little boy that the secret way to get rid of enemies is an enemy pie and the key to the plan is the little boy had to spend one day playing with Jeremy. The little boy had a fun day hanging out with Jeremy, and he stopped him from eating the pie and being poisoned because Jeremy is not that bad. After dinner, Jeremy invited the little boy to play trampoline at his house the following day. In the end, the little boy realizes he lost his best enemy. 

 

I chose this book because I like how it portrays a story in so many descriptive ways. I also like how this book can teach students that when writing a personal narrative, they do not have to write about something grand or super important that happened in their lives in order to be meaningful or impactful. They can even write about a small moment in their lives to express their thoughts and feelings in many interesting ways.

 

Teaching Point: I would use this book to model how to write a personal narrative using literary devices, such as simile, metaphor, personification, and sensory imagery so that students can convey their story in many descriptive ways.

 

I listed below some examples of literary devices from the text:

Simile: “Somewhere behind us a train whistle blew, long and low, like a sad, sad song.”

Metaphor: “It seem to fit exactly over the center of the clearing and the snow below it was whiter than the milk in a cereal bowl.”

Personification: “I had to run every now and then to keep up, and my short, round shadow bumped after me.”

Sensory Imagery: “He looked up, as if searching the stars, as if reading a map up there.”

I recently discovered the book Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and love that not only can it be used to teach writing, but also the message of self-love and confidence it spreads. I think this text can be used to teach many different writing lessons. I love the descriptive language Zuri uses to describe her hair and could use this to teach students to show, not tell as they write. I also think this text would be good for teaching students about expanding on a small moment in time to write a personal narrative. This story depicts one small moment in Zuri’s life as she and her dad work together to style her hair. 

My name is Zuri, and I have hair that has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls in every which way. Daddy tells me it is beautiful. They makes me proud. I love that my hair lets me be me! In funky braids with beads, I am a princess. And when my hair is in two puffs, I am above the clouds like a superhero. My hair even does magic tricks. One day Rocky and I were playing outside when along came the rain. From large to small it went. Presto! Just like that! Today I woke up extra early all by myself. I was too excited to sleep. It’s a big day! Daddy was still sleeping. “Shh,” I said to Rocky as we tiptoed past him. Lately Daddy has been worn-out! He makes me breakfast, takes me to school, goes to work, picks me up, and yesterday we went for a bike ride around the park. I think he needs a break. Because today is a special day, I want a perfect hairstyle. This calls for a professional’s touch. “Paws off, Rocky!” Daddy heard the crash. “Zuri, what on earth?” He asked. “I was only trying to help,” I said. Daddy smiled. “Can I help, too? It’ll be a piece of cake, Zuzu.” The first style was a big no way. The second was no better. “No, Daddy.” Then Daddy tried slicking my hair back into two puffs. “Ouch!” Daddy yelled. “Wait a minute” Daddy said as he reached into the drawer and pulled out a pick. “Ta-da!” Daddy, really?” I said. “I’ll be right back,” he promised. “Now. How’s that?” He asked, pulling a hat down over my eyes. “Daddy, come on. We can do better than that.” “I really need my hair to be special.” “Don’t worry,” he said, “we’ll figure this out.” Then I had a great idea. Daddy gathered all the tools we needed, and we were set! Watching carefully… Daddy combed, parted, oiled and twisted. He nailed it! Funky puff buns! Pretty, pretty, and so much fun. Rocky approved, too! I put on my superhero cape as the final touch to a perfect look. “Where’s my Zuzu?” Mommy called from the door. She could not get in the house fast enough. “You’ve got to be the prettiest supergirl I have ever seen,” she said. “And your hair is beautiful, Zuri. Who did it?” I looked at Daddy and beamed. Mommy smiled. “Very nice.” “Thank you. We learned from the best,” Daddy said as he gave her a big hug. My hair is Mommy, Daddy, and me. It’s hair love!

I was introduced to this book when I was substituting in a fifth-grade classroom. It is a story told from the perspective of a boy who moved from New York City to Vermont with his mom and sister after his parents divorced. As if that wasn’t life-changing enough, their aunt, Tia Lola comes to stay with them form Dominican Republic. While at first, he is very embarrassed by some of her customs, he becomes fond of her and realizes how much of his culture he loves. I quickly connected to this story, since I am also Dominican from New York City and have had very similar experiences to Miguel. 

 

Teaching Point: While this book can be used to teach many things, one way that I would use it is to teach literary elements such as symbolism. Specifically, there is one passage in the book that speaks about a blue bowl which lends itself to this very well:

 

GR level: M

 

I love this book because it is a powerful and topical story about a single mom coming to America without knowing the language or culture. It has gorgeous artwork and celebrates books and libraries. I also really like it because it incorporates Spanish words into the story. 
 

Teaching Point: Building up to a reveal. I like how the author builds up anticipation in revealing what the mother and her son found. You can tell by looking at the pictures that they are the library, but it isn’t fully revealed for a few pages that books (in the library) are what changed their life.

 

Excerpt: the anticipation is built over a few pages…
“Thousands and thousands of steps,

We took around  this land, 

Until the day we found…
 
A place we had never seen before. 
Suspicious. Improbable.

 

Unbelievable. Surprising.
 

Unimaginable. 

 

Where we didn’t need to speak, we only needed to trust, and we did!”

-Meredith Pozzi

 

Teaching point:
Oftentimes, students feel devoid of experience in saying “I don't have any stories, I don’t know what to write.” Salt Hands proves that there is no story too small or unimportant. It is the way we tell the story, not the story itself, that will draw in a reader. The story allows teachers to highlight the use of descriptive language, how to detail action, and how to express personal emotion. Stretching out a story to share specific details allows the reader to feel as if they are stepping into your mind and body. The simplicity and clarity of Salt Hands provides accessibility to writers of varying levels.

Teaching Point: This book can be used during more than one subject and used in many ways. One way I would use this book during narrative writing is to have students write their own family story or family history. Students can have the freedom to bring in photos, interview family members, bring in family heirlooms, videos, and whatever else students would like to share their family’s story. I would also have students pay attention and understand why the quilt was only colored in bright colors compared to everything else in the story so students understand how much importance the quilt holds to the narrator’s family. 

~ Mahfooza Choudhury

 

Teaching point: I would use this book to teach students how descriptive words and comparisons can help paint a picture in a reader’s mind.  I also really like how it helps students understand how they can be proud of their culture and where their families come from. 

 

“I tried really really hard but nothing came and that made me feel bad. But then I realized that I don’t have to feel bad because even if I’d never set foot on the Island it doesn’t matter: The Island is me.”

Here is a small excerpt from the book:

“I no longer do the mean things I had done before.

I don’t tease others and I don’t slam the door.

I stopped being selfish and I shared my toys.

I don’t shout around or make disrespectful noise.

Kindness is something you can quickly learn:

when you give and ask for nothing in return.  

Helping others is the least you can do.

If you are kind, kindness will come back to you.”

I really love the message of this book and I think it is important to introduce these ideas to students this age because they are developing and observing social interactions and this book can help guide them toward appropriate behavior and decision making. 

The main ideas of this book address kindness, empathy and compassion, however, I like the idea of kindness being a superpower and that is how I would approach introducing narrative writing to students. I would prompt students by asking what their superpower is and ask them to think of characteristics that describe themselves, which characteristic could be considered a superpower and how it can be used as a superpower. For example, “Just as Lucas uses kindness as a superpower to help others, what superpower or characteristic do you use to help others or make others happy?” Once this is identified, I would ask students to write about any experience in which they used their superpower. I think this would be a fun way to get students to think creatively while building social emotional awareness. 

This author, Alecia Ortego, has similar books titled “Gratitude is my Superpower” and “Acceptance is my Superpower” which I think could also be very useful in the classroom!

Excerpt: “Chapter 3 cont’d: ‘What’s cricket? I thought absolutely stupefied that not one of them knew about the most perfect game in the world. I looked at the nameless strangers in my class and felt a strong need to tell them all about the game I loved so much. Bit I didn’t get the chance to share my knowledge. The bell rang, signaling the end of class and the start of lunch, and I immediately lost everyone’s attention…just when I was starting to enjoy it. Chapter 4: The class erupted into complete mayhem as everyone tried to exit at the same time through the single door at the front of the room, anxious to meet up with their friends and already discussing topics other than cricket. Within minutes, the chaos was over and I was left standing in a quite classroom with Mr. Tidewell.”

Teaching Point: I would use this book to discuss with students about being socially diverse and  respectful to each other’s backgrounds. Students will write about their personal connections to the story. Using a graphic organizer students will write about their culture traditions, foods, clothing, holidays, music, art, languages etc. Students will be able to pick a small moment within their culture, so they can write to a classmate to share more about their background. 

Teaching points: I would use this story to have students reflect on major life events that have affected their perspective and life view. The story demonstrates character development, inner conflict, plot, and dialogue.

From Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. 

It’s always there. Like the ground underneath my feet.

“Well, Ally? Are you going to write or aren’t you?” Mrs. Hall asks.

If my teacher were mean it would be easier.

“C’mon,” she says. “I know you can do it.”

“What if I told you that I was going to climb a tree using only my teeth? Would you say I could do it then?”

Oliver laughs, throwing himself on his desk like it’s a fumbled football.

Shay groans. “Ally, why can’t you just act normal for once?”

Near her, Albert, a bulky kid who’s worn the same thing every day—a dark T-shirt that reads Flint—sits up straight. Like he’s waiting for a firecracker to go off.

Mrs. Hall sighs. “C’mon, now. I’m only asking for one page describing yourself.”

I can’t think of anything worse than having to describe myself. I’d rather write about something more positive. Like throwing up at your own birthday party.

“It’s important,” she says. “It’s so your new teacher can get to know you.”

I know that, and it’s exactly why I don’t want to do it. Teachers are like the machines that take quarters for bouncy balls. You know what you’re going to get. Yet, you don’t know, too.

“And,” she says. “All that doodling of yours, Ally. If you weren’t drawing all the time, your work might be done. Please put it away.”

Embarrassed, I slide my drawings underneath my blank writing assignment. I’ve been drawing pictures of myself being shot out of a cannon. It would be easier than school. Less painful.

“C’mon,” she says, moving my lined paper toward me. “Just do your best.”

Teaching point: This book is to help teach kids how to present an emotional conflict in a story. Ruben saw money fall out of a lady’s purse at the store and kept it, realizing it was enough to buy a bike like Sergio’s. When he thought he had lost the $100 bill he was so upset that he wouldn’t be able to buy his bike. When he runs into the lady again, he felt guilty - he chased her. 

“And like a hot blast, I remember how it felt for me when that money that was hers — then mine — was gone. I leave the juice behind. And this time. I follow her. She walks down one street, then another and passed the bike shop. My mouth is dry. “Excuse me” I say. She turns. And we are face to face. I breathe fast, and the words burst loose like they’ve been waiting. The lady says yes, she lost a hundred dollars and has been looking since. She tips her head, “Why?” I uncurl my fist. “I found it,” I say, holding it out to her stilled folded. Her face changes from surprised… to joyful… to soft. She take my hand in both of hers like a sandwich and asks my name. “Thank you, Ruben,” she says. “You have blessed me.” I am happy and mixed up, full and empty, with what’s right and what’s wrong.

Student Centered Learning Activities:
- Book Clubs
- Literature Circles
- Socratic Seminar
- Cultural Stories: What is your cultural story? Students will tell their own cultural story (such as where their family is from, values and traditions of their culture). Students may have written stories, oral story telling, or use of technology apps

- Central Idea: Determining the Central Idea using text evidence - students will work together in groups to determine the central idea of the text and provide 2-3 text evidence.

Writing Lesson:
- Personal Narrative: I would use this book to model a Personal Narrative, as Lola writes a personal narrative in this book and talks about how she solvesa a problem. A great prompt would be to discuss students' cultural identity.

Examples in the Text:

Karla Ortiz
SPED 724,02

 

I chose The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant because this would be a great mentor text to help with the planning process, especially setting, order of events, and ending. This mentor text tells a story about a large extended family getting together during the summer and how they spend their days. As students are planning their personal narrative, they will get an understanding of where the story took place (setting), how a story is told over time (order of events), and how the characters feel at the end of the story (ending). This book exemplifies what a small moment looks like, which is helpful for students when developing a personal narrative of their own.

 

I also chose Jamaica’s Finds by Juanita Havill because this would be a great mentor text to help with the trouble and resolution part of the planning strategy. This mentor text tells a story about a girl named Jamaica who found a dog plush at the park and was conflicted about whether returning the plush to the lost and found is the right thing to do. As Jamaica decides to return the plush, the girl who lost the plush reunites with it with Jamaica’s help. As students are planning their personal narrative, they will get an understanding of a problem that takes place in the story (trouble), and how it gets resolved (resolution). Overall, these books would be perfect mentor texts to read when teaching the pre-writing phase of writing a personal narrative.

I stumbled upon this poem serendipitously in a recent issue of one of my favorite comic books, Edgar Allen Poe’s Snifter of Death. In the poem, the author decries the presence of homophones in the English language while making multiple homophone errors in every line! I think this would be a clever and engaging tool to teach about homophone errors in writing, which I am focusing on with my tutee as part of a broader goal to build editing skills and self regulation habits. An excerpt: “Weather ewe are knew to English or have been speaking it your hole life, anyone can sea mastering homophones is a pane and a grate waist of thyme”

This is one of my favorite contemporary kids books, a layered text with elements that could appeal to a variety of grade levels. For work with my tutee, I would like to focus on the creative use of text elements of this story, particularly how the authors used creative plays on words. The main character’s misunderstandings of the world around them would be a great way to encourage my tutee to think carefully about their clarity and word choice when writing or editing. I think it could also be fun to attempt some of the math problems in the text, which get rather complex and convoluted as the text goes on-- this would be an engaging way to cross disciplines in our tutoring. Excerpt: “English is a word problem. If mail + box = mailbox, does lipstick - stick = lip? Does tunafish + tunafish = fournafish?”

A loud clap of thunder booms, and rattles the windows of Grandma’s old farmhouse. “This is Thunder Cake baking weather,” calls Grandma, as she and her granddaughter hurry to gather the ingredients around the farm. A real Thunder Cake must reach the oven before the storm arrives. But the list of ingredients is long and not easy to find . . . and the storm is coming closer all the time!

Reaching once again into her rich childhood experience, Patricia Polacco tells the memorable story of how her grandma–her Babushka–helped her overcome her fear of thunder when she was a little girl. Ms. Polacco’s vivid memories of her grandmother’s endearing answer to a child’s fear, accompanied by her bright folk-art illustrations, turn a frightening thunderstorm into an adventure and ultimately . . . a celebration!

Whether the first clap of thunder finds you buried under the bedcovers or happily anticipating the coming storm, Thunder Cake is a story that will bring new meaning and possibility to the excitement of a thunderstorm.

Although dyslexia is never mentioned in the book, this story will provide great reassurance to children who struggle to overcome learning disabilities.

I selected this book that targets my learner about culture. This is a great book for all learners especially ELL learners to help with personal narratives. I can use this text to teach story structure and brainstorming just like the character in the book had to do.  

Text #2 The keeping quilt Patricia Polacco

I would use this book to The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polaco to teach personal narrative in addition to the first book. It is a book that students can make connections to. This book shows about culture which is something that students can write about. This can help students write about holiday/cultural celebrations that they do with the family. Also learn about other cultures during class discussions.

The Day You Begin By Jacqueline Woodson

This book details the first day of school from the point of view of a young girl, who worries that herself and her summer experience are lacking in comparison to her classmates. This book is rich in cultural and socioeconomic diversity, with characters that vary in experience and appearance. This story is relatable to a wide audience, as most students can relate to the fears of starting new at the beginning of a school year, but also provides more intimate connections for students who feel isolated based on who they are as individuals. 

I would use this text to encourage students to use and expand their descriptive language. Woodson does an incredible job at using simile and metaphor. For example, the author Woodson writes “your name and homeland sound like flowers blooming the first bright notes of a song.” The book is also an example of how to take something ordinary, like spending time in your hometown during the summer, and turning it into descriptive and exciting writing. 

BOOK #2

A Bike Like Sergio’s By Maribeth Boelts 

This book describes the highs and lows of doing the “right” thing. The main character, Reuben, finds money dropped by a woman at the grocery store. What he believes to be an insignificant $1 bill, turns out to be $100. This amount of money allows him to afford the bike that he desperately wants, which other kids his age own. The book is culturally relevant to Hispanic or Latino students, those of varying socioeconomic status, any students who have struggled to fit in, and even any person who has grappled with moral dilemmas. 

The book spans two days and can be used as an example of taking a few small moments and turning them into a full story that details internal feelings, uses sensory description, and highlights a strong theme. Something as ordinary as finding money or an item on the street, or wanting a material item can be stretched out to create a well-rounded and captivating story. 

I am currently highlighting this text with my Learning Lab tutee, to showcase how an every day event can turn into full written stories. We have been working on brainstorming through Heart Maps and we made a mock Heart Map for the author of A Bike Like Sergio’s, in order to create an association between planning, writing, and a final product. 

Text #2: the short story “The Beans and Rice Chronicles of Isiah Dunn” by Kelly J. Baptist

 (from the collection of short stories called "Flying Lessons & Other Stories")
This is a higher level text, but I like that since it is a short story we can read and re-read/re-visit in one or two tutoring session(s).

Teaching Point: Including dialogue to make a story more dynamic. 
Excerpt: 
 “You too good to have what we’re having?” Mama asks while I crunch on my flakes.

“No,” I say. “Just tired of always eating beans and rice.”

“Tired of the food we got?” Mama shakes her head, makes it seem like she’s not tired of eating the same thing, too. I don’t answer, but I feel my stomach start jumping around.

“Shoot, when you get a job and start buying the groceries, then you can decide what you’re tired of eating!” Mama says.

-Meredith Pozzi

Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner

The book Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt is about a girl and her grandmother working together in the garden during the change of seasons. The reason for picking this book is for the descriptive, sensory overload and juicy descriptions the author provides the reader to really emerge them in the story as if they were there in the garden too. The book shows students that to be descriptive does not mean you have to add extra words to describe what is happening but instead teaches the students to 'show not tell' by using their senses and action words. You see this skill various times throughout the book: “…honeybees, visit, legs loaded with pollen.”, “I’m jealous fo their cool, damp, dark.”, “bats swoop through the sunflowers..”, “They snuffle and dig, and gobble cutworms while I sleep”. These are all examples of descriptive language the author used without being too wordy and overwhelming the scene. I believe it is important for students to learn how to think outside the box when writing to make their pieces enticing to read and really emerge their audience in the scene that they are trying to portray. 

I picked this book because it’s about a girl who is writing her own personal narrative. I like this book because it shows the steps of the writing process. It is a book that can be read in parts to break up each part of the process and really show your student(s) what is done in each part of writing their own personal narrative.

It’s Rachel’s eleventh birthday but she doesn’t feel eleven. On this day she feels more like one. Her insensitive teacher wants to find the owner of a red sweater that’s been sitting in the coatroom for a very, very long time. No one in Rachel’s class wants to claim it. When Rachel is accused she doesn’t speak up for herself. The following writing skills are beautifully done in this short story:

The Koala Who Could is a story about a Koala named Kevin who was scared to leave the tree and play with others. Kevin soon learns that the ground is not as scary as he believed it once to be. This resonated with my students writing piece with her overcoming her fear and inability to ride her bike. This text did a great job of building suspension, building a story line/plot, and having a successful and positive ending of overcoming a challenge. What I would want to focus on most would be the fluidity throughout the text and how through the progression of time, Kevin is continuing this ‘journey’ of overcoming his fear to leave the tree - similar to the students journey of learning how to ride a bike. The book supplies a sense of background which the student does not in her writing piece to emphasize why this accomplishment means so much to her and why it is such a big deal!

I also loved how descriptive this book is as well which works simultaneously with my mentor #1 text. 

 

Holes tells the story of Stanley Yelnats who was recently sent to Camp Green Lake to serve a sentence for a crime (stealing) that he didn't commit. There he meets a cast of characters and uncovers a secret that could end a curse that has been plaguing his family for generations. I would use this mentor text to demonstrate how multigenerational stories can be weaved together, the importance of a good ending as well as character and setting development.  

Teaching Point: I will use this text to teach young writers how to choose a small moment or memory and plan for and write a personal narrative, using a small moment graphic organizer. 

Teaching Point: I will use this text as I teach revision and edition of a personal narrative to help it come to life.