Choosing an Experience to Write About

Topic:

Choosing a personal experience topic to write a personal narrative

Standards:

ELACC2W3: Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

Essential Question:

How can I choose the best experience to write about?

Duration:

About 1 hour

Materials:

personal experience chart,  Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel

Overview or notes pertaining to lesson:

Students will choose a personal experience topic to write a personal narrative.

Mini Lesson:

Students bring writer’s journal to the floor. Yesterday we made lists of personal experiences we have had in our lives. Today we need to choose one of those experiences to write a story about. Remember that not all experiences are happy ones. Sad or scary stories can be good to read as well. Read Our Tree Named Steve by Alan Zweibel. When we choose an experience to write about we need to choose one that we think we can make a really great story that others will like to read. Sometimes sad and scary stories are great, because other people can make connections to those stories. Maybe the reader was scared of the same thing as the writer, so they would probably enjoy reading that book, because they can relate to it. Make a connection to the book you just read. Model choosing an experience from your list and talk aloud about why you would or would not choose that experience to write about. Choose one that you can say your reason is that 2^nd graders can connect to it, like getting a new puppy.

Guided Practice:

Think about which experience on your list you might want to write about and why. Turn and talk, then share some ideas with the class. Discuss good reasons to choose the topic with those who share.

Independent Practice:

Send students back to their seats so they can choose a topic and write about why they chose that topic in relation to the audience.

Closing:

Have a few students share what topic they chose and why.