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| Do you want to write a Sliiiiice? (Sung to the tune of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?") Click over to Two Writing Teachers |
First I explained that I had participated in the Slice of Life writing challenge for the past 6 years. I received the following questions:
"Why?" asked Ruby (3rd grade)
"Do you win a prize?" asked Erick (4th grade)
"What is a slice of life?" asked Isabel (5th grade)
"Can we try?" asked a few students!
I read my 2012 slice about chocolate chips to each group. (My students are well aware that I'm a chocoholic.) Then we talked about why I would write about chocolate (see previous statement.)
Next I had them draw a pizza with eight slices. Ivan (5th grade) noticed that my pizza looked more like an orange slice. (Hmmmm. Maybe I should have done that instead!). We all brainstormed what people, places, FOOD, gadgets and animals they could write on their pizza.
Finally each student chose a "slice" of pizza a wrote for a few minutes. I didn't have a chance to capture all the topics, but they ranged from friends, phones, teachers to candy, Takis and tamales.
I'm glad I felt brave enough to read one of my slices. I'm super pleased that each student filled a pizza with lots of ideas, and EVERY student tried writing a slice.
I think it is so powerful to show students our writing. Bravo for taking that step and having the conversation! Their questions helped lead to the highlights of why you write! I can share with you a "Slice of Life" notebook I created and have used with students in the past ... just a couple lines to engage them in writing every day!
ReplyDeleteGreat way to get the kiddos involved. Pizza, orange, does it really matter? The key is that they get excited about writing down their thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to hook their interest! It will be interesting to see if they write more.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this. I know your organizer was for the kids, but I am stealing it. I have prepared a total of zero for the SOL Challenge this year. Maybe organizing and categorizing my possibilities will help me feel a little better about my situation.
ReplyDeleteThe pizza idea is so cute, and I hope this launches something bigger for you and your students! Every time I share my writing life with my students, there's something in the air in my classroom that just changes instantly. Writer to writers, heart to hearts. The best part of teaching!
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