Parents are in for a treat!

Grade 5's have been working really hard. I mean, really, really hard on writing.

We have been progressing in our memoir writing and to be honest, the disconnect between what they knew only a short two weeks ago and now is ASTOUNDING!

Finding writing help from our guest poet, Sara Holbrook.

Students have learned how to SHOW, not tell their feelings, they have learned how to better choose descriptive words, they are working with dialogue and how to format it, they understand the key to hooking their reader is a strong situation (introduction) and they not only understand but can use editing and revising to improve their work.

My mind is blown.

Writing is hard work. Not only for the students but also for the teacher. I want to give as much time and availability to each writer, but sometimes it is not possible in our time together. I try to find time in the evenings to read over students' work and give feedback in hopes that it will motivate them. I do small mini lessons to give students a jump in their writing and what to add into their work. We even created a toolkit for students to use online, in their Drive, which is full of helpful ideas, posters and breakdowns for their memoir writing.

Students are not only writers themselves, but they are also editing and revising buddies! This means that not only are they trying to add to their own writing every lesson we have done as a class, but they are also trying to encourage their classmates.

It has been amazing.

We started with hardly being able to get a paragraph written. Some students were so blocked they could not even write one thing in a 40-minute writing block! It's all part of the process though.

Ms.Kitto gets to work reading memoir after memoir... note the tea! 

Students have handed in their first memoirs that have gone through the full writing process. I am sitting here, Sunday morning just in awe of their writing. Of course there is still some work to be done but really- since the beginning of our memoir writing to now the writing is completely different and strong!

Feeling very proud and excited for these students. They are working so hard but seeing the results.

Don't worry parents, you'll get a chance to read them.. just not yet!