(Uses the 5 step writing process)

1. I shared a personal narrative from a magazine with them to introduce it . The student's partner read personal narratives found in magazines.
2. A pre-write activity--we made a chart listing different experiences--happy, funny, strange and important.
3. They chose one experience they wanted to write about from their list. Each student then did a cluster map to collect all the details they wanted about their topic.
4. Each student did a rough draft.
5. A teacher conference was held for revisions. I had them tell me about their experience and then read what they wrote. We discussed where they might add or make changes in what they wrote.
6. Each student read their writing to a friend. This was part of the proofreading and editing. They had another conference with me.
7. We wrote the final copy. They also did an illustration to accompany it. We then made it into a class book. This book was made available for student checkout to share at home with families.
8. At year's end, we unbound the class books done on a variety of topics including memorable moments and created our own individual books. Parents were very pleased with these keepsakes but had also been able to enjoy the sharing of class stories during the class.