4th Grade: 10 things Writing Piece

Fourth grade read the book Winn-Dixie and in the book there was a part when the main character's dad tells her 10 things about her momma. We decided to write 10 things about ourselves that we would want others to know. In each student's notebook they made a quick list of things. When they finished they conferred with me and I asked them questions about their 10 things so that they could "juice up" their writing and take it from a one line statement to a captivating message. For example, one student wrote that she liked to bake, and I asked, "why?" She replied that she liked to eat sweet things. I then asked, "what else do you like about baking? Do you have a special memory tied to it?" and she replied, "I love to bake with my grandmother, and it is just me and her, it is our special time". I wrote a few notes for her to help remember our conversation and then off she went writing. For their final copy they have the choice of how they want to display their 10 things and how they want to label their writing piece. Some students did 4 writing drafts before they got to their final...that is what a writer is all about...starting with a seed and having it bloom into a flower.