Prior to this lesson students have completed the writing process to create their very first personal narrative piece. Mini-lesson topics covered story starters, transition words, incorporating dialogue, and using a storytelling vs. reporting voice when writing. After reading students’ first published pieces, I came to the conclusion that students would benefit from reviewing storytelling vs. writing a summary. I then reviewed the upcoming sections of the Lucy Calkins program which emphasized this point in great detail. I decided to move forward in the program to see how it shaped students’ writing throughout their second personal narrative piece.
The first mini lesson emphasized the difference between storytelling and writing a summary. I read two excerpts about
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Students had to listen to the two excerpts and vote, using number one or two, to identify the excerpt that was written like a story. All students were able to identify the correct excerpt. I then asked them to explain why. One student mentioned the use of details and another said that the incorporation of the character’s thoughts was more story like. Prior to this lesson, these details have been mentioned and discussed, in great detail, throughout the first phase of the Caulkins program. We then had a whole class discussion that was prompted with a question. I said, “Boys and girls, when something funny happens at home and you want to tell your friends the next day at school, do you write it down? Or, do you remember it and tell them the next time you see them?” This question was asked to remind students that they are storytellers each and every day. One student said, “Ms. L, we don’t write it down!” This began our discussion about oral storytelling versus writing. The point emphasized was that sometimes, as writers, we need to practice telling our story before we begin to write. Students were then put into