Students have been busy working on their first piece of writing for publication - Realistic Fiction. Each morning, students write in their Writer's Notebook. These short pieces become seeds - ideas for a formal and complete published piece of writing. Students were taught to take those seeds and turn them into fiction. Even if they wrote about themselves doing something over the weekend, the idea can be similar but the characters and/or the setting can change. Students learned that authors often write about their personal experiences and what they know but change the characters and setting t
o make it a "new" story rather than a piece of writing on an "old" event.
Students have chosen which seed they would like to continue to work on and develop. We've talked about the importance of setting and describing it for the reader. We also have been working on creating believable characters who might have struggles and motivations.
The hardest part for students is the idea that writing can change - writing can have multiple drafts. Students are learning and practicing what good authors do every day and for many of them it has been an eye-opening experience. Ask your child about their characters and the story they are developing around them. It will be wonderful seeing all their hard work in their final completed piece of writing.
As you know the Turkey Trot shirts are
being distributed this week. Our school is going to be full of spirit, since we
have sold almost 300 shirts! If you have already received your Turkey Trot
shirt(s), please check your order to make sure it is correct - size, short
sleeve vs. long sleeve and quantity of shirts. If there is an error, please
return by TOMORROW (1) your order form with the error noted and
(2) any incorrect shirts, so we can make corrections. Any remaining shirts will
begin to be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis on Monday, beginning
with the orders we received earlier this week. 
