Once Upon A Time

By Susie Rogers, 5th-8th ELA

It’s that time a year again where my 7th and 8th graders become published authors! Every October our students brainstorm, plan, and execute a fun Pumpkin Patch event for our K-3 and K4 students. They look forward to this wonderful tradition each year, and incorporating an original children’s short story is the focus in ELA class. We review the parts of a plot diagram, analyze sample short stories, and then students must apply their own short story to a plot diagram. Once the basic elements are identified, students create a rough draft of a kid-friendly story, which has an encouraging theme and amazing characters. They use their creativity to produce a one-of-a-kind book that they will read to their ‘little’ partner, and then gift them the laminated book to take home. Enjoy the pictures of our very own authors in the making!