Fourth graders,
I had trouble falling asleep last night. I was thinking about all that’s going on. I’m sure you’ve had times where you’ve thought lots and lots about how different your world is right now than a week or so ago.
My mind drifted and I was thinking about stories. We’ve read a lot and wrote a lot of stories. We know the structure a story takes. We’ve also thought deeply about stories and what they can teach us about our world. Stories are always there for us.
I’m thinking that there are lots of ways we could write about all of this craziness and how we could be there for our readers.
Let’s talk about purpose again… maybe your author’s purpose is going to be to entertain, to inspire, to inform, or to persuade your reader. Keep your purpose in mind. Think about the story elements we analyze as we read stories together.
Here are some questions to think about the story elements for your own writing. You could even chose a small moment that has happened to you or your family, or one you wish could’ve happened, and develop these elements throughout the story.
- Characters: Who have you spent a lot of your time with? What traits have they shown? What traits have you shown? Maybe you could even write about who you wish you could spend your time with?
- Setting: Where are you spending a lot of your time? Where can’t you spend your time? What is the mood of this place?
- Perspective: Have you ever thought about what your dog thinks about all of this? Maybe about a younger sibling’s perspective? Your parents’ perspective? NHL/MLB/ college basketball players? A favorite musician? An actor/actress? A chef?
- Problems: There are lots of problems that are occurring as a result of the coronavirus. Maybe your family couldn’t buy toilet paper. Maybe you have to go to a few different grocery stores to get what you need. Maybe your birthday party or hockey tournament was cancelled. We can’t go to school to learn. Your parents might have to work from home. There are a lot of places that are closed. You miss your friends. People are getting sick. You’re worried about people getting sick.
- Turning point: How will one of the problems you chose start to get better?
- Character change: How are your characters changing? Why? What are they learning?
- Solution: What will your character realize? How will the problem get solved?
- Themes: Sometimes in life….
You have lots of options. Whatever format you chose to write and whatever you chose to write about ….virtual high-five to you.
Go, go, go. Get to it. Have fun. You have stories to tell.
Our stories will always be there for us.
Allie Writes 
We will all have stories. They will be similar and yet so different. I love this letter to your students, it has me thinking about my stories!
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What are the stories we want to exist in the world? We can create the endings we need. Love this so much
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This is the time for our creativity to shine.
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Fabulous ideas – and the students will appreciate your honesty about these times making you not sleep well. I appreciate your honesty. Too many people never stop to think about the power of story – it’s immense, vast. It is what connects us – we ARE our stories. I cheer you on as you pass this vital understanding to students. I cheer them on as they write – and all of you, together, as you find strength you didn’t even know you had in the process.
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Our stories will always be there for us and we can be there for each other through our stories. So important – thank you for reminding us and for giving your kids a simple, meaningful way to grow as readers, writers and people.
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