A Moment in Time

Two students work on revising their “small moments” stories
in Ms. Dawn Toelken’s third grade class at Nine Mile Falls Elementary.

“I rode a motorcycle. It went fast. It was fun.” How does a writer take a “small moment” and turn it into an interesting story? Students at Nine Mile Falls Elementary School are learning to do this through a Personal Narrative writing unit. This is part of a newly adopted writing curriculum, Units of Study. Students are receiving a “teaching point” each day, accompanied by time to write.

In Ms. Dawn Toelken’s third grade classroom, students were preparing to “publish” (writing neatly on good paper) their favorite “small moment” story. To do this, they reviewed what they had learned. Writing about a small moment is likened to a movie where the writer zooms in on a single scene from the day. A small moment narrative is stretched out by giving exact details with descriptive words that incorporate the five senses, so that the reader creates a picture in his/her mind of the moment. It also should include the five “W’s”~who, what, where, when, and why.

Next, the third graders went through their writing journals to find their favorite “small moment” story. After selecting the story, they were to revise it to ensure that all the components that they had just discussed were included. Could they add more details or descriptions to create a better picture with their words? Then, they were to revise it with the help of a partner. The following day, they would read their story to additional classmates for feedback. Editing (correcting the finalized story for punctuation, spelling, and grammar) would occur last with the “final rough draft” checked by Ms. Toelken. To share these “published” stories, there will be a “Writers’ Celebration” with the other classes.

“Small moments” happen each and every day. Through this unit, students are learning to create engaging stories from their own experiences. By writing about what they know and have strong feelings about, these students can express the details to create interesting stories in which the reader “sees” the writer’s moment in time.