• Sharing Writing
     
    Students can use a picture to inspire ideas. Below is an example by Rachel Ackerman in which she listed describing words about a picture of a white fence with flowers.
    Describing Words: lavender purple, sunset orange, radiant neon yellow, moss green flimsy leaves, aged rusty fence, incredible flower garden
    The Garden by Rachel Ackerman
          As I went deeper into my moss green backyard, I felt soft over grown grass tickle my little sun burned feet. A beautiful multicolored flower garden came in to view! With my first glimse, I saw radiant neon yellow sunflowers sprout to the sky through the aged rusty fence. My heart skipped a beat when a sun set orange petal fluttered down so heavenly to the ground. The dazzeling sun shined so bright that it caught the inner beauty in me! The stems of the periwinkle purple colored creatures seemed to instantly grow the second my amazed hand stroked its brilliance. I felt as though I was in my imagination. Next thing I knew, my head was resting on a delicate grass pillow sharing amazement with a mocking bird. I was standing for hours even though it felt like minutes. The captivating sun was the most tremendous bold thing I've ever seen and will ever see. Nothing could replace that feeling I felt for those marvelous hours. Beauty was spilling out of that immense garden. Till that day, I have gone back daily.
    Flower Garden
     

    Fall by RachelAckerman

       “Ahh”, I say as I see the crisp, crimson red and chestnut brown colored leaves flutter down from the brittle, mahogany brown colored maple tree. Fall days are irreplaceable! I love the feeling of the whistling wind as it runs its fingers through my hair. I trip on a chameleon that is so disguised that it looks like a musty old twig. As cold as I am, I fall on the frosty covered multicolored leaves. I study a perky leaf giggling at me. The earthy smell gets extremely strong, but I don’t care. Nothing can break this positive feeling that I have! Suddenly I watch the leaves start rustling and I hear a deep, sharp voice yell “timber”. I see a coffee brown tree with countless branches fall to the ground like snowflakes. I hear a squeak when the immense tree falls,and I see a forest green colored scaly tail squirming like a snake. As I free the delicate chameleon, I realizewhat I’ve been missing out on all of these years. Autumn goes by in minutes!
    Fall Day
     
         Descriptive Writing by Morgan Fleming (Spring Picture)
     
         As I walk into my forest green back yard, I could feel the howling air brush across my face.  The fire red and bus yellow colored tulips stand before me!  The trees swag as if the branches were arms swinging around.  I could hear birds sing as they fly away.  I could smell spring come our way.  Little bees buzz around the forest green backyard.  The little pearl white house sits upon the meadow.  The wood white fence swirls around the little back yard.  The sky has no clouds in it and it is as blue as an ocean.  The sun drops down on the beautiful flowers.  I love going outside!
     
         Spring Day
     
     
    Example Writing Calendar Entries - Students practice using the revise strategies that they are learning in class in their monthly writing calendar.  (ie-adding adjectives, adding figures of speech, adding the show not tell technique)
     
     

    Snowflakes by MorganFlemming

    “….As I walked outside I could see a snowflake as small as an ant.  The snowflakes were laughing as they fell to the crunchy icy snowy ground.  …” 

     

    Spring by JosephLeedom

    “… Spring is a magnificent   time of year!  Multicolored flowers bloom and immense trees turn lime green.  It stays brighter longer, and I feel the sun beating down on me. It looks as bright as lava.  Even brighter….”

     

    Snowflakes by CateyVaida

     

         Snowflakes are all different.  They fall down as light as a feather while drifting through the breezy, icy air.   I try to catch a frosty miniature snowflake in my mouth, but it melts through my icy, crimson red tongue.  I catch another one and rush it inside as fast as lightening, leaving a trail of freezing, paper white snow on the hard, tan floor. It melts again.  Then I try catching it in my mouth again.   “ I  caught it!”, I say.  Snowflakes are fun to make,but not to catch.
     

    Marshmallow Snowmanby Sam Cavallo

         Aww! How cute is this gingerbread house! As I peer down on the wide, lobster red plate, I see a thin, pearl white blanket of snow hugging the house.  The little, sparkling white, marshmallow snowman seems to smile at me.  I shut my eyes and imagine the snowman living inside the petite, festive house.     “Jingle bells, jingle bells!” the snowmansings.  He wraps a string of scarlet red licorice around a camel brown waffle cone lathered in forest green icing.  “Ooph!” The tiny man shouts as he jumps to place the bubble gum pink star on topof the tree.  He backs up and bumps intothe old, crumbling, graham cracker walls. Poof!  The root beer lollipop chimney shoots out of a puff of ivory white, marshmallow smoke. 

         “Perfect!”  He shouts as he admires his work.  The snowman turns around, walks up thepeppermint, candy cone walkway, and opens the Hershey bar door.  Once inside his cozy house, he looks out hisemerald green and raspberry red peppermint window and waves at me.  As quick as a wink, my hand reaches out towave back.  Suddenly, I remember   I wasimagining.  As I turn to walk away, Ihear a small whisper.  “Good-bye!”