Fifth Grade Authors Share Stories

Through writer’s workshop, an approach to writing that has kids working pencil-to-paper the majority of the time, the fifth grade writers honed their craft and experimented with different ways to write about their unique experiences.

Our fifth grade authors focused on starting their stories with attention-grabbing leads.

My mom needs coffee in the morning but today of all days she did not. Finn

When I was on my iPod Touch, in my room, minding my own business, I heard a scream! Zach

The sun rose so slowly it looked as if it were frozen. Sam

Students also incorporated sensory details into their writing and sprinkled in a few similes.

The whole car shook like a herd of elephants trampling through the wild. Grace

A player passed to Dwight Howard, who could jump like a leapfrog. Jimmy

By now I was screaming my head off. Not fear. Not joy. Just instinct. Jungju

To recognize the hard work the fifth grade writers did, we held an author’s celebration. Because we know that every person has a story to tell, we invited parents, faculty and our eighth graders to join us in sharing their writing. We heard wonderful stories from both fifth graders and non-fifth graders about birth and adoption, injury and healing, and trips both large and small.  While getting a cut or seeing a bird may seem like banal occurrences, good storytelling can elevate even mundane things into yarns that have you sitting on the edge of your seat as you will see with the examples below.

The Condor of the Canyon

By Ethan L.

             Dad pulled the white SUV into the parking lot. It looked a lot different than the North Rim. It was dry and rocky – a few scattered plants. We had just left the forested hills of the North Rim. It was lush and cool there. But here on the South Rim, it was dry and barren.

            We were on a road trip in Arizona. We had been to three different hotels before we got to the North Rim. We filed out of the car. The sky was blanketed with a thin layer of lighte gray clouds, but you could still see the faint glow of the sun peeking through them. We walked down a rocky path. Well, at least the rest of my family did. I on the other hand, was carefully, quietly, and slowly walking a little off the path on the edge of the dry brush looking for snakes.

            Then we came to the lookout. We all peered into the canyon. We were looking for one specific thing. Then we saw something. But it was just a vulture. But there was something strange about it. It was huge. It had white tips on its wings. Its head was pink, not red. Ant it was gliding, not teetering like a drunken see-saw. (By the way, I was looking through binoculars.)

            Then we realize this was no ordinary vulture. This was a California Condor. The biggest, rarest bird in North America. “No way,” I gasped. We watched it soar through the canyon until we lost sight of it in the clouds. We left. I was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Her

By Cynthia J.

        “Ahhh!” she screamed! I jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs. There, I saw her blook trickling down her finger. She was a bloody mess. I didn’t know what to do, tears trickled down her eyes, I felt like a stone in water, slowly sinking to the bottom.

         We drove to the hospital, her face looked like a vampire from all her tears. I felt something wet fall down my face, I touched it and licked it. It was salty; it was a tear. I was crying! More and more were falling down my face. I was sad and terrified, nothing had ever happened to me like this before. I hope she would be all right! I loved her!

          A doctor pulled her into a room with no windows and locked the door. I wanted to go in. I wanted to see what was happening to her. I didn’t want all of these people staring at me. I walked up to the door, sat down right in front of it and started crying.

        I looked down at my black shiny shoes which were as wet as a pond from all the tears. About 30 minutes later I stood up and backed up. She and the doctor came out. She had a bandage on her hand. She was okay, she was smiling, I was happy!

        We went back in the car, I gave her a big hug and gave her a big kiss. She was okay, so I was, too. We loved each other, so I looked at her smiling face with tears all over my eyes and said, “I love you, I love you Mom!”