SNAPSHOT + THOUGHTSHOT + DIALOGUE = SCENE

Meet the crabs!  

In science, students have been observing, notetaking, and taking care of the crabs.  They set up their habitats on Tuesday and the crabs arrived on Wednesday.

This week, students have been learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. through a video and a read aloud.  While watching the video and listening to Martin's Big Words on the carpet they have been taking notes.  Next, as a class we read The Important Book, since their MLK Jr. writing assignment will follow the same format. 

Students then filled in this graphic organizer.  "The most important thing about Martin Luther King Jr. is . . ."  They also filled in three important details about his life.  The ending of this writing assignment is a loop ending.  Therefore the last line repeats itself, "But the most important thing about Martin Luther King Jr. is . . ." 

During Reading Workshop the young detectives met with their literature discussion group.  

Finally in Writer's Workshop, the class began drafting their story based on the speculative prompt they chose. Using the four-square graphic organizer students began drafting several "scenes" to create a story.  

Students know that a scene is created using this formula: SNAPSHOT + THOUGHTSHOT + DIALOGUE = SCENE. 

A snapshot in writing is "show, don't tell" - a snapshot sentence can be in the form of a simile or metaphor, or can focus on a particular detail. It is a sentence that creates a froze image in your readers' minds. 

A thoughtshot in writing is "tell, don't show" - a thoughtshot sentence brings your readers inside a person's head to share a thought or feeling about a situation.  It is a sentence that can be in the form of a statement or question about the situation.

HAVE A TERRIFIC WEEKEND!