Thursday's class at Apache was an exciting class. Mrs. Bradshaw paired us off with our students that we will be writing with. I was paired with a fourth grade boy and girl. They were exciting students. The girl had thought hard about what she wanted to write about. The boy had not had an idea, but that would change as we discussed the project.

The female student wants to write about a hiking trip that she took with her family. She told us of their great adventure as they ascended a hill and stopped to have lunch. She told us how the weather changed to rain. Then she talked about her family trying to get to the car through the rain. The rest of the story is great fun, but you will have to wait for the finished product... I challenged her to think of the setting of her story. Next, I challenged her to think of the sounds that she heard. I also asked her to think about the taste of the food that she ate. She exploded with ideas that swarmed in her head about the day's events.

Next, the male student had a harder time finding a story that he wanted to tell. I asked him for a story about someone that was in his family, or something that he had done while he was with his family. I asked if he had a funny story.

He told us of a time that he and his mother and other members of his family had gone fishing. He told me that his mother was fishing and she caught a fish and it pulled her into the water.

I asked him to think of the day. I asked him about the weather or the setting. He was excited to share.

Then he told us of a house in Cuba that was spooky. There were spider webs and stray animals. He said that there was old furniture and the floors were giving way.

We talked about the sounds of the creaking floor. He talked of the scary sounds that the animals made. We talked about the feel of the spider web as it hit his face.

You will have to stay tuned to the story that he picks.

Overall, I had a great time. I think that we got a lot accomplished.

See you all next week!