Don’t Forget About Craft! 2024 Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge

Young writers from around the world have reached day 21 of their Classroom SOLSC! Encourage these writers by finding a classroom and leaving comments here.

The writers in my second grade class are rocking this year’s challenge! However, at this point in the month, student writing has started to feel more like a daily retelling chore. Instead of crafting a story that depicts a small slice of their life, students fall into the habit of listing everything they did that day. While I encourage and celebrate anything students put on the page this month, reminders about craft can go a long way as students grow as writers.

Since students are already giving extra effort this month, the craft moves we’ll focus on are simple and fun. We’ll use brave first grader Haseley’s work as a model. Share this model with your students and brainstorm your own revisions; Or, invite a brave writer in YOUR class to offer up their work.

Craft Move #1: Add Talking

How could some dialogue improve Haseley’s slice? Let’s take a peek.

Craft Move #2: Zoom In With Sensory Details

Sitting at the kitchen table is something most writers are familiar with, so this setting is a great opportunity to practice focusing on one small moment. Haseley already did a great job describing her “smooth pants” and school shirt. Could she also describe the sounds and smells of the kitchen?

Craft Move #3: Tell Small Steps

Describing action with small steps is a more challenging skill for writers to try, but it’s a lot of fun once they get going! Playacting the movements and rehearsing out loud is an effective way to brainstorm small steps. Let’s look at how Haseley could enhance her slice with small steps. The verbs, in bold, demonstrate each action we’re trying to describe.

Students: We are so proud of you for making it this far. Keep it up! The end of the month will be here before you know it.