Our 2nd-5th grade writers at Fletcher Maynard Academy in Cambridge, MA have been having a great time writing about treasure and found objects with "TMWFI!" teacher Kate.
Students wrote about what a found object is, where they might find one and/or what the object is used for in a short story.
THE LOST DOLLY
There was a dolly with a lot of makeup and a cute tutu. One day she got lost in the dryer. When we went to the dryer there was nothing in there! I thought a monster ate the dolly because all we saw was a little foot. After that happened, I went to my room and jumped into bed and cried for an hour. I opened my eyes and the dolly was sitting under my pillow. I thought it had all been a bad dream…”It wasn’t a dream,” whispered the dolly.
-Soniya
MY GOOD LUCK MARBLE
The marble had a blue line and it was clear. I called it “my little booger.” I lost it in an ocean themed room. It was covered in blue and indigo tiles, wallpaper and paint. All I know is my marble fell on the ground and rolled away. I lost track of it and it went in to another dimension!
-Somaya
After listening to a story about long lost twins (a "treasure" is not always an object!), students wrote their own stories about long lost twins.
THE GOLD CLOCK
Once upon a time there were long lost twins sisters named Daicha and Tasha. Tasha loved to travel a lot and Daicha loved to stay in one place. Tasha loved to find things and bury them. Daicha loved to play with very fun toys. One time, Daicha went to the beach with her family. She was going to jump in the ocean when she tripped on something. It was a very old gold clock!
-Daicha
THE LOST FRIENDS
Once there were three girls and they went to school together. They were best friends. The girl’s names were Emma, Marcia and Celine. They decided because they were best friends for such a long time that they wanted to go on a trip. So they went to California all together. They had a nice home in California and a nice time swimming. It was a really pretty straw house and it was close to a big ocean. One day, Marcia went to go swimming and she didn’t return. Celine and Emma wondered where she was!
Students explored the idea of "treasure" - what makes something valuable?
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
“Roza we need to talk so come to my room, “ Roza’s mom shouted. Roza ran to her mom’s room. Roza’s mom sighed and said, “There’s something important I need to tell you.” “Yes,” Roza said in a worried voice. “We need you to go to the island called the Lost Island.” “Why?” Rosa asked. “Because we need someone your age to go so we chose you.”
-Felicity
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
“When are we leaving?” Rosa asked. “No you are going alone,” her mom told her. ”I’m going alone?” Roza said. “Yes, I’m afraid so,” her mother said in a sad voice. “You need to go pack because the plane will be leaving in two hours.” “Ok I’ll go pack.”
While Roza was packing her stuff she came across a necklace of her family. While she was looking at it a tear came down her eye so she put it in her pocket and started packing some more.
-Rawa
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
She packed clothes, stuff for her hair, sunglasses, a notebook to write about her trip and some other things. When she was done it was time to go. So her mom drove her to the airport. When they got to the airport Roza walked to the plane she was getting on. When she was on the plane it started to take off. Once it took off she started to write in her notebook about the plane ride.
-Molly