This fall's young writers at Claire Lilienthal Elementary explored time - time personified, the passage of time, time machines, "time" idioms and much more. We had a wonderful time with a large group of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Here are some of their writing projects (many of these pieces are early drafts that were later revised for our final reading this past week). Click on each picture to see the work in his/her own writing! After reading an excerpt from a short story by Ursula Willis Jones: "The Time Sweepers", students created their own time sweeper stories.
We explored idioms (time idioms were a highlight) & personification.
We created our own time machines.
Students invented their own alarm clocks and advertisements for the ideal user.
Incorporating this class' love of storytelling and illustration, each student created a timeline with narrative elements.
Students were given the prompt "You'll never believe how time ran out..."
Time ran out because we’re wasting time right now…because we’re talking and not doing anything important. It runs out because we’re not focusing on it. We never think about catching it; time is very rare.
Doing important things means that you’re using time because you’re doing something that can change the world, something that can make a big difference. People usually don’t do important things, but people who do important things usually use time wisely. Time is rare, it’s not really rare, but it’s rare that people try to find it.
- Jun Hao
Students wrote about a moment when they would turn back time & change it.
Worst 2 days ever! Oh hi there. Today I missed the best day ever, Halloween!!! I had the whooping cough and mom would not let me go to school. Which means I missed the Halloween contest (I could've won I am a day of the dead skeleton), potluck, movie, treats and all that jazz. I also missed trick or treating which means, NO CANDY!!! Now it's Saturday and I have to wait all the way till next year for Halloween.
Today I went to the doctor and was waiting for the doctor to come. Mom was in the bathroom. I decided to make a little trouble so I went and dug into the doctor's bad. Then I found a stick. I was talking to myself and then I said "I wish I don't have the whooping. I wish I could go back in time." Then all of a sudden, I was back in my bed and it was 7:00am. I looked at my calendar and today was Friday. Then I realized it was Halloween. I still had the stick in my hand.
I was so excited because it is Halloween right now. I changed into my costume and went to school. At school, I won the costume contest and got a basket full of candy (I ate it all in school). Then I had a potluck. At the potluck, I got so much food. I got nachos, johnnycakes, french fries, mashed potatoes and fruit. I got seconds of everything. For dessert I got ice cream, banana and chocolate pie, cookies and cupcakes. We watched a movie called THE SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. Then we packed up and went home. We also didn't get any homework which was awesome.
I went home and watched 2 scary movies. Then I called all my friends so we could go trick or treating. When we were trick or treating, I said to my friends, "I wish I could get 10 bags of candy." Then I saw a little sparkle of glitter come out of the stick. I got a bag of candy trick or treating and I ate half of it already. Then I saw a lottery ticket on the floor. I said, "I wish I could get a million dollars!"
When I got home I was watching the news for the weather, when all of a sudden the number on the lottery ticket I got was my number. I was screaming because the prize is a million dollars. I went to mom and told. She was so excited. I went to my room and on the bed was 10 bags of candy. I still had the stick on me. Then I realized the stick was a wand because I kept wishing things and the wand kept sparkling every time I wished for things.
I went to sleep and the next day for some reason I went to the doctor. When I got there, the wand disappeared. I got freaked out because I thought I was going to lose everything I wished for.
- Maya
Our young writers at work!
**some pieces have been transposed at the student's request