In their own words ...

When children find their own voices, their writing becomes vibrant. The following examples were created by fifth and sixth graders taught by CCWP-trained teachers:

...............

Her horse was a mare
And grandma had spiky, bright pink hair.

...............

My cerebrum is the biggest part of my brain, and it helps me to figure out things such as math, puzzles, and spelling. And the cerebrum helps me make decisions like last night I had a choice of steak or spaghetti.

And when I went to the Fair, I decided to go the haunted house instead of the high slide.

...............

Mi Mariposa

Mi mariposa
es hermosa
y generosa.

Tiene alas,
alas grandes
como el arcoiris.

Buela, buela que
buela, por el bosque.

Se para en los
arboles, come.

Mi mariposa tiene
hijos, buela con ellos
y buelan a mi casa.

My Butterfly

My butterfly
is beautiful
and generous.

She has wings
large wings
like a rainbow.

Fly, fly, fly
for the forest.

Stop in the trees
and eat.

My butterfly has children,
she flies with them
and they fly to my house.

...............

I plan to write my new story 'Anna's Tutor' to be as long as it possibly can, even if it means I'll have to write during the summer.

Children's writing excerpted, with permission, from Mindful of Others: Teaching Children to Teach, by Suzanne Brady and Suzie Jacobs (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1994) and from student anthologies compiled by Jeff Arnett.

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