The topics were varied but the joy was equal, as second graders at Forest Lake Elementary School in the Wantagh School District shared their personal narratives on Feb. 26. The three classes came together for a writing celebration that allowed each student a moment to share his or her piece.

It was a long process that began with brainstorming ideas for topics. The young writers were asked to tell stories from important moments in their lives. Once the ideas were hatched, students completed first drafts, then went through an editing and revision process before it was time to publish. Along the way, they read books by Kevin Henkes to study author craft. These mentor texts allowed students to explore writing strategies and techniques they might want to use in their own stories, such as dialogue, descriptive detail and sequencing. 

The special moments in their lives included birthday parties, family trips and vacations, sports games and even losing a tooth. Their stories were accompanied by illustrations. 

“They worked so hard on these pieces and we want them to feel the reward and be proud of their work,” teacher Lori Gottlieb said about the importance of the writing celebration.

Each group of three had one child from each class, so students could share their books with peers who hadn’t heard the story before. The second graders practiced being good listeners, asking thoughtful questions and giving compliments.