Writing Lesson Plans

Story Swap

"I use a story swap to teach beginning, middle, and ending parts of a story. One student writes the beginning of a story and then passes it on to a friend who writes only the middle. The student passes the story on again and a third student writes the conclusion. The stories are continually passed around the room so students write a beginning one time and then write a middle and an end. Anyone who is not writing is asked to illustrate the part they have completed. When the story is complete, it's given back to the original author and that student reads it to the class or a small group."
Submitted by: Judy Zelenda a third grade teacher at Schuyler Grade School in Schuyler, Nebraska. This idea was published in the NEA's Weekly "Works4Me" Email list.