Weekend Adventure

It's everyone's favorite - Weekend Adventure! There is a new FCA for tonight's paragraph. I had a difficult time explaining it to the children this afternoon, so I thought I would post it and maybe you could help if your child doesn't understand.

The first FCA is "what's the point?". Some children have been writing paragraphs that give a fabulous hook and tell the when and where of the story, then leave the reader hanging. I told the students I often think to myself, "Yeah??????" when I finish reading one of these paragraphs.

For example, a child might write:

"The smell of brownies greeted me as I walked into my aunt's house. We go to my aunt's house every Sunday for dinner. I couldn't wait to eat. I knew it would be delicious."

This paragraph had a fabulous hook, but didn't go anywhere. So I challenged third grade writers to include "the point." What's so important that made you write about this small moment? Sometimes the problem is simply that the paragraph isn't developed enough. If the writer has left out many details, the reader may not be able to figure out what the point is.

Finally, I modeled how I would write a paragraph. I'll include it here so you have a model for yourself.

"Where's my debit card?" I shook my head as I searched through my wallet for the third time. I was standing at the register at Costco. There was a carriage filled with groceries across from me. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to bring them home because I couldn't pay for them without my card. Apologizing to the cashier, I closed my wallet. I wandered away, with my eyes on the ground - pondering.

Happy writing!