Second grade writers have been busy planning and drafting Small Moment stories which culminated in celebrating the finished pieces this week. The celebration was complete with popcorn and Pellegrino! These stories, which are also called personal narratives, are pieces that are true, about the student writer, and happened in the past over a short period of time. Second graders are learning that opportunities for small moment stories surround them in their everyday lives, and that writers live on the lookout for these moments by keeping a list of seed ideas in their writing journals. Writers are learning various ways to plan each story, including telling the story on their fingers, touching each page and talking out the story, planning on post-its, or using graphic organizers. Children are learning to incorporate specific small moment craft techniques, such as including a character's feelings, dialogue, comparisons, and small actions. The children spent several days rereading, revising and editing their final pieces. We had a wonderful week with the visiting authors at the Book Fair.