Donna Ingraham continues her grade school memories.
DICK, JANE, AND SALLY
I loved reading from kindergarten through first grade about Dick, Jane, and baby Sally. Sally had a teddy bear named Tim. Their dog's name was Spot. Dick always had his little red wagon and he would frequently pull Sally in it. Jane was the sister who was squeaky clean. Dick many times was in some sort of trouble and Sally got in lots of trouble. Spot could find trouble on his own. I could get lost in reading about their adventure. Reading takes you out of yourself and provides dreams and possibilities beyond your wildest imaginations.
WRITING
In later elementary school we had to write our autobiography. Little did I know that this would become a passion when I taught 3rd grade. Ours was just a few pages and I still enjoy it. When I taught 3rd grade for over 20 years my students were given an assignment every day to write and illustrate. The assignment might be My Favorite Hiding Place or My Favorite Time of Year. We would start out with one paragraph at the beginning of the year. We always had a topic sentence of their choosing first, 2 or 3 details and finally a feeling sentence. I encouraged them to use their 5 senses in deciding what to write. By the end of the year we were writing 4 to 5 paragraphs a day. It was hand written and student illustrated. No computer in sight!! We would end up with 150 to 200 pages of their lives that we gave to mothers on Mother's Day. What a treasure!! Did I give them a grade for it? Not on your life and no child ever asked me what grade they got. A good writer will also be a good reader but they have to be taught!!!
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