Diary of a worm
October 23, 2008
On October 21, 2008, seventh grade language arts students at C.L. Jones Middle School shared booklets they wrote for an English writing assignment with the fourth grade classes. Based on the children's book by Doreen Cronin called The Diary of a Worm, seventh graders chose a different animal or topic, researched the topic to find eight interesting facts, and wrote and illustrated a diary from the point of view of the animal or topic.
Topics ranged from giraffes, to chinchillas, to rattlesnakes, to baseballs. When the fourth grade visited Room 103, they first listened to the story The Diary of a Worm; then, they paired with seventh graders who shared their stories. Fourth grade students were asked to respond to stories by telling which parts they liked best and which parts were especially descriptive. Students had been reviewing the writing trait called "Ideas" and were to incorporate great ideas into the stories. Fourth grade students have reciprocated by inviting the older students to come to fourth grade later in the year to listen to stories they've written.
