I went into one of my 3rd grades today to say hello and to see what they were working on...The kids did an excellent job of telling me about the stories they were writing...the topic being, their favorite place. I listened to each child name their favorite place...DisneyWorld, the beach, Florida... and then they asked me mine...without hesitation I said, "Our school, Lynnewood".

One adorable little girl, Elizabeth, jumped up and said, "Why don't you write a story and tell us why just like we are doing". The whole class got excited..."yeah, cool, do it"...the teacher pops up with the rules and gives me the Self-editing checklist that all the students are using...it looks like this:
FAVORITE PLACE SELF EDITING CHECKLIST
Content:
• 5 senses • descriptive words
• Topic Sentence • Details
• Concluding Sentence
Grammar
• Indent • Capital Letters
• ! ? . • Beginning Words
• Indent • Spelling
Extras
• Simile • Alliteration

My God...they gave me homework!!
Okay...here goes...

In the morning when I arrive at Lynnewood it is the only time in the day when the school is almost silent.I can hear distant adult voices, a printer printing and the copier copying...the phone has not yet begun to ring and the teachers have not yet entered the office with questions and excitement about the day! I love morning here...I visit teachers, learn about the day they have planned for the kids and check the faculty room for a stray muffin or perhaps left over birthday cake!
By lunchtime the building is full of noise and I see people hustling and bustling everywhere. I get some wonderful hugs that feel so good, I steal some french fries off of a student's tray that taste so good and I smell the chocolate chip cookies being baked in our kitchen that make me want to go down and sample one or maybe two!
At the end of the day I feel tired...happy tired...because I have had another wonderful day at Lynnewood.I get to do a job I love and spend time with all of my Fabulous Fantastic Friends...I do not even mind doing my homework1

So there...a 3rd grade writing project for Mrs. Wolfe's class...what do you think?