BUILDING STORIES STEP-BY-STEP

DON’T WRITE A SUMMARY. WRITE A STORY!

Instead of:

I went swimming with my best friend.

It was hot. He showed me how to flip

backwards.

WRITE A STORY!

Try:

On Saturday, John and I spent the whole day

in the neighborhood pool. When we couldn’t

think of other games to play, John asked, “Do

you know how to do a backwards flip

underwater?”

DON’T WRITE A SUMMARY

Instead of:

Adam and I played at the playground.

It was a hot day. I showed him how to

roll rocks down the path.

WRITE A STORY!

Try:

On a warm, summer afternoon at the

beginning of August, Adam and I headed to

the playground for some fun. After we had

played on the slides, swings, and seesaw, we

both seemed to be getting a little bored of the

regular routine. That’s when I noticed some

pretty, round rocks located on the side of the

paved path that winds down to the Lathrop

Street ball field.

DON’T WRITE A SUMMARY

Instead of:

I went camping with my best friend.

We made smores. They were yummy.

Then we told campfire stories.

WRITE A STORY!

Practice telling a story

about the previous slide!

STORYTELLING

Oral storytelling with good details can help

you with your writing!

Don’t just list a summary of brief events.

CAN YOU TELL A STORY ABOUT THESE

PICTURES?

IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING WITH SEQUENCING THE EVENTS IN YOUR STORY, THEN CREATE A

STORYBOARD OF PICTURES

WRITE A STORY, NOT A SUMMARY!