See this? Does it bring you joy? It brings me joy. This is 2nd grade writing. It is something to cherish and nurture. I look at these pictures, read the writing, and am filled with optimism, all is right in the world.
This week, I had the great pleasure of working with our 2nd grade students. I did a short, guided listening activity in which I gave them multi-step directions and then they drew from memory. The object they were creating was a girl, a simple shape by shape little girl with a party hat on her head and a present in one hand. They all followed the directions perfectly. Then I asked them: What is the girl’s name? Who is the present for? What happened at the party? Then on the back of their paper, they were asked to tell a story. It is still amazing to me what young children can do with a simple prompt.
One night, I sat and read each story, looked at the hand-drawn pictures, and was overcome with joy. I couldn’t help but be happy looking at these works of child-art. Each story is clear and honest. Each child knows what a celebration entails. They know how to give and how to receive. The memories of birthdays and holidays are evident in both illustrations and stories. Of course, there are spelling errors. Many students forget to capitalize sometimes. Then there are surprises like a cliff hanger and correctly punctuated dialogue.
These young writers are learning so much. They craft story after story and each time they explore new territory. These young writers are intrepid storytellers. They push their pencils across the page not worried about correct spelling or those pesky punctuation marks. Their focus is clear: tell a story to entertain, make it happy and memorable. The children are curious and embrace the act of writing as a form of play. I want to keep this time sacred for them. This 2nd grade magic time. They don’t need to worry about mechanics or word count. They can just lay down their story and spread JOY!
Two of my favorite books on the joy of writing:
- Take Joy: The Writers Guide To Loving The Craft by Jane Yolen
- Joy Write: Cultivating High-Impact, Low-Stakes Writing by Ralph Fletcher
Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education 
This is so good – ” I couldn’t help but be happy looking at these works of child-art. Each story is clear and honest. Each child knows what a celebration entails. They know how to give and how to receive. The memories of birthdays and holidays are evident in both illustrations and stories.” A wonderful post, thanks for sharing! 💖💖💖💖💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
love to think about my years teaching second grade!! Thanks for writing about this – it made me so happy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
“These young writers are intrepid storytellers.” The joy YOU receive from their gifts to you, their willingness to put themselves out there, sing in every line. I love that you detail the process and share the samples, both the listening activity characters (brilliant!) and the celebrations that follow. Gifts, indeed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Word Dancer,
So great to see your students’ personalities coming out in both their drawing and their writing.
And your personality shines through as well–a teacher who recognizes and appreciates students’ skills and growth.
Lovely!
Thanks for sharing and spreading joy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This post brings pure joy and hope for the future. I love that they don’t have to worry about mechanics and word count. There aren’t many situations where we have to do that the rest of our lives from second grade on, so the better way of writing a story is to write it, right? Just lay it out there, as you describe. I love everything about this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The writing was fun to read. I loved the pictures! I coudn’t draw like that back when I was in second grade, nor can I draw like that right now. I loved seeing all of the color in their pieces. Color is joyful!
LikeLiked by 1 person