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Sunday, May 20, 2012

Pick Your Own Ending- A Graphic Organizer and A Conclusion to a Crazy Week

    Tonight's post is going to be short and sweet...but you'll have to choose the plot of this post.  If you want a happy ending, turn to page 6. For a mysterious disappearance, turn to page 12....
    Okay, so you can't actually turn my blog's pages, but you can FINALLY download your own graphic organizer to help your students create their own Choose Your Own Adventure story.  (Or as I call them: A Pick Your Own Ending story)  Yes, that is correct!  Our basement is once again a basement, not a wading pool; my laundry is done..sort of; and our yard is ground squirrel free...I wish! No matter, I had time today and just put the finishing touches on my TeachersPayTeachers store and wanted to share this graphic organizer with you today. In fact, I have it on sale just for my blog friends until Wednesday, which is the day we SHOULD be done with these adventures in my classroom!

   I have had previous classes write these stories before, but the process can be confusing and complex.  I created this graphic organizer, using color-coding to help make the process easier.  The end result is a story with a possible 6 different ending on a total of 11 pages.  Can you imagine the pride of your students as they share these masterpieces? 
    We are currently doing that in my classroom this week.  I grouped the students in teams of four based on genre preference. This year we had a range of students wanting to write sci-fi, mystery, realistic fiction, and a horror story. (The horror story involved parents and prom...oh the Horror! : D) The stories are written as a group or in teams except each student does one section individually so that I have yet another writing piece to assess the 6 Traits. 
   This week I am looking forward to reading their creative and imaginative stories, including a "realistic fiction" that has evolved into an elite team of teenage spies whom have been given the mission to invade Nazi Germany.  Can't wait to hear of the Pick Your Own Ending stories that your students create, should you choose this adventure in writing!

7 comments:

  1. What a great idea! Pinning for next year (no time left this year) :)

    Elizabeth

    Fun in Room 4B

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    1. It was a tight race for us this year! They turned out amazingly though!

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  2. For Earth Day, I made a smart lesson with a choose your adventure theme. My students loved it! Each link in the smart lesson took them to a new problem to solve and then they would have to click the next link to continue going through the story. I hope to write some more lessons like it this summer. Next year I am going to have my students write their own smart lessons with this. Thanks for sharing your organizer, it will be a great planning tool for them.

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    1. They are a lot of fun, and the students really take ownership!!

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    2. Ah Misty! I'm on my Kindle and instead of clicking on your link, it erased your comment! ;(

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