Improving Narrative Writing by Setting Goals

Today we taught Session 7 from the Second Grade Narrative Writing Unit of Study by Lucy Calkins.  This comes at the end of Bend I and is the perfect time to reflect on what we put in our writing and think about what we can do better.  This lesson, in fact, is about setting goals for your writing.  We passed out the narrative writing checklist and the pre-assessment on demand writing piece that students produced at the beginning of this unit.  They could already see where their writing has improved.

Here are some examples of student work along with the rubrics that the teachers used to evaluate the pieces.

Next, we talked about setting goals.  How could we use the rubric (and narrative checklist for 2nd and 3rd grade) to make our writing better?  Students wrote their goals for themselves on sticky notes and placed them on our Jot Lot.  

Some of the goals were right on target.

My goal is to develop my story.
My goal is to work on transition words.
Write less jumbled together.
My goal is to work on my ending.
My goal is to work on my lead.

My goal... to add more pages.
My goal is that I want to get more on the second grade track.
My goal is to work on my ending.
My goal is to bring characters to life.
I need to write more excitement.

We're looking forward to Bend II and improving our stamina.  Like an athlete, we will be exercising our writing every day to develop our skills and I'm sure, achieve our goals!