I’m fortunate to co-teach writing with Mrs. Brandner. In their current writing unit, 2nd graders are writing about something they are experts in. Many students are experts in animals, sports, cooking, etc. However, knowing what key details to include in their narratives sometimes gets a little tricky for them.
To make the writing process more concrete, Mrs. Brandner asked students to guide her in making a nut butter and jelly sandwich. The students quickly learned the importance of giving clear instructions and specific details made the difference. Believe it or not, Mrs. Brandner ended up making 2 sandwiches because the first one didn’t quite work out.
For example, the students said the first thing you do is put the nut butter and jelly on the bread. So she did. Then they realized that they needed to clarify that she needed to spread the the jelly and nut butter on the bread. When they told her to cut the bread, she made a small incision. They realized they needed to tell her how to cut it into 4 squares.
As they walked her through the steps, they got a better understanding that the details and word choice matter when sharing information.
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