Exploring the personal narrative genre

For the past two weeks, Grade 5 students have been busy exploring the writing genre of personal narrative. Students have brainstormed important moments in their lives and selected one to focus on for their personal narrative piece. Before drafting, students have been learning how to add description to their writing through the strategies of 'zooming in' and 'show don't tell'. Using 'show don't tell,' they practised writing sentences that described body language, facial expressions, feelings and thoughts. Students were exposed to examples of story leads to hook their reader. Next week, students will enter the revising, editing and publishing stages of their personal narrative. We look forward to reading and hearing their stories! 

For our unit of inquiry students have been reading, discussing, and analysing real-life migration stories. Through these stories, they have been identifying the challenges, risks and opportunities that migrants have faced. Students have solidified their understanding of the reasons why people migrate by distinguishing between push and pull factors. We have also discussed how people perceive migration. Next week, students will explore more about the effects that migration has on communities, individuals, and cultures, as well as, create their summative projects concluding our unit.