Shoebox Writing

Students begin to develop ideas for a personal narrative.

I like to demonstrate this activity before I give the instructions.

The students are to pick five items that relate somehow to their lives. They write 3-4 sentences describing each item, using lots of details. Students then listen to the description read and try to guess the item in the box. No further rewriting is necessary if the listeners guess the item.

Extension: Students develop a finished piece of writing about one item in their box.