Close Observations by Eileen

Today in writer's workshop, we learned how writers make close observations.  Almost like scientists, writers observe the world around them and write about it in detail.  To practice this concept, we went outside and spent some time observing the world around us.  I hoped that the kids would slow down and notice things they had never noticed before.  Here's part of what Eileen wrote in her notebook...

There are children playing their games.  Some swinging, some playing drums with an echo shooting across the world.  Then there are girls chasing boys, and some just waiting for fun.  You can find water falling out of sprinklers like every drop is a pool for a piece of grass.  You can find cars going by to see little children playing and writing.  When all is still, you can still see dogs walk by and swings slightly moving in the wind - as if their whole past just disappeared. 

Isn't that beautiful?  Our students were incredible writers today.  I hope they will continue to develop this skill of observing their world closely.