Not your average 3rd grade writing...

Since my one follower has requested more about P.S. 29, I have decided to include a writing sample from one of my 3rd graders. Please keep in mind this story spanned 11 pages in his writer's notebook, the words are few notebook lines tall, and the handwriting is illegible at times. There are very many grammatical errors and at a first glance it looks like 1st grade writing because it is so disorganized. However, I think this piece is a true testament to how writing instruction should be geared toward generating and nurturing ideas with less emphasis on conventions. Elton wrote this piece starting on the fifth day of school. It is evident this child has confidence when writing. He has not gotten assignments back covered with red ink. This is ultimately why I love the workshop approaches to literacy. It is authentic, genuine, child-centered teaching. When I asked him more about his story, he told me it was a continuation from a story he started in 2nd grade. Enjoy!

The last thing he remembered was a sharp pain in his leg, then he blacked out. His name is Jay. Jay Rider to be exact. Known to many people as Jack. (The end of the first page. I included this to give you a sense of what his handwriting looked like.) To others...well, I'll get to that later. He woke up in a torch-lined hall. "Where am I?" he said in a shaky voice. "You are here," rumbled an echoing voice. Jay looked around wildly. "Who are you?" he said in a trembling voice. Beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. Plink. Plink. They fell to the cold stone floor. "Do not worry," said the rumbling voice. You will die shortly. Now that made Jay really go crazy. He started laughing quietly, at first. But the it got louder. It started echoing around the hall. Bouncing off the walls. Ha! Ha! Ha! He! He! Ha! Ha! He started picking torches up off the wall and throwing them on the floor. Ha! Ha! Hee! Hee! Hee! Jay screamed as the flame licked the damp stone floor. A fire sprang up. Suddenly, a sharp blade form the ceiling. Slice. "Ahhhhh!" the scream echoed through the hallways. Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Jay...was...dead. "He's going critical." (I don't even think I knew that word when I was in 3rd grade, let alone spell it correctly.) "Brains over riding." "His hearts going crazy." "No, no, wait it's stopped. Everything stopped. He's...dead."

Thoughts?