Story Elaboration

This is a little 'woot-woot' tale.   Today I was reassured that this Sonlight curriculum knows what it is doing. 

 Today was our sixtieth day of school.  Since the beginning our writing assignment for the third day is some sort of story/details/sequencing.  Getting a five year old to realize the important parts of writing and story telling.  At first it was a bit of work to get Nate to realize we needed to add detail, or describe something in greater detail.  He's a guy, you know?  For example, one week he had to write the wording for a book he knows well.  Another week he had to give written detailed step by step directions for a friend to come in and complete one of his chores.  One week I told him a story that was out of order, and he had to tell me how to put it in order.  Some weeks it took a lot of guiding, and I was thinking, 'this is never going to work'

Then today the assignment was to tell Nate this story....

Pat built a house.  The house collapsed.   

After we talked about if this was a good story or not, and if it was boring, we discussed the stuff we were left wondering... What kind of house was it?  What kind of guy was Pat?

We were supposed to rewrite the tale.  I was dreading it...figuring I was going to be pulling teeth.  Then this happened.  

I guided Nate to describe Pat....then he ran with it.  Here is Nate's story about Pat.

Pat was a big young man.  He wanted to build a house to stay warm and cozy.  He decided to build a house on a hill in a castle town. 

He built a three story house with wood.  He started at the top.  A rocket-ship blew his house up, then it came back to where he left off.  Then he got some gold and used it for the windows.  Then he did the carpet, then the chimney. 

When it was done he put the door on, it was made out of old light-bulbs.  Then he got a sheep, then a dog, cows and pigs.  Then he grabbed some red paint.  Then white paint.  He built a barn.

Then he got metal strings to make a fence and sharp knives to scrape the metal strings.  Then for clothes he wore a jaguar coca-cola shirt.  For pants he got a piece of tree to sew pants. 

He was laying in bed when the wind took the top of the house off.  Then he was looking at the sky.  He said, " Holy Cow! AHHHHHHH!"  

The chimney came down and all the sheep were dead.

Then it was summer time.  He took the sheep to the hospital and the sheep were all better. 

THE END

Now I guided him with the first sentence, the rest I just copied things exactly as he said them.  Maybe a kindergartner starts most of his sentences with then or he, but who cares.  That is a real tale. He is getting it!