A small glowing door sits in the roots of an old oak tree, and 3rd grade students write what happens when they and a best friend find it. The 2-page sheet asks them to use dialogue to show how both characters feel. Three planning questions come first, then a word box with verbs such as whispered, gasped, and hesitated. The rest of the space is for the story itself. It targets W.3.3.b. The story is open-ended, so there is no answer key.
W.3.3.b
“Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.”
The prompt requires dialogue that shows each character's feelings, and the word box offers speech verbs and action words like shivered and hesitated.
A picture of two children at the door and the story prompt, which asks whether the characters are scared, excited, or confused.
Students decide who the friend is and how they feel, write the first thing someone says, and plan the action the characters take next.
A table of twelve words: whispered, gasped, exclaimed, muttered, glowing, mysterious, curious, terrified, shivered, reached, hesitated, and suddenly.
Lined space where students write the whole story, using the plan and the word box.
Quotation marks review
Teach dialogue punctuation just before this sheet. Question 2 in the plan, the first thing someone says, is a good place to check that the spoken words sit inside the marks.
Word choice
Ask students to use at least three words from the box and circle them. Swapping said for whispered or gasped does much of the work of showing feeling.
Writing center
Put the sheet in a writing center with a picture of an old tree or a tiny door. Students who finish early can write the next scene, after the door opens.
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