Observation of an Orange!
Brave Writer mom, Kari, writes:
For the first time this week, I decided to try the Observation/5 Senses Writing Assignment with my 8th grader. Yesterday we observed an orange, today was the writing.
Started out rough, as she felt overwhelmed with thoughts of not being able to do it-though I kept assuring her I was not expecting the next great non-fiction work on an orange.
After a few minutes of calming down, she sat down on her own and wrote this (below is the first rough draft, no editing yet!)…
“I observed an orange yesterday. The color reminded me of a fresh ripe pumpkin. The part of the orange that was attached to the tree is a light brown color. Surrounding the brown color is a green circle of leaves that fade into a light yellow.
When I opened the orange, I got little pieces stuck in my nails, and my fingers got sticky. When rubbed against my skin, the peel felt like leather with little bumps.
When I bit into the orange flesh, juices flew every direction, some landing on my blue shirt. The juice left me yearning for water, overpowering the sweet, delicate taste of the orange.”
–M (age 14)
Once again, Brave Writer has surprised me and her both.
Thanks, Julie!
–Kari
Image by Bert Kimura (cc)
