How it works
This small moment graphic organizer puts the whole event on one line and gives the rest of the page to a few minutes of it. A writer who fills it in has the story's details before writing the first sentence.
Read the full guide
Pick a moment small enough
On these sheets a small moment lasts a few minutes, not a day. If a plan still reads like a list of everything that happened, zoom in again: choose one thing from the list and plan only that. In the filled-in sample, a day at the beach becomes the minute a wave reached a sandcastle.
From the sheet to a draft
Start the draft inside the moment, not on the way there. Each box turns into a sentence or two, and the last box is the ending.
- The 2nd grade Common Core writing standard asks for a well-elaborated event, with details of actions, thoughts and feelings and a sense of closure.
- In kindergarten the same standard counts drawing and dictating along with writing, so a drawing with a few words is a full plan.
Questions and answers
What is a small moment in writing?
On these sheets it is one short piece of a bigger event, told with enough detail that a reader can picture it. A trip to the zoo is the big event. Feeding the goat is the small moment.
What are some small moment ideas?
Look inside ordinary days: a lost tooth, a first ride without training wheels, a dropped ice cream, a goodbye at the bus stop.
What grade is a small moments graphic organizer for?
These sheets run from kindergarten to about 4th grade. The draw-first sheet and the one with primary lines suit kindergarten and 1st grade. The others need a writer who can fill several lines alone.