Squiggle Stories!

 

I love this project!  The students pick out a randomly drawn, computer-generated squiggle line, and create a picture out of it.  They then use the 5 W's and an H to story map their ideas:

WHO is in their picture

WHAT is happening

WHERE it is happening

WHEN it is happening

WHY it is happening (the basic story line)

HOW the story ends

I love how each squiggle line is seen uniquely through the eyes of different students.  No two ever turn out alike!  Enjoy these samples!

Mr. Snaily

by Ryan (4th grade)

Once upon a time (because all stories have to begin with an “once upon a time” ), there was a snail. This snail’s name was Mr. Snaily. He was a very normal and boring snail, but someone still wanted that snail. That person wanted the snail very, very much. Why did he want the snail? Because that man was a French chef and he wanted to have a dish of escargot for dinner. He was still looking for the perfect snail and it was already noon and he was very tired. Suddenly, he spotted something in the brush. It was a snail! It was an amazing, glorious, wonderful, excellent, beautiful snail! 

Meanwhile, Mr. Snaily was in the brush reading the New Snail Times. He saw a section about humans and he started to read. “A human has recently escaped from the land of France and is currently in America. It is rumored that he is looking for a snail to have for dinner. If you live in the land of America, we urge you to immediately hide” Mr. Snaily said, “Gee, this is a horrible disaster, I must hide immediately!” 

All of a sudden, a net came through the shrub and enclosed Mr. Snaily. 

“Yes!”, said the French Chef. 

“NO!” said Mr. Snaily.

Mr. Snaily was in a box while the French Chef boiled the water. Mr. Snaily said, “I must escape! Now how do I do that? Hmmm....” 

Suddenly Mr. Snaily spotted a hole in the box. It was just about his size. He squirmed and squiggled and pushed and POP! He was free!

Before I tell you the next part of the story, I have to tell you something else. So basically, This French Chef was very weird, so he dug a giant hole in his house. Why did he do that? I don’t know. He just did. Anyways, back to the story…

Mr. Snaily was working across the floor when the French Chef looked over his shoulder. He saw the cooking pots, he saw his cat, he saw the snail in the basket, he saw the chess set… Wait! Where was the snail?

 He looked at his cat once more and saw the snail slowly slithering across the floor. He said to himself, “Well, this should be easy, snails are very slow so I am sure that it will not hurt if I let it crawl for a bit more.” Then, he said, “ I probably should just catch him, its better to be safe than sorry,” so he walked over to the snail and bent down… Crash! The French Chef fell into his own hole and banged his head. He tried to get out, but the hole was too deep and he kept falling down. 

So that is the end of this story. If you are wondering what happened to the French Chef, I think he is still stuck in that hole, unable to get out.  

The End

The Four Mountains

by Carissa (4th grade)

Once upon a time in Hawaii, four mountains lived on an island. It had been 75 years since Grandpa Monty had grown here. His daughter Monica has lived here with him for 45 years, since she was a baby. Her two daughters, Hermona and Adrija, have been on this island since they were born.

 And me?- I’m the island they live on.  My name is Konoha. I was originally a lonely volcano in the middle of the ocean. But over the years, I gained four friends and am no longer alone.

  The story  all started when little Hermona noticed something

 “Grandpa Monty look! The sunrise! Isn’t it pretty, Grandpa?”

“Well, look at that!  It's beautiful Hermona! It reminds me of the sunset I saw the day your mother formed right next to me on this island.”

“What did it look like, Grandpa Monty?”

“Well Adrija, it looked like cotton candy, fluffy and soft. The colors, oh the beautiful colors!  There were pinks, and purples, blues, and oranges. And finally my favorite, it was all the colors mixed together. They weren’t an ugly brown, but they mixed together so perfectly it was as if it was the light of life! And that’s what I think of to feel calm. The sunset is what I think about when I am upset. And guess what?”

“What?” they both asked eagerly.

“Now those sunsets are you. You are now those sunsets. That’s what you do for me. You make me feel calm and feel love.”

“Aww thanks, Dad. I think you just made their day!” said Monica, Adrija and Hermona’s mother, as she lay down and fell asleep first. 

“Where do sunsets come from? And how were they made?” asked Hermona to their grandpa.

“Well, I don’t know where they come from,” he replied.

“Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!” both girls moaned.

“But I do know that wherever they come from, that place is very special.” he said as he stared at them with care, and love.

“Did we come where they came from?” asked Adrija. “Cause hypothetically that couldn’t be possible.  The sky is made of air molecules and so are clouds, I think. But we are made out of dirt, rocks, and plants-unless that those things are made out of air molecules… Wait…. so we're clouds!?”

“No of course not. Here, let me tell you a story of where we come from and how I came to be.”

“I began my life on the ocean floor. Each day I rose a little bit higher. I soon began to see fish, coral, and other sea life beside me.  As I got closer to the surface of the water, I could see the bright sun and the beautiful clear sky. Finally, most of my mountain body was above the water. 

Slowly I could feel something hot bubbling inside of me. The hot earth inside of me erupted and lava began to come out. During my early years, I had erupted once or twice before. I formed on this island and became the home of plants, trees, flowers and living creatures.“

“Then one peaceful morning, I saw another small mountain form next to me on my island, and can you guess who that was?” he asked Adrija and Hermona

“It was our mom, wasn’t it?” Arija asked knowingly.  

“A UNICORN!” exclaimed Hermona.

“Yes, it was your mother. And a few years later, you two formed here, and became part of our family. And that is how we came to be!” said Grandpa Monty, smiling at his wonderful beautiful family.

And that is how the beautiful mountains made my island their home and brought life and love to this place. Remember me? It’s me, Konoha. I love this story because it’s about how I met my friends. I really hope that you enjoyed it.

The Plight of Skrew-Nail

by Claire (6th grade)

“SKREW-NAIL! NOO!” I shouted, horror washing over me as well as-

Hold up. Hi. My name is Hooky, I am a hook, and can we just ignore the part above? I may have made a little mistake with the editing. In the meantime, let’s rewind.

The day started out as the best day ever. At least, for us tools. Carpenter’s Day normally doesn’t spark extreme excitement amongst our fellow human citizens, but it’s a very toolish holiday. Many celebrations were already underway in the Toolshed, and my best friend Skrew-Nail the screw and I were attending one taking place in our own Toolbox when she came. 

The local carpenter’s daughter.

She’s actually quite nice, and very caring. She loves her father very much, and has learned much carpentry from him. However, her appearance at the Toolshed on Carpenter’s Day was a mystery to us tools. 

“What’s she doing here?” Whispered Skrew-Nail worriedly the moment the door to the shed swung open, further illustrating my point above. 

“No clue,” I whispered back. All eyes were on the girl as she entered the dusty room and looked around. And then, she seemed to be looking straight at us. 

“Oh my drill, does she see us?” gasped Skrew-Nail, ducking down out of sight.

“I don’t think so…” I responded uncertainly, watching as

she came closer to our box. 

“She’s coming this way…” began Skrew-Nail. 

All of a sudden, a hand plunged into our box, sending tools

scattering every which way. 

Skrew-Nail and I were separated as the Great Tsunami of Carpenter’s Day continued. And then the hand closed on my thin metal body and I was pulled into the air and shaken vigorously. I had barely begun to call for help when I was dropped back into the Toolbox. 

I sighed in relief as I hit the Toolbox floor with a clatter, but my relief was short-lasting. Almost a second later, Skrew-Nail was snatched up instead. 

I can still hear her cries today. I tried to save her, but really, what did you expect a hook like me to do? I only did one thing, and that was panic . Which brings us to this:

“SKREW-NAIL! NOO!” I shouted, horror washing over me as well as a horrid, sickly feeling of uselessness. I couldn’t do anything, and my best friend was being taken right at this second. Before I could scream anything else, the carpenter’s daughter pulled Skrew-Nail and her hand out of sight. 

That was perhaps the most depressing Carpenter’s Day in the history of Carpenter’s Days. No one in our Toolbox felt much like celebrating after Skrew-Nail was taken, and I certainly didn’t either. In the days that followed, I always hoped that the carpenter would take me out of the Toolbox and bring me into the world so that perhaps I could learn what happened to Skrew-Nail. However, no such day has come, and I have lost all hope. 

I later discovered that the carpenter’s daughter had used Skrew-Nail to make a quaint chair for her father. All I can say is, I hope Skrew-Nail is living happily, because I will never see her again-

Wait! Is that a hand I see coming to grab...ME?! Goodbye, all! I am on my way to the outside world and to Skrew-Nail!

Thanksgiving Poetry

 My online classes recently enjoyed a poetry writing lesson.  The theme was "Thanksgiving" and the five senses.  What are we thankful for in our day-to-day lives that we can see, hear, feel, touch, and smell?  Some of my students attempted to rhyme; others just went with the words on paper, not worrying about rhyme.  Poetry is meant to be felt, and heard.  Read these poems aloud, and enjoy!

Thanksgiving, by Kevin (6th grade)

I am thankful for what my eyes can see,

Every animal, human, sunrise, and tree.

 For the dark blue ocean with the little fish,

And the food my mom cooks; each and every dish.

I am thankful for what I can hear,

The laughter of children from the playground I am near,

For the music playing on the radio,

And the music I play on the piano.

I am thankful for what my hands can touch,

For the tanbark in the playground, but not too much,

For basketballs and soccer balls,

And for the giant tree way too tall.

I am thankful for what my nose can smell,

Freshly cooked food coming from the kitchen I know so well.

For the salty scent of the beautiful sea

And for the scent of pine in the forest trees.

I am thankful for what my tongue can taste,

Donuts, sugar, rice, and toothpaste

For the food my mom cooks every day,

And for the food she gets from restaurants.  Yay!

Thanksgiving, by Claire (6th grade)

Thank you for all that I can see

Clear blue skies and 

Swaying trees

The dances of the dandelions

The buzzing of bees

Thank you for all that I can hear

The trickle of a gentle stream

Thuds of falling rain

Soft pads of neighborhood cats

Moans of the swishing wind’s pain

Thank you for all that I can feel

The warmth of sun’s rays against my skin

Roughness of playground bark

The crunch of leaves beneath my feet

How love can light the dark

Thank you for all that I can smell

The scent of air before a storm

The humid atmosphere

Stench of smoke left over from fires

Sweat of volunteers

Thank you for all that I can taste

Lusciousness of bright red strawberries

Ripeness of fresh-picked pears

A mug of steaming hot apple cider

Sweetness of gummy bears

Thanksgiving, by Jessie (4th grade)

I am thankful for my sight, and for reading good  book,

 the beautiful flowers, and their good looks

       I am thankful for being able to hear calm soothing voices , 

the sound of cheerful piano music and the rustle of nature noises.

I am thankful for my touch, like smooth cold surfaces, 

flowy straight long unbraided hair, 

touch of nature, and the clothes we wear.

  I am thankful for my smell, like fragrant roses, soup on the stove, 

and the smell of tree groves.

I am thankful for my taste, like my grandma’s chicken soup, 

plain, but fresh water, warm milk, soft fruit,

 a healthy salad made with some shallot.

Gratefulness

By Vivian (4th grade) 

I am grateful for the things I can see-

The blue sky, stretching across the horizon,

The soft fluffy clouds, imitating cotton candy,

Leaves, blowing and rustling in the wind.

I am grateful for the things I can hear-

The eerie howl of a calm wolf,

The quiet buzz and hum of a busy bee,

The wind whistling through the dense trees.

I am grateful for the things I can feel-

The silky fur of playful puppies,

The slight breeze changing directions,

The fragile petals of a blooming rose.

I am grateful for the things I can smell-

The tropical scent of a remote rainforest,

The aroma of a sweet meadow,

The smell of earthy, rich soil.

I am grateful for the things I can taste-

Fresh air entering my lungs, 

Sweet fruit juices squeezed by hand, 

The delicious flavor of holiday dishes.

I am grateful for many things.

Pumpkin Interviews!

      My classes had fun exploring the concept of personification as we learned about the life cycle of a pumpkin.  From seed, to leaves and vines, to flower and finally, the pumpkin, my students learned it all!  Their challenge was to take that scientific knowledge and turn it into questions they could ask a personified pumpkin.  What would a pumpkin think of its seed life?  How about when it sprouted out of the ground?  What would a pumpkin think pollination felt like?  And what about those clever tendrils that latch on to everything?  Of course... what would a pumpkin think about at the end of its life?  All of these questions and more can be found in these samples.  Enjoy!

Interview with Bella, by Julia (4th grade)

Julia: What were the first few things you remember?

Bella: The first thing I ever remembered was darkness. Then I heard voices, a girl I supposed and a boy. I felt like I was being lifted, then dropped into soft, brown stuff. Immediately I felt thirsty, and the girl seemed to shout, “Get water for the “pumpkin seed!” Then water dropped through the brown stuff and my thirst was quenched! Best part of life at that point!

Julia: Wow! What happened next?

Bella: After that I waited for about a week. Then I could feel my legs, pearly white and very wobbly and skinny. They continued to grow until I could actually stand up! Another achievement!

Julia: Great, not to be offensive, but you look young and not much like a pumpkin. I’m pretty sure pumpkins aren't green with a golden flower on top.

Bella: Not offensive at all! Actually, I’m in the so far BEST part of being alive. Though getting here took awhile. After I got my legs, I had the most perfect green hands ever! The girl apparently said they were “seed leaves”, and sounded super excited. Those “seed leaves” soaked up the warm stuff from where I couldn’t see. Sadly, those hands were replaced with other less perfect hands. A dark green one that was MUCH too big for my taste. There was good in it though, too. Those hands soaked up the warm stuff super fast. I began to grow.

Julia: Nice job, please continue.

Bella: Then a bunch of arm like thingies came climbing out, attaching themselves to a lot of stuff. Then the best thing that ever happened to me came in, I GOT A SUPER COOL FLOWER ON MY HAIR!! 

Julia: Ooh! That does sound super cool! What happened next? Though it sounds like we are getting to an end.

Bella: Then I could see. I was a small green bulb, with a golden flower. Right now, I’m exactly 12 hours from that change.

Julia: Ok then, this is as far from the beginning as you went. Now what do you want to be when you grow up?

Bella: Well, I hope to be either a perfect orange pumpkin or a white one. Another thing I forgot to tell, when I could see, I saw a bunch of other green bulbs and golden flowers that I thought were my siblings.

Julia Cai: Now that we covered your life span until now, I’ll move on to personal information.

Julia: What is your age right now? 

Bella: Around 70 days old.

Julia: What is your Birthday? 

Bella: August 22, 2020

Julia: Who were your siblings?

Bella: Some of them are: Beth, Sam, Luke, and Sophie.

Julia: It was great to meet you, Bella. See you later!

                                                  Interview with Mr. Pumpkin, by Bobby (5th grade)

Prof. B: Thank you for meeting with me today. You are looking quite good.

Mr. Pumpkin: That is very kind of you, but I don’t have a face.

P.B: Oh, uh I’m sorry well then let’s move onto our first question. What happened in your childhood?

M.P: That’s an interesting question. Well I guess I have to answer it. First, I started in a dark bag with all of my brothers and sisters. Then all of a sudden, someone started shaking the bag! Me and my siblings were being thrown out the bag! Luckily, I didn’t fall out, because if I did I wouldn’t be here.

P.B: Wow that sounds like a pretty traumatizing childhood. Please continue. This is very interesting.

M.P: Ok. I don’t remember that much after, but it was really dark and squishy. After about 1 week my legs and hair started to grow!

P.B: Wow! Only 1 week, that’s incredible! What happened to those seed leaves?

M.P: I was just about to tell you. They got replaced by vine leaves. As the days passed, I grew hands trying to find something to grab onto. I called them tendrils.

P.B: So that’s why vines swirl around when they grow?

M.P: Yes

P.B Cool! Carry on.

M.P Alright. The weirdest thing happened after that. A little yellow flower grew on my butt. I tried pretty hard, but I couldn’t get it off. Then a bunch of winged insects came fluttering around me! It was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me!

P.B: That does sound pretty scary, but what happened to your flower? 

M.P: Hold on, you’re missing a step. A little green ball grows. AKA me. And the flower shrivels up! I thought I was dying!

P.B: What are you planning to do after this?

M.P: Actually, my owner will gut me and roast my seeds for food!

P.B: Geeze! Well good luck!

Interview with Pumpers, by Jackie (6th grade)

Jackie: Welcome Mr. Pumpers! Er…. Mr. Puddle-kin. Anyways, how are you doing today?

Pumpers: I am not doing well at all. I really never had any hope for myself since the moment I came out of that dark cage. 

Jackie: Well, I was wondering how you got to this… umm… how do I put this nicely? “Slightly smashed” state. 

Pumpers: (Offended and rude) Wow, how nice of you to say. (More relaxed) Well, I’m actually glad you asked because my life was absolutely horrible! I started out super small, and in this dark cage. Never in my life have I ever felt more cramped! Wet, brown stuff packed me in, so I had no room to move. My neighbors were so close, and worse of all, they were super nosy! 

Jackie: Oh my, well it seems like you are still a bit cramped.

Pumpers: Yup! These flies are always buzzing about and being even more nosy than my neighbors! (Mutters) which is saying a lot. Anyways, I was even more angry when I sprouted this terribly ugly hairdo! It was green, and had two tiny little leaves on it. It was even worse than I ever thought it would be. I remember clearly how my neighbors bragged about how they were so much prettier than me. 

Jackie: Yikes! That seems super hard to live with. Do you have any more memories from when you were still a young pumpkin?

Pumpers: Actually, I do! When I was in this wet , dark stuff, I recall that it was unreasonably hot! I only got a teeny tiny bit of water every day. I was living in harsh conditions so I always wonder how I even got grown!

Jackie: I remember learning about a pumpkin’s life cycle, so what was it like with one of those beautiful yellow flowers?

Pumpers: Ugh. Don’t even get me started on HER. She was the worst mom flower in the whole patch! She always told me I was not big enough, and I had to grow more and eat my veggies and my fruit. Little did she know that she was forcing me to be a cannibal! I disliked her very much. She was so commanding, and she always had the upper leaf! Until she wilted, HA! Take that, Mom! 

Jackie: Well, did you really live with her for that long? 

Pumpers: Yes! I had her for weeks! I actually kind of wish she hadn’t wilted, because then, I wouldn’t have been bullied. She also just became one giant, dry, flower on my head. I had to wait ages until she finally fell off. 

Jackie: That sounds very interesting! Can you tell me about the bullying part? What had happened?

Pumpers: Well, one of the vines that had grown up next to me was telling all of the other vines to use their tendrils to take all of the possible holds in the pumpkin patch, so me and my vine couldn’t find any spots. It was disastrous. When I asked about why they were doing this, the bully vines just said, “You can’t boss us around! You're still green, Watermelon!” I was so angry! Everyone in the patch knew that I was under-average so I hadn’t gotten the orange-yellow color yet. 

Jackie: That sounds very frustrating. How did you become orange?

Pumpers: I got pollinated by bees. When my mom was still around, she opened her arms out big and wide, for the bees to go into. I couldn’t see much, but I heard a lot about it from the bully vines. 

Jackie: That sounds nice. So, we pretty much covered most of your life, right?

Pumpers: pretty much, but there is still some of my life getting to this (mockingly) “Slightly smashed state”. 

Jackie: umm… okay. Carry on Mister!

Pumpers: One night, while everyone in the patch was settling down for sleep, I noticed my vine was growing very rapidly. I was scared out of my mind! I had just grown into a big orange pumpkin, and I had overheard from one of those humans like you, I would be cut from the vine soon! I knew something was off, because I started racing towards the fence gate. I saw a large truck pull over in front of me, and I knew what was coming for me next. 

Jackie: This is getting very suspenseful! 

Pumpers: I suddenly stopped, and realized that the angry mailman was coming. He came to the gate, and opened the door. No, not opened it. HE SLAMMED IT IN MY FACE! I got cracked, and smushed, and flew across the patch into the other fence! It was the worst time of my life! I was super mad at that mailman. I was so close to getting picked!

Jackie: Well, it looks like we have run out of time for today. Thank you for doing this with me, Mr. Pumpers. It has been a delightful time!

Pumpers: Thank you for interviewing me, Jackie. I had a somewhat good time. Bye!

Pumpkin Interview

With Julia (7th grade) and Mr. P-Pie

Me: Hello sir, how are you doing today?

Mr. P-pie: I’ve been better. Why are you asking me? No one has ever been kind to me.

Me: Oh, I am so sorry to hear that. I hope this interview will make your day better.

Mr. P-pie: Let’s hope so.

Me: So, what was it like when you were a little pumpkin? Do you remember most of your childhood?

Mr. P-pie: Well, I’m getting a bit teary even thinking about it. I remember every single, little, detail about my life as a little seed, all the way to what I am today. I remember when I was dropped into some soft fertile soil in the month of May. It was like I was dressed in a nice warm sweatshirt. I got water when I was thirsty, and I was really happy and grateful. I remember that after about a week or so, I grew these two little leaves. Now I know they were my seed leaves, but back then I had many theories about those leaves. I thought they were my legs, then I thought they were my arms, then hair, but now I know they were my seed leaves.

Me: That sounds really nice. I’m glad you have some nice memories of your baby years. What about when you grew up a little more?

Mr. P-pie: My next few years flew by in a flash. I sprouted out of the ground, and I started growing these long, beautiful, healthy, vines. I grabbed all my friends and anything I could with them. It was quite amusing to grab everything in my reach. Then I grew this beautiful yellow flower. Mine was the healthiest in the patch, and I had attracted almost all the bees because they liked my flower the best. I even remember one of the bees telling me that I had the most gorgeous flower he had seen in a very long time. I was so proud. Sadly, because my flower was so nice, the bees focused all of their attention to me. So a few days later, all my brothers, sisters, and friends became very ill.

Me: I’m so sorry to hear that.

Mr. P-pie: It’s not your fault. But, anyway, that was a difficult time. After that, I was grateful for everything and anything that happened to me. I grew up really healthy my whole life. After my flower bloomed, I became a little green ball. I grew, and grew, and grew. I began to turn a little more orange every day until I was a big, beautiful, orange, and round pumpkin. I could tell that my harvester was overjoyed when he saw me.

Me: That sounds wonderful, I’m so happy for you. What happened after that?

Mr. P-pie: I was cut from my vine and sold for quite the lot. I went to a local store where I was sold to a nice-looking family. But looks can be deceiving. They cut me, and took out all my organs. I have mere days left to live with big scars on me, and a candle where all my insides should be. If I could have one thing back, it would be my childhood. That is why I’m so grateful for the life I had. I just wish I could have had a happier, more peaceful ending.

Me: That is a very inspirational story. I am sorry you couldn't have the ending you were hoping for, but it sounds like you will bring joy to the owners of the doorstep where you sit!  I hear a certain holiday is coming up where you will be the star! If you ever need a friend to talk to, I’m always here.

Mr. P-pie: Thank you for letting me share my story.

Me: Not a problem, I enjoyed it myself. 

Me: Now, next on JNN Live News, we will be speaking with Ms. Melón the watermelon.