Squiggle Stories!

 This is always a favorite project! I give the students a variety of computer-generated squiggle lines for them to envision a picture and a story. After turning the pages this way and that, a picture comes to mind, and a story follows soon after that! For this project, we learn the 5 W's and an H of good writing:

Who is in my picture

What is happening

Where the story takes place (setting)

When the story takes place (setting)

Why (more storyline)

How it ends

I love seeing the same squiggles get used year after year, but no two squiggles are ever the same! Enjoy these stories!

Snakey and the Mouse, by Bella (4th grade)

        In the busy streets of Tokyo, Snakey was in front of 7-11 looking for snake food. He went inside and took a peek of of what food was inside. He checked the aisles, but all he found was candy and snacks. No snake food. On the sides and in the front, there was hot, reheatable, and cold food, plus drinks. He couldn't see any snake food in sight!

        Then suddenly, something scurried under the aisles. It was gray and furry. Snakey wondered what it was.

        He thought, "Hmmmm, I wonder if it is a mouse. Maybe I will go check."

        He scurried around teh store in a circle. Snakey cried, "This mouse is too fast!" After a while of chasing, he gave up. Snakey sighed. "I guess I will eat some disgusting 7-11 food...."

Same squiggle line, totally different story by Meera (3rd grade)

        Hi! My name is Josephine and right now I am sulking in my bed, hoping a magician will come into my room and make me disappear. But first, let me tell you how it all started.

        I need to tell you the facts. Number 1: Moms are bad at hair cuts. Number 2: Bad luck is real! Number 3: I need to move to Florida. (Don't ask).

        It all started when Mom decided to give me a hair cut. She gave me a rat tail smack in the middle of the top of my head, but the worst part is tomorrow is picture day! So now you know what happened, and that's why I am sulking.

Squiggle Story by Marlo (5th grade)

        "I dare you to dive into the water," a young kingfisher cried.

        "No thanks," his brother responded.

        "I'll do it!" a bird with strange feathers named Blossom called from a nearby branch.

        "Prove it!" both brothers eagerly yelled.

        "OK," she responded calmly, and she hopped off the ledge.

        Blossom plummeted toward the water at rapid speed. The wind rushed against her feathers and she had to squint her eyes. She was heading for the water and fast! Closer and closer. The birds above squacked and screeched in fear; there was no way a little bird could survive such a large drop. 

        Then, with a big splash, Blossom hit the water. 10 seconds. 20 seconds. Blossom had still not resurfaced!

        Until.... with another splash, she came up for air.

        All the birds cheered, and Blossom settled back on her perch.

Leaf (The Lonely Snail) Under the Leaf

By Elena (6th grade)

Once upon a time, there was a cute but lonely snail. She lived in a beautiful forest where a lot of chunky but beautiful animals and plants lived. Except Leaf.  She was skinny, her body was vomit-colored, and her shell was blue and violet. Totally not normal. 

  Anyway, one day, Leaf was scavenging for miniature mushrooms, her favorite food. Then, suddenly she felt a big drop of water flop onto her head. Leaf continued to feel more and more drops. Soon, the air was full of falling water droplets. Since Leaf was smart, she knew that she had to hide. 

Quickly (well, quickly for a snail, but really slow like 0.1 mph for a human), Leaf started looking for a good leaf to hide under. But every leaf was already taken.  Groups of normal snails gathered under every leaf. Every single leaf. Every leaf. Each one. Leaf searched and searched for a spot.

Leaf felt hopeless!!!

But then, magically, right before the worst part of the storm started, Leaf found a spot. A cozy, small leaf, the perfect size for a skinny and weird snail. With a hugely smile of relief on her face, Leaf raced to the dry spot under the leaf. This feels amazing! thought Leaf. 

Leaf sat under her leaf for hours, listening to the rain. At last, Leaf fell asleep to the rhythmic drip drop of the rain. 

Squiggle Stories!

 This is one of my favorite assignments!  I love seeing how different students take the same computer-generated random squiggle lines, year after year, and create totally different art work.  Then, it is so amazing to see the creative stories that come from their art work!  For this project, we learned the "5W's and an H" story map:

WHO is in my picture

WHAT is happening

WHERE (setting)

WHEN (setting)

WHY this is happening (story line)

HOW my story ends

Once the students jotted down these important notes, they wrote a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.  Enjoy these entertaining samples across the grades!

Squiggle Story by Liam (3rd grade)

  Once upon a time, there was a bunny who heard the myth about Easter.  They always said in the middle of spring, if you go to the Forest of the East, you will find falling eggs with stuff in them. The bunny set off in a hurry, trying to get there.  Many days later, he found an unfamiliar forest.  He thought for a minute, and he looked up and saw eggs falling from the sky!  He did it!  He found the Forest of the East.

The Attack of the Monkeys, by Grayson (3rd grade)

        Once upon a time, there was a little farm house in New York.  It was a very normal day.  Then at 5:00 AM, Avery (the son of the family) saw a god and thought he was there to bless him.  But then thirty seconds later, he realized that the god was just there to fight off these monkeys and the monkey god. 

         About five minutes later, Avery's brother Sam came and started to watch the fight.  Then they got the whole family to be looking through the window.

        After that, the god sent a tornado to try to defeat the monkeys.  Then Sam, Avery, and their scared parents had to go to the tornado bunker so they did not get sucked into the tornado.  

        Then their sister Kate came in and said, "Have you seen what's happening?"

        "Yes, it is very terrible!" exclaimed Sam.

        Avery was watching the commotion outside of the bunker when he yelled, "The monkeys are throwing fireballs towards the house and god created a lightning storm!"

        The family rushed to see what Avery was talking about.  They say what Avery was saying: The god had created a lightning storm and the monkeys were throwing fireballs at the house.

        The family decided to go back into the bunker when the god summoned a tsunami to put out the flame of the monkeys.  Their fire went away, so they became statues.  Then it was just the monkey god vs. the good god, who luckily knew Monkey's weakness.... banana bombs!  So god threw a banana bomb, but the monkey god did not chase it and he said, "I can tell if a banana is a bomb or not."  Little did the monkey god know the banana bomb was right behind him, and it blew up.

        The monkey god lost his wings, and to the good god's surprise, the monkey god turned into King Kong and started to punch god, who fought back.  He sent a. meteor to hit King Kong, and then King Kong was defeated and he faded away.  

        Then the family broke open the meteor and found a very, very rare metal, and sold it.  They became rich and lived happily ever after!

The Death of Bakaluela, by Andreas (5th grade)

        In the black of night, the island of Bakaluela suffers at the thought that it's facing its enemy.  Today, in the middle of the night, the island will experience death.  There was no doubt.  The end was just around the corner.

        The tall was volcano was rumbling.  It was like a car running.  But louder, waves of sounds, words don't have the ability to describe.  Scorching heat flamed, spreading warm temperatures across the island.  Lava popped, and not satisfyingly, but deadly.

        Time was beating, very rapidly, so fast the island of Bakaleula didn't have time to think.  A rumble echoed across the island.  Tsunamis rose above unimaginable heights.  San flew everywhere at the beach.  Trees shivered as undescribable air passed by.  The whole island was trembling with horror.  Everything was feeling it.  Something was coming.  No one knew exactly what, but they knew it would be deadly.

        Everything was silent.  Now everbody was ready.  The trees didn't whisper, the sand didn't tremble with wind, and the waves didn't flow.  It was just a sound that stood out.  A little pop in the lava at the volcano.  Just an average, simple, and tiny pop.  But it wasn't a good pop.  No, not even close to a little pop.

        Lava erupted out of the volcano.  The volcano was screaming, leaving burning ash, smoke, and lava on the poor trees.  Ash gathered in the sand, making it black.  The water was steaming, as it faced the lava.  The volcano continued its deadly bursting while it tilted to the left.  It tilted slowly, then faster, until the volcano fell on the island, cracking its base under the ocean.  The island was slowly sinking.  The island was almost dead.  The trees were vanished, the sand was black as the night sky, and the volcano left a gigantic puff of ash. 

         The volcano stopped.  It realied its mistake.  But it was too late.  Seconds later, nothing was there.  The island was under the sea, never again to be seen.

We Stand Together, by Emily (5th grade)

        On Earth, corruption lurked in all the nooks and crannies on the surface of the world.  Disease and destruction were found everywhere, including the infamous Covid-19.  Everywhere, people fought.  War corrupted and destroyed cities, forests, and more.  In most places, people lay hopeless, waiting, just waiting, for things to get better.

        One fateful day, Covid-19 made a drastic impact, killing hundreds of thousands of people.  Earth fell into chaos.  You could almost hear the primal screams of despair, every day and every night. 

         Then, one day, heroes stood up, tired from everything and determined to make a change.  Doctors, police officers, firemen, teachers, artists, writers-- even children-- stood up from their seats, all with one goal: to change the world.

        We joined hands and helped those in need.  People of all ethnicities stood up together.  Big or small, short or tall, we never judged.  We helped many in need, raising money, providing food, supplying shelter, even hosting drives where we gave out necessities to those that were poor.  We stood together, never giving up.  Even in dire situations, we never sat down.   Never backed down, never relented.  Never gave up, never stopped trying to reach our goal: to change the world.

        Everyone helped.  Doctors healed the sick, writers inspired.  Artists drew, citizens volunteered.  Even children helped, writing, inspiring, drawing.  In the end, we eventually did it.  We sparked hope.  We joined hands, never giving up.  We succeeded.  Even though Covid-19 still hung in the air, something else overtook the feelings of pain and corruption: Hope.

        We joined hands, fighting for what we wanted.  We worked together, giving giving up, never backing down.  In the end, we succeeded.  We brought back hope.  Hope that we should keep going.  Hope that everything is going to be alright.  We also learned a lesson, a valuable lesson.  We learned that no matter what, we stand together.

Squiggle Stories!

 I love this project!  Year to year, I get to see how the very same computer-generated squiggle lines spark the imaginations of my students in grades 1-6.  It is amazing to see them look at a line and envision something that has never been seen before.  And when I do get repeat ideas, the stories are never the same!

For this project, we did a simple 5 W's and an H story map:

Who is in your picture-

What is happening-

Where is the story taking place-

When is the story taking place-

Why is it happening (story line)-

How the story ends-

After jotting down notes in this organized way, students write a story about their creation.  Enjoy these samples!

Shark's Adventure, by Samit (2nd grade)

Once upon a time, there was a lonely shark in the cold antarctic. He was forced to go out of Atlantis because of his ugly jaws - according to Atlantis’ sharks. The shark’s name was Ari. Ari searched the world far and wide to find a new home. One day, a pack of orcas saw Ari. “Well, well, well,” said the biggest Orca. “Look what we have here. A little shark!”. “I - I’m not f - food.”, Ari stuttered. Ari rushed away, panicking. 

Ari could feel the freezing water on the tips of his fins as he rushed through the water. Suddenly, Ari was cornered! As the Orcas were getting closer, Ari saw a current above him! Ari quickly swam up to the current. “Wheeheeee!” Ari yelled as the current pushed him. Ari saw some fish next to him, so he ate the sick ones. 

Ari didn’t realize that the Orcas were chasing him! The Orcas were really close to Ari! But then, Ari fainted. Ari woke up to the sound of a clacking noise, “Oy! Whatcha doin’ here?” said an unfamiliar voice. Ari saw two beady eyes staring at him. Ari’s head was on land! It was a crab! Ari wriggled into the water. 

He saw lots of faces looking at him. They looked just like Ari. “Hey, this guy’s the missing shark!” bellowed one of the sharks. Ari lived happily ever after!

The Truth about the Easter Bunny

by Sylvia (5th grade)

In the world we live in, the Easter bunny does it all, from making you a custom basket to hiding eggs for all, but this story has been warped and played “telephone” numerous times, so your story and my story of the Easter bunny are going to be completely different.  Get ready for an odd one!

 In this story, it is not just the Easter bunny that does everything, it’s also his mighty sidekick the chick! You may be thinking, “Ha, a chick?  No way!” The chicks actually do a lot, such as making those delicious, creamy, and yummy chocolate bunnies as well as those sugary little peeps! 

However you can’t randomly say I would like to make peeps and bunnies. No, no, no. There's a whole association for that, in fact the most prestigious in all the chick world is the Bunnies of Easter Agency. In order to join you have to go through a series of tests.  I’ll be happy to teach you all about them.

Test 1: Agility. Why the need for speed and swiftness?  Well, what if it’s Easter day and none of the eggs for the hunts have been put out? You definitely need a speedy chick for that. 

 Test 2. Cooking. If you don’t know how to cook, all Easter baskets are going to have burnt, hard, and chewy peeps. So of course we will need exceptional cooks. 

The 3rd and final test:. Smarts. This is the most obvious yet important. If they were a dumb chick, they aren’t going to pass the other two tests. 

Once a chick passes these tests they become a part of the BEA! They get to help the prestigious Easter bunny with his official duties!

So as you can see, this is a totally different story than what you had in mind about how the Easter bunny really works.   So next time you take a bite of your chocolate bunnies or fluffy peeps, I would think again before thanking ONLY the Easter bunny!

The Lady in the Mountains

By Annika (4th grade)

For eons, the great Earth mother watched over her planet. She created the wilderness, oceans, and the clouds. But her favorite creation was the mountains. The living creatures of this world were her least favorite. They destroyed and built ugly stone and wooden monstrosities that they called “shelters”.

The Earth mother eventually created natural disasters and illnesses. She assumed they would take care of the most troublesome pests, humans. With that comfort, she realized that her work was done. She prepared for her rest by creating an enormous lake so that she could drink when she woke.

She found a small valley in between the mountains surrounding her magnificent lake, and laid there. She closed her eyes, and slept.

What she didn’t know was that humans were very intelligent beings. They survived the earthquakes, floods, and storms by hiding in their shelters. Over time, they took over the lands and waters, and built cities that stretched across the largest valleys! The lake the Earth mother made was now named Lake Tahoe. During this process, layers of stone and dirt had formed over her.

Many people lived at the shores of the vast lake, and played in the gentle waves of the water. One human was a young girl named Annika. She came to the lake very often, and loved it there.

She was playing at the shore when she felt an earthquake. A strong one. What no one knew was that the Earth mother was awakening.

“Mom!” she yelled. “Is this a level 10 earthquake?”

“Yes, I think it is!” her mother shouted back. “We have to get back to the house!”

As they made their way up the hill, on the opposite side of the lake, some mountains crumbled to reveal the Earth mother.

“MOM! WHAT IS THAT!?” Annika screamed.

“NOT AN EARTHQUAKE! RUN!!!”

Then, the Earth mother spoke. “WHO DARED TO BUILD HERE!!!???”

The Earth mother made one giant step to reach Heavenly Village. She started crunching buildings with her enormous hands and feet.

Then, Annika had an idea. She started running as fast as she could toward the giant.

When she reached the edge of town, she was panting hard, but she was breathless when she saw the lady of the mountains up close. She had a dress made out of leaves and rocks, and her eyes were as blue as the lake itself.

Though still in shock, she ran at the lady’s legs, and jumped. She miraculously found a ledge on her rocky dress, and started to climb. The Earth queen didn’t notice her until she was already at her shoulder.

Annika faced her giant ear and yelled, “STOP!!!!!!!”

Strangely, the Earth mother listened, and obeyed.

“Please, don’t destroy the town,” she pleaded. “No one knew this was your land. Many people live here now. Lots of them are my friends and family. So please don’t hurt them.”

The Earth mother was surprised about how much this girl cared for these people. She picked Annika up from her shoulder, and placed her gently on the ground. She slowly walked toward the lake, and drank. When she finished, she stood again, and walked back to where she had emerged. She laid down again, and this time, didn’t get up again.

Koko's Day

By Erin (5th grade)

Koko hopped down the steps onto the dock.  It was a cool dark night, adn Koko was tasked with a dangerous job, with only a lantern, fishing net, and pole.  It was a dark time in the quiet village of Sorra.  Monsters were spotted nearby the village gate!  More and more reports of monster spottings led to their need of volunteers to fish-- their most important food source.

As she set out for sea, Koko took a spear with her.  If a sea monster was present, she had to defend herself.  She set out, expecting the worst.

When the boat reached the fishing spot, Koko dropped her fishing line.

"AHHHH!" Koko screamed.  She didn't know how, but the only things she saw were huge bubbles which rocked the boat.  She slowly reached for her spear, then WHOOSH!  A green serpent-like sea monster appeared with a mighty leap!

With a surprsingly friendly voice, the creature spoke.  "Hello.  My name is Sammy.  Who are you?"  Koko was stunned, but she managed a weak greeting.

"I am Koko from Sorra Village.  I came here to fish."  Soon, Sammie asked why she was reaching for a lethal weapon.  Koko hastily explained all the trouble with monsters that her village had.  Soon, however, she became sad, as Sammy seemed like a very sweet sea creature.  Soon, she had an idea.

"Can you talk to the. monsters and ask them to help us in return for respect?" 

Sammy smiled.  "Of course!" he said.  "I can do that, since you were so kind to me."

Koko returned to the village, which was cheering her name.  They were very happy, and continued to peacefully live a sweet dream.

Lesson Learned, by Bree (6th grade)

"Eat your food!" Daddy Alligator was not a patient parent, and Baby Alligator was getting yelled at because of it.

"But whyyyyyy?" Baby Ali complained.  "It looks so gross!"  You might think that Baby Alligator was not right, but he really was.  The vile ice cream looked and smelled like the slimey swamp they were living in.

"Eat it!" Daddy Alligator was yelling now, and not messing around.  

"Whyyyyyy?" Ali whined.  

"NOW!"

"Argh, Fine!"  Baby Ali hesitantly reached out his tongue, and took a tiny lick of the "ice cream."  "HUUUURK!" Baby Ali gagged.  

"See?  That was not so bad," Daddy Alligator exclaimed.

"If you think it is not so bad, then why don't YOU try it?"

"Fine.  I think I will."  Daddy Alligator confidently reached his tongue towards the disgustingness ahead of him, thinking it would be fine.  Then, a dark look crossed Daddy Alligator's face.  "HUUURK!"

The moral of the story is, Sometimes your parents are NOT right!!