Based on a true story of my childhood, a fourth grade student experiences the power of words during the most embarrassing experience at a tug-of-war game. 

Word War

IDEA SUGGESTIONS: - a moment on a vacation. -broke something -embarrassed 						 -surprised -a challenge	 							 -you won -you lost	 									 -a victory -scared 										 -storm

PROJECT: Create a personal narrative of your own. Use the squares to plan out the order of your story.

That's when my teacher intently looked at each of them with fiery eyes and bellowed,&nbsp;

Personal narrative stories are defined as a piece of writing that explains one event in a person's life. Therefore, these stories are true things that have happened in your life. In order to write the best personal narratives, you need to think of one experience that happened to you. It should be over only a few minutes or hours of time. Also, it should be a story that you remember well so that you can add great descriptive details. You must... 1. explain what you saw, touched, tasted, smelled, heard, and thought. 2. provide great details so that the reader can picture it in their mind. 3. Add very specific word choices (adjectives and adverbs). 4. Write what you were feeling and thinking throughout your story. 5. Add a lesson at the end of the story or how that experience changed you. Brainstorm: Think of an event that happened in your life-- the best stories will have a GREAT struggle, problem, or challenge!

Good writers use figurative language: Idioms: Common phrases to describe something, but the words are not literal. "It's raining cats and dogs." Similes: Comparisons that use the words like or as. "She is like candy." Personification: What an object or thing acts like a person. "The wind cried." Can you find an idiom in the story? Can you find similes? Can you find personification?

Parchment

Trisha was born in Detroit, Michigan. She has been a teacher for over 18 years. She has mostly taught fourth grade. Currently, she lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband and son. 

A NOTE TO THE READER: This story is mostly true. My pants really did fall down in a tug-of-war contest when I was in fourth grade. Even more, my hero teacher did come and pull up my pants and speak firmly with the students who were chuckling. However, some of the smaller details, like the color of my shorts and my exact words were made up. This story happened over thirty years ago, so it is hard to remember. Also, I never gave my teacher a letter or a gift to thank her, although I wish that I had. I am an elementary teacher, and since my first year of teaching I have used this story to teach about writing personal narratives. I am so happy that I get to share this story with all of you.

Without hesitation, she wrenched up my red shorts.

It was then that I noticed that the chuckles around me were really directed at me, and my teacher noticed too.

When I looked up, I saw my classmates jaws drop and snickers of laugher fluttered around me.

With those four words, the on-lookers slimy smiles had vanished and their cowardly chuckles had evaporated. In moments, everything was normal, and no one EVER said another word about my red shorts.

Every year, the fourth graders and fifth graders teamed up against the soon- to-be middle schoolers or the sixth grade class. I was in fourth grade, and with double the students, I thought that we had this contest in the bag.

An Unbelievable True Story Written by Trisha Tavares

Like lightening, my teacher had raced up to me to help save the day.

Dear Teachers, I have created a few extra activities that you can do with your students in order to help them become great writers. Thank you for all that you do. Be a hero today, Trisha

_J._ to do something in a hurry _E._ to yell A._ to come to an end _F. to stick out _B._ to wiggle _C._ to show no courage _D._ something great _K. dirt _G. to laugh H. to stumble I. to look at something closely; to be focused

BETTER WORDS Think of some better word choices for these words. Work in partners. How many more specific words can you think of in 5 minutes?

Good writers use figurative language: Can you find an idiom in the story? 1. I thought that we had this contest in the bag 2. within a split second 3. following in my teacher's footsteps Can you find similes? 1. Like lightening, my teacher had raced up to me to help save the day. 2. heckling us like Goliath and his men.&nbsp; 3. They were like monsters. 4. You saved me like a superhero. Can you find personification? 1. The sweetness of summer would arrive 2. Snickers of laugher fluttered around me. 3. They were awkwardly sitting around my ankles. 4. The energized halls

WET sopping soaked damp drenched dripping soggy moist saturated clammy

SAID insisted suggested announced declared whispered shouted bellowed&#160; mentioned questioned mummbled shrieked laughed

WALKED marched glided sauntered galloped slid flew strolled jaunted sped sprinted

ATE devoured consumed swallowed chomped nibbled ingested demolished slurped finished off inhaled guzzled

FELL &#160;toppled tripped declined dropped&#160; plunged tumbled cascaded collapsed slumped over plummeted nosedived hit the floor

SAD depressed down cast glum miserable heartbroken mournful inflicted melancholy grief-stricken down in the dumps regretful

&#160;If it hadn't been for my teacher, Mrs. Altman, things could have turned out differently. So, on the last day of school, I glided down the energized halls and gave her a gift of my gratitude.&#160;

These are sixth grade students! Can we get some proof?

However, as the sixth grade army came onto the field, my stomach squirmed. I couldn't help but notice their exceedingly large size and protruding muscles. These "kids" had doubled in size since the beginning of the year. They were like monsters!

BETTER WORDS Think of some better word choices for these words. Work in partners. How many more specific words can you think of in 5 minutes?

WET ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

SAID ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

WALKED ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

ATE ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

FELL ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

SAD ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________

The teachers stood on the outskirts and frantically yelled for the sixth graders to stop. Finally, when the world had stopped moving, we all staggered to our feet.

Each side grabbed the rough rope in their hands, and the whistle screamed. The challenge had begun. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Within a split second, all of us were eating muck and were being yanked through the brown dirt.

However, what I had not yet understood was that my shorts had been pulled down as I was being pulled through the earth!

Dear Mrs. Altman, Thank you for being my teacher. You are really funny and nice, and I love you! I was really embarrassed when my pants fell down at tug-of-war, but you saved me like a superhero. I believe that real people are heroes, and just so you know, you're mine. I'll see you next school year. Who knows, maybe my team will win tug-of-war! 																		Have a great summer, 																							Trisha P.S. I'll be sure to wear a belt!

An Unbelievable True Story Written by Trisha Tavares

This book is dedicated to the hero teachers who protect and love their students. I'd especially like to thank that teacher who saved me the day my pants fell down.

My teacher had saved me from those teasing tyrants. As I turned towards her with great gratitude, I am fairly certain that a halo could be seen above her head.

Purple geometrical pattern

It was a warm, sunny day at Lincoln Elementary School. The sweetness of summer would arrive in just two days. So, in celebration of end of school and the arrival of summer, our school had planned their annual tug-of-war contest.

"We're going to drag you to victory!"&#160;

"Are these sixth graders? They look more like teachers!" I whispered to my friend. They stood heckling us like Goliath and his men.&nbsp;

Following my teacher's foot steps, I too decided to use my choice of words to change her world and melt her heart.

I felt dizzy. Then, when I finally looked down, I realized that all the commotion was about my red shorts. They were awkwardly sitting around my ankles.

Word Choice MATCH: Good writers use great word choices that are specific so that their reader can create pictures in their mind. Do you know what these words mean? Write the letter on the line for the word that best matches that definition.

A. evaporated B. squirmed C. cowardly D. exceedingly E. bellowed F. protruding G. chuckled H. staggered I. intently J. frantically K. muck

___ to do something in a hurry ___ to yell ___ to come to an end ___ to stick out ___ to wiggle ___ to show no courage ___ something great ___ dirt ___ to laugh ___ to stumble ___ to look at something closely; to be focused