We all have amazing stories to tell, so this fall a small group of children were part of a class, inspired by Lucy Calkins, which encourage each of them to explore the genre of personal narratives. First they were asked to think of a person that matters to them and to list small moments that came to mind. Once a list is generated they had to pick one of those moments and zoom in on a part they remember most clearly. Children were encouraged to make a movie in their mind, and to even sketch their ideas so they didn’t forget. In subsequent weeks the exercise was repeated using the prompt of a “place that matters to you” and finally “an object that matters to you.”