Grade by Grade
D. Composition · Writing Our Ideas

Writing About Me: Recounts and Descriptions

D2.1 D2.3 D2.4About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can write a recount that tells what happened to me, in order.
  • I can write a description using words for what I see, hear, smell, taste and feel.
  • I can use the word I when I write about myself.
  • I can show my feelings in my writing.

Words to know

recount
Writing that tells about something that really happened to you, in order. It is also called a personal narrative.
description
Writing that tells what something is like, so the reader can picture it.
describing word
A word that tells more about something, like soft, cold, shiny or loud.
first person
Writing that uses I, me, my and we, because the writer is telling about themselves.
voice
How your writing sounds like you, with your own thoughts and feelings.

Tell me what happened!

You tell people what happened to you all the time: "Guess what I did at recess!" When you write it down, it is called a recount (or personal narrative).

A recount:

  • tells about something that really happened to you
  • uses I, me, my and we (this is first person)
  • tells events in order: first, next, then, last
  • tells how you felt

Model recount: Our Trip to the Sugar Bush

Last Saturday, my family went to a sugar bush. First, we walked through the snowy woods. I saw buckets hanging on the maple trees.

Next, a helper showed us how sap drips into the buckets. Then we went to the sugar shack. It was warm and smelled sweet inside.

Last, we ate pancakes with maple syrup. It was the best day ever! I want to go back next spring.

Metal sap buckets hanging on maple trees in snowy woods, with a steaming wooden sugar shack behind.
This is a sugar bush like the one in the model recount. Can you find the buckets and the sugar shack the writer talks about? AI-generated image
Firstwalked in the woodsNextsaw sap dripThenthe sugar shackLastate pancakesdrip!
The sugar bush recount tells four events in order: first, next, then, last.
Part of the recountIn the model
Who, when, where (the start)My family, last Saturday, a sugar bush
Events in orderwalked in the woods → saw how sap drips → sugar shack → ate pancakes
Order wordsFirst, Next, Then, Last
Feelings (voice)"It was the best day ever!"
Ending"I want to go back next spring."
What makes a good recount
Worked example

Let's write a recount together

Write a short recount about building a snowman.

  1. Start with who, when and where: Yesterday, my brother and I played in our backyard.
  2. First: First, we rolled a big ball of snow.
  3. Next/Then: Next, we rolled two smaller balls and stacked them. Then we gave him a carrot nose.
  4. Feeling and ending: Last, we named him Frosty Joe. I felt proud of our snowman!

Yesterday, my brother and I played in our backyard. First, we rolled a big ball of snow. Next, we rolled two smaller balls and stacked them. Then we gave him a carrot nose. Last, we named him Frosty Joe. I felt proud of our snowman!

Describing: help your reader picture it

A description tells what something is like. Use your five senses to find describing words.

SenseAsk yourselfWords for a campfire
👀 SeeWhat does it look like?orange, flickering, bright
👂 HearWhat does it sound like?crackle, pop
👃 SmellWhat does it smell like?smoky
👅 TasteWhat does it taste like?(toasted marshmallows) sweet, gooey
✋ FeelWhat does it feel like?warm, hot
Five senses help you describe
campfireSeeorange, flickering,brightHearcrackle, popSmellsmokyFeelwarm, hotTaste (marshmallows)sweet, gooey
A five-senses web for a campfire. Each sense gives you different describing words.
Worked example

Let's make a sentence more descriptive

Make this sentence better: I have a cat.

  1. See: What does the cat look like? grey, fluffy.
  2. Feel: What does it feel like? soft.
  3. Hear: What sound does it make? purrs.
  4. Put it together, using my voice: I have a fluffy grey cat. She feels soft, and she purrs when I pet her. I love her so much!

I have a fluffy grey cat. She feels soft, and she purrs when I pet her. I love her so much!

Funny but true

It takes about 40 litres of maple sap to make just 1 litre of maple syrup! 🍁 That's a LOT of drips for one pancake breakfast.

Use your voice

Your writing should sound like you! Tell what you think and feel: "I was so nervous!", "It was the yummiest pie", "I laughed so hard." That is your voice.

Hands-on activity

Mystery bag description

You need: a bag or pillowcase and a few things from home (a mitten, a pine cone, an orange, a spoon).

  1. A grown-up puts one thing in the bag secretly.
  2. Reach in without looking. Say describing words for how it feels: bumpy, smooth, soft, cold.
  3. Take it out. Add words for how it looks, smells and sounds.
  4. Write 2 or 3 sentences describing it, using I and your feelings: I feel something bumpy and hard. It smells like a forest. I think it is a pine cone!

Bonus: Write a recount of something you did this week. Use First, Next, Then, Last.

Your turn

1

What is a recount?

2

In the model recount, where did the family go?

3

Find a sentence in the model that shows the writer's feelings.

4

Write a first sentence for a recount about your last birthday. Tell who, when and where.

5

Give three describing words for snow.

6

Which sense would you use to describe a fire alarm?

7

Change this to first person: Ella went skating.

More practice: warm-up

1

What words do you use in first person?

2

Name the five senses.

3

Is soft a describing word?

4

What order words help in a recount?

5

What did the family eat at the end of the sugar bush trip?

More practice: on your own

1

Make this more descriptive: I ate an apple.

2

This recount is out of order: Then I opened my presents. First, my friends came to my party. Last, we ate cake. Fix it.

3

Add a feeling to this sentence: I lost my first tooth.

4

Which is a recount: I went to the dentist yesterday. or Dentists help keep teeth healthy.?

5

Describe your kitchen using two senses.

Challenge

1

Write a 4-sentence recount about a time you were surprised. Use order words and a feeling.

2

Who is telling the story in a recount? How do you know?

3

Make The dog was big better by using at least three senses.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

A recount tells about…

2.

Which sentence is in first person?

3.

Which is a describing word?

4.

Which sense goes with crackle?

5.

Which sentence shows the writer's feelings?

6.

Which order word should start a recount's first event?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 1 writers draft short personal narratives (recounts) and simple descriptions, use their own voice to share thoughts and feelings, and recognize that they are writing in the first person.

How to help at home:

  • Talk before writing: "Tell me what happened, from the start." Then help them write it down.
  • Do the five senses on walks: "What can you hear? Smell?"
  • Accept invented spelling in early drafts (for example skool for school). Ideas and sentences matter most in a first draft.

Common difficulties:

  • "I went to the park. It was fun. The end." Ask questions to add detail: "What did you do first? Who was with you? How did you feel?"
  • Lists of "and then… and then…" Show how to use different order words and end sentences with periods.
  • Mixing I and he/she. Read the work aloud together and listen for the switch.