This was a lesson on applying the methods of 6-trait writing by showing students a simple, unadorned but complete sentence.

Example: "I went for a walk."

I asked students to think about questions a sentence like this creates in their minds such as:

• Where did you go? • Were you alone? • Why did you go on this walk? • What did you see or do on this walk? • When did you go? • Did you come back? Among whatever other questions they can ask themselves.

Then the students would answer some (around two) questions in the form of a more detailed sentence with the original sentence included. For instance, when I modeled this sentence I came up with (with the help of some students) I went for a walk in the park with my dog and we saw a cat.

Students then followed those steps with other "base sentences" and inserted more detail.

This lesson was interesting for the students as it allowed for individual creativity and developed their ability to communicate with more powerful sentences. I allowed the students to be as creative as possible so they would have a good time imagining their interesting sentences. Most students followed the steps well and some even wrote their own sentences using the methods I taught. I only had them expand eight sentences which I wrote on the board. I also wrote some of the questions they should ask themselves to make their sentences more interesting. Some of those students who did not understand the lesson completely were just answering all of my recommended questions as if that were the lesson. When I asked them to repeat the steps I modeled for them (for fifteen minutes) they were not able to so I modeled the steps for them on a one-to-one basis. After that, they were able to do the assignment.