Our fourth-grade students have been diving into the world of personal narratives as part of our CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts) curriculum. Throughout the unit, we explored a variety of personal stories, gaining insight into how authors share meaningful experiences from their own lives. One of the highlights was reading excerpts from Peg Kehret’s powerful memoir The Year I Got Polio, which offered students a firsthand account of her childhood battle with the disease.
In connection with this reading, we discovered an interesting piece of history: the beloved board game Candyland was actually created by a woman who also had polio. She designed the game to help entertain children in hospitals who were recovering from the illness, much like Peg Kehret. This connection helped students understand how personal experiences can inspire creativity and bring comfort to others.
To celebrate the completion of our own personal narratives, we held a special classroom slumber party! Students wore cozy pajamas, shared the stories they worked so hard to write, played rounds of Candyland, and enjoyed chocolate milk together. It was a joyful and memorable day that celebrated not only their hard work as writers, but also the power of storytelling to connect and inspire.
