"The following story written by a grade 2/3 student in October demonstrates an understanding of engagement, richness of word pictures, emotions and feelings."

Sharpening Knives by Coleman

Jonathan's job was to sharpen knives. He would sharpen the axe blades, the hunting knives and the knives his mom used to carve the meat and vegetables. On hot days Jonathan would go out to the veranda and stand in front of their sharpening stone. It was a large round chunk of stone shaped into a circle. It was placed in a wooden frame with iron bars to attach the pieces. This was an old, important family tool that was brought with them when the moved from Maine.

As Jonathan would stand in front of this heirloom he would think about how poor his family was. As he looked carefully down at the sharpener an idea came to his mind. He thought about how he could make knife sharpener to sell to his neighbors. His uncle and his dad could help him shape and cut the medal. Another uncle could help him carve the stone with his larger knives. In this way the family could work together to make something that his neighbors could use and they could have more money for their own needs.