Ankara Elementary High School students travel near and far with Flat Stanley
ANKARA, Türkiye – First-grade students at Ankara Elementary High School turned Memorial Day weekend into a memorable literacy adventure by taking part in a beloved classroom project featuring Flat Stanley. Through this engaging activity, students extended their learning beyond the classroom while strengthening their narrative writing skills in meaningful and creative ways.
As part of the schoolwide focus on developing readable writing in English Language Arts (ELA), first graders are working toward a SMART goal to improve narrative writing. Students are learning to clearly recount events in sequence, use temporal words, add descriptive details, and provide a sense of closure in their stories. The Flat Stanley project has proven to be an effective and exciting way to support this goal.
After reading about Flat Stanley, students were invited to take their own paper companion along on their Memorial Day adventures. Whether traveling near or far, each student documented their experiences, preparing to write narratives that connect their real-life experiences to the text. By doing so, they are learning to make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections—an essential component of early literacy development.
Many students explored their local communities by visiting parks, spending time with family, or going to the movies. Others ventured farther, broadening their experiences and perspectives. One student, Dean, brought Flat Stanley along on a family trip to Bolu, Türkiye. During the visit, Dean explored the forest, enjoyed meals with loved ones, and stayed in a cozy cabin. He also read Flat Stanley: Ready for Adventure with his mother, deepening his connection to both the story and his own adventure. This experience allowed Dean to make a meaningful text-to-self connection, bringing learning to life in a personal way.
In another unique experience, Farida took Flat Stanley to the Embassy of Tajikistan. During her visit, she explored the embassy and learned about the role it plays in connecting people and countries. This special opportunity helped Farida form a strong text-to-world connection, linking the story she read in class to a real-world setting and cultural experience.
Even teachers joined the fun. First-grade teacher, Ms. Cindy Weaver, brought Flat Stanley along on her own travels to Uzbekistan, where Stanley “visited” notable sites such as the historic Hotel Uzbekistan and Magic City Theme Park. By participating alongside her students, Ms. Weaver demonstrated that storytelling and learning can take place anywhere in the world and at any age.
Using the DoWEA Grade 1 Narrative Writing Rubric, students will now transform their adventures into structured narratives. They will focus on organizing their ideas, strengthening details, sequencing events logically, and creating clear, readable stories. Through this process, students are building confidence as writers while deepening their understanding of how stories connect to their lives and the world around them.
The Flat Stanley project has shown Ankara Elementary’s first graders that reading and writing extend far beyond books and classrooms. With creativity, exploration, and meaningful experiences, students are discovering that every adventure is a story worth telling.
