1. By Mrs. Copher’s Third Grade Class 2012-2013
Completed February 28, 2013
Inspired by the book, “In My Family”
by Carmen Lomas Garza

2. Click! Welcome to our snapshots
of special memories we cherish.
These original student produced artwork were created after
reading the mentor text, “In My Family”, by Carmen Lomas
Garza.
The author preserved her family memories, or “snapshots”,
for many years through her painting. Her work is filled with
color, characters, and action. They, by themselves, tell a
story.
She finally began a series of books, highlighting special
memories of her life with these original paintings, and
writing “captioned” or short, concise text to help the reader
focus on her memory. This short text was written in
English at the top, then translated to Spanish at the
bottom, to appeal to both audiences.

3. Enjoy…
These snapshots are our class version of preserving
special memories, or significant occasions that have
been turning points in our lives.
Please sit back and enjoy our version of original student
art stories and captioned text. This variety is
guaranteed to touch your heart.
So from our hearts to yours…Happy Reading!

4. About the Authors and Illustrators
These incredible Third Grade students have traveled
with me this year on an incredible writing adventure. I
have been a writer, just like them, using stories from my life
as “mentor” texts, or examples, from them to learn from.
As I conference with the students, I record different skill
areas that need a craft lesson on, then incorporate those
lessons into my daily writing with them. At the end of the
work time, we share with each other, but they also love to
give me suggestions, ask questions, make comments about
something unclear, etc. In turn, they are much better
partners and friends offering suggestions with each other.
We have all enjoyed writing more, realizing that we all have
so much to say, and so many different ways to say it.

5. Dedication
We dedicate this awesome book to all our families.
We may come from many different types of families,
but we all have family members who love us!

6. Aiden
In this picture, my family and I
are at the beach in Florida having a
vacation.
I am the boy that is snorkeling. My
mom is the lady sitting on the
sand. My dad is the guy that is
fishing and the dog trying to get
the fish is Luke.
Our family stayed there Friday,
Saturday , and Sunday. I had lots of
fun until we had to leave.

7. David R.
This is the day we were traveling to
my uncle’s house. I’m in the green
car.
He lives close by to us.
We are going to my Uncle Alfred’s
birthday party.
My family, his family, and his
friends were all there.
I just remember all the crooked
roads we went on to get there.

8. Gracee
My cousins that live pretty far
away, came to visit. We played
outside in my front yard. It was
good to see them.
Their names are Amy, Josh, Blake.
They stayed at my house an hour or
two, but then they had to go.
I was sad when they left because I
didn’t know when I would see
them again.

9. Anden
This Christmas was the best day
ever! I finally got a Wii game
system. I also got a Skylanders
Giants game, and I play it a lot.
I had to wait a long time to get a
Wii. I live with my grandparents,
and there is not much money. I
bet they really had to save their
money for a while, to buy it.
I have to be good at school and
home to keep the chance to play it.
I have to have good behavior and
self-control, or I don’t get to play it.

10. Austin
In this picture, I drew my 7th
birthday trip. I got to choose
anywhere I wanted to go, I
thought about it, and the told
them,
“Panama City Beach!”.
This was so special to me because
it was the first time I had ever been
to the beach.
That’s me putting up my coat . I
am wearing a blue shirt.
We ate lunch, then went to the p

11. Brandon
One Saturday, me and my family
went to the Pendergrass Flea
Market . We saw chickens, birds,
bunnies and puppies.
We went that day to see if there
was anything new to buy we
needed.
Then my dad asked if we wanted to
buy a puppy!
“YES!”., I yelled.
I picked a German Shepherd puppy
because that puppy was the one
that seemed to like me more.
So my dad bought him, we took
him home, and named him
Scooby.

12. David G.
I wanted this picture to be black and
white, because this is a Halloween
memory when I went to my first
haunted house. I wanted the things
that scared me to stand out, not be
hidden in color.
I was seven years old, and I was
wearing my black ninja costume. We
were in California, and it was a dark
and windy night. I was cold in my
costume.
When I went to the first house, I
knocked and knocked. Then the door
opened by itself, and the window
squeaked. I walked inside, and the
door automatically closed behind me.
I tried to find a way out, but all I
found were rooms filled with creepy
stuff. Then people dressed up like
zombies started chasing us, and I fell
into a hole and my candy fell onto the
ground. Then I saw the guy doing the
whole thing! He thought it was so
funny, but felt bad, so he gave us a
whole bag of candy.

13. Ethan D.
When I was five, my aunt had a
baby, and it was my cousin, Ben.
My whole family went to the
hospital to see the new Dyal
cousin.
My Aunt Sam was really tired, and
Uncle Buck was in the room with
her when we got there. You can see
her in the hospital bed, holding
the baby. We are all sitting around
her.
It was a happy day for all of us to
have a new cousin!

14. Isabel
This is the day we go to the funeral.
It all began a few days ago when my
dad called my mom. My
grandfather was dead.
My mom was so sad. We were all
sad. It was hard to get the funeral
stuff planned and ready for people
to come.
The day came…it was a long day.
We prayed,
“Lord, please protect and keep my
Grandfather now in heaven.

15. Ethan M.
When I was eight years old, I went
to Six Flags for the first time. It
took two hours to drive there. We
got to go because we had worked so
hard on our house, and at school,
and our mom decided it was time
to have some fun.
When I first got there, there were a
lot of people there, and I thought it
would be too crowded. Every thing
I could see looked humungous!
That why I drew everything big,
and my mom, brother and I small.
This was the best day of my life!
We had so much fun riding all the
roller coasters. My favorite was the
Mine Train. It has cool tunnels
that are dark you ride through.

16. Nathalie
This picture is about when my
whole family came from Mexico to
the U.S.A. to visit for 3 weeks. We
hadn’t seen them in a long time!
We went to the pool, which they
loved to do! So, we went down to
the pool, and there was a huge
black gate. We opened it, and
walked in. We set our things down
on the table, then we jumped into
the pool.
“AAAhhhh!”, we all said. The water
was cold, even though it was in the
afternoon, and we splashed each
other. After we swam around in it,
it got warmer, and we didn’t ever
want to get out. We knew it was
cold out there, and it was a windy
day. So this is a great snapshot of a
day I spent with my family who was
visiting us in America!

17. Jaquan
We went to the beach in 2012
because my dad wanted to do
something fun. That’s him, waving
his hands in the air under the wave.
This memory is so important to me
because it was such a special time.
My family isn’t all together
anymore, but I still get to visit him.
My brother, Jamarcuss, is surfing
on the yellow surfboard, and my
brother and I are watching him.
My little sister is watching from the
beach. When Jamarcuss jumped
off the surfboard, he hit me and
my dad on accident. I was trying to
swim away, but I was too late. We
rushed to the hospital. We asked, ,
“What happened?”
My big brother said, “You got hit
by a wave and it clobbered you!
That was our last visit as a family to
the beach!

18. Jeremiah
This is a birthday party – MINE!
It is my 9th birthday, and we went
to the lake for a picnic and a swim.
You can see my dad is swimming in
the lake (up top). We watched him
while we were still at the picnic
place. It had a roof.
That’s me in the light blue shirt.
My mom is tall and has on her
favorite yellow shirt. Elijah and
Harmony are there too!
This is my favorite birthday
memory, because I just love my
birthday.

19. Kaila
One Christmas morning, a couple
of years ago, I was the last one to
wake up! I looked at the presents
and I saw that one had my name
on it! Then I checked the other
presents, and they were all from
the same person. I went into the
living room and saw the other
people in my family near the
Christmas tree. They were waiting
for me, and had heard the my door
“squeek” , as I came out of it. They
smiled and laughed, and we
started opening presents.
I remember being the last one up
that day, because I had been sick,
and I didn’t want to get up! But, I
am glad I did!

20. Leno
When I was 7, I was jumping off
the roof of my house onto the
trampoline in our yard. My
brother and I were playing “OREO”.
That’s a game where you dare
someone to do something they are
scared of.
I had to do it three times!
I only got hurt once, on the metal
part of the trampoline on the
spring. It pinched my leg, and I
got a bruise.
We don’t play that game anymore
since I got hurt. It was probably
not a good idea to play this game.

21. Xiomaro
This is a wonderful day a couple of
years ago, when we went to Lake
Lanier. We decided to go because my
dad planned a big surprise for my
Grandma to go on a picnic at the lake.
My mom shouted at us,
“You’ve got to eat! Sandwiches are
ready!” , so we went and ate together.
After lunch, I found a sand pile and
my little sister and I made a sand
castle. I helped her a little.
Then, my brother wanted to play
games in the water about who could
swim the farthest. It was a tie a couple
of times. When it was time to leave,
we were tired, but we were so happy
from our day. We all fell asleep in the
car on the way home. My mom was
happy to have peace, when we got
home and went to sleep.

22. Thalia
This day was the best day of my
life. It was my dog’s birthday.
I got to plan the whole thing. So ,
we threw a birthday party for her.
On that day, we made a cake for
her. I got furious , because we
didn’t even get to sing her the song
before she had already taken a bite
out of it.
Look at her face! She’s got it all
over her face!
We cut the part out that she had
bit into, then sliced out the rest to
the people who were there. We
cleaned her up, and had a great
day!

23. Sady
This is the day, March 31, 2012,
when I went to Disney World in
Florida. I am the person with the
purple polka-dotted t-shirt and
shorts. My big brother has black
stripes, my mom has the dress with
pink hearts, and finally, my nana is
the one who is pulling all the
supplies that we need.
We went to Disney World because
it was my cousin’s birthday. My
Uncle Travis, Aunt Merdy, and my
cousin Hayden are on the train in
the same window.
Hayden is my favorite cousin, and I
would love her to death whether
we were in Florida or anywhere
else.

24. Mrs. Copher
This snapshot from my memory is
unique – a once in a lifetime event.
It’s true value is not seen in the
picture, but what lives on in our
hearts today.
This is the last time my entire family
was together…ever.
This is my wedding day. A beautiful
June morning, sunlight splashing
through the triangular glass around
the cross. Todd and I, bride and
groom, are so happy trying to record
every moment in our hearts. My
brother, Jim, is singing. Our parents
are sitting together on either side.
Todd’s brother, Jay, is Best Man. My
oldest brother Tom, is standing with
his hand on my sister’s shoulder. My
grandmother sits down the row.
Those three have hearts somewhere
near them, as they have passed away.
The other two women in the row are
sister in laws, each holding babies. I
knew my life was changing, but how
could I have realized this moment
would record a family moment in
time, unique in its own way to so
many.

25. Thank You
 Thanks to our parents and our families for having us.
 Thanks for helping me make snapshops, or memories.

26. Future Author Plans…
 Leno – “I want to write a story about my big brother,
Rober, when he was in college. I want to interview him
and find out what you have to do in college.”
 Xiomaro – “ I want to learn and write about more
famous people from my heritage, like Cesar Chavez.”
 Brandon – “I want to write a novel about a kid named
Jess, his dog, and their adventures.”
 Gracee-”I want to write about famous women who did
incredible things!”
 Isabel – “I want to write a story about my favorite
birthday,”

27. Future Author Plans cont…
 Anden – “I want to write a biography about my
grandfather.”
 Ethan – “I want to write about special family times,
happy and sad, in my life. I’d like to make a chapter
book with these.”
 Jeremiah – “I like writing stories about having fun!”
 Kaila – “ I want to write a non-fiction book for children
about archeologists.”
 David Guzman Perez – “I want to write an
autobiography about my life.”

28. Future Author Plans cont…
 Sady – “ I would write a biography about my best
friend, Xiomara.
 David R. – “I want to write a big book about all kinds
of birds.”
 Jaquan – “I would love to write a book about my
grandmother and grandfather who died before I was
born. I hear that they were really special.”
 Ethan M. – “I think it would be great to write a non-
fiction book about George Washington and some of
his friends.”

29. Future Author Plans cont…
 Aiden – “I want to write a fiction story about a great
white shark that attacks people in a small ocean
village.”
 Thalia – “I want to write about when I went to Panama
City.”
 Nathalie – “ I really want to learn to write poems.”
 Austin – “I want to write a biography about Michael
Jackson, the famous singer.”
 Mrs. Copher – “I am going to continue collecting
family stories and memories written down for my
family.”