Read the story Arthur’s Valentine by Marc Brown to the students. In the story, Arthur’s secret admirer leaves poems as clues for him. Using the candy kiss pattern with a poem, ask the students to write a clue for their special friend to help them guess who their secret admirer is. A sample poem could look like the following:
Roses are red, Violets are blue. Here is a clue, just for you. From your secret admirer, Guess Who!
Students can write their clue under the poem and secretly leave it for their special friend. The special friend can try to guess who their secret admirer is. Students can read their clue to the class and make their guess. The secret admirers can reveal themselves and the candy kisses can be displayed around the room. The candy kisses can later be made into a class book.
Owl Moon Winter Writing Possibilities
This winter writing responding to literature activity includes a crafty topper. Here’s what you need to get started.
Materials Needed:
1. The book, “Owl Moon” by Jane Yolen
2. Story book news print writing paper or paper with a blank space at the top
3. Topper pattern sets (5-6)
4. Pencils
5. Scissors
6. Glue Sticks
7. Markers, colored pencils, washable stamp pads or crayons
8. Sheets of brown and yellow construction paper or card stock
9. Baggies
Advance Prep:
Topper Pattern Sets
I trace the patterns on old file folders so the patterns are more rigid for the students while tracing. You could also copy them on card stock. I make 5-6 sets and put each set in a baggie. I put a set at each table for the students to start tracing.
Activity:
Read the story to the children. Following the story, pass out the writing paper and ask the students to write their favorite part, a “How to chart” for owling, or several facts about owls. When the writing is complete, model tracing the topper patterns on colored construction paper and or cutting them out. If you have copied them on white card stock, the students may want to color the pieces before cutting. Invite the students to think about the details they could draw on their owl. Ask several students to share their ideas. I model how I use finger prints and crayons or stamp pads to make the feathers. Once the owl is done, glue the pieces together attaching them to the moon, and place them in the blank space at the top of the writing paper. See the pictures above. Students can share their work and display it in the classroom.
David Goes To School Behavior Builder
On the first day of school read the book, “David Goes to School,” by David Shannon. This is a story about a boy who needs help making better choices at school. Talk to the students about ways they could help David have a better day. Lead the students to talk about how classroom rules would help. Talk to the students about writing classroom rules for their class that would help David.
Using sentence strips, take dictation from the students. Once the dictation is complete, review and revise the rules as needed. Attach the classroom rule strips to a white board, butcher paper or chart paper using tacky or tape so the strips can be moved if needed. Reread the rules and check for organization and comprehension. Invite the students to sign their name on the bottom of the graphic to show that they were co-authors of the classroom rules. Note, to be sure that there is enough space for all students to sign the graphic, be sure to show the students how big their signature should be before they begin to sign. Display the graphic in the classroom and review the rules daily at the beginning of the year and when new students join the class.
The Letters Are Lost
In advance label things around the classroom using 3X5 index cards. Make 26 blank letter block pages on sheets of copy paper for masters. Using the master set, make two additional sets for activities. Spread one set of papers out on the floor or on a table. Set the wooden blocks out around the room by things with labels of words that start with the appropriate letter sound.
Read the story “The Letters Are Lost”, by Lisa Campbell Earnst. After the story, show the students the empty letter box or tray. Tell them the letters are lost in the classroom. Invite several students at a time to look for a block in one area of the classroom. Release more groups to different areas of the classroom over several minutes. Ask them to think about what the block might be doing there. You might want to model one first. Once they have a letter block, they need to go to the floor or table and find the corresponding letter page. With the block and matching paper, students can return to their seat and think of a simple sentence like, “B was reading a book.” or “P was painting a picture”. The teacher can write the sentence at the bottom of the page modeling the story pattern for emergent writers. Independent writers can complete their own sentence. Using markers, ask the students to draw a picture that matches their words. When the pages are complete, ask the students to share their work. Collect the pages and make a class book. If the alphabet is not complete, students who finish early can do another page. If the class is larger, students can do multiple pages so that all students participate. Students can circle their letter in the words of their sentence. Include all pages in the book. Put the book in your classroom library. Students can return the wooden blocks back to the box or tray.
Going Buggy, A Lesson in Voice
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Spring is here and this is a perfect time to write about bugs. The book, “Bug Safari” by Bob Barner”, is a story about a child trying to find the way back to base camp by following a string of ants. The trip includes a variety of other insects the child encounters on the way. At the end of the book there is a paragraph about each of the different bugs. After reading the story, I tell the students that they are going to write an imaginative story from a bugs point of view. I ask the students to think about what bug they would like to be. I ask them to think about things their bug would do and say. I invite several children to give some examples. Students might begin by saying things like, “I am a ladybug and my name is spot.” or “I am a bee and I have an important job”. Sharing ideas helps the students to focus on the bug point of view. It helps them to write like they are the bug, not to write about a bug. This activity provides an opportunity to introduce or practice the trait of voice.
I purchased a bag of foam bugs from the craft section of the dollar store. The bugs came in different sizes and colors. The students took one to match the bug they selected. Each bug has a sticky back that they will be able to attach to their illustration when they have finished writing. I have found that a tangible object, like the foam bug, provides motivation to write for many students. Once the students have completed the writing process and the illustration, they trace their work with a black fine line marker. This shows that the work is done. The students share their stories with the class and display them for all to see. The photo above shows the display.
Clouds, Fact And Fiction Paired Texts
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During a unit on weather, I read several books on clouds. The first book was “The Cloud Book”, by Tomie dePaola This book presents facts about clouds and other interesting cloud information. The second book was “Little Cloud”, by Eric Carle. This is an interesting presentation on cloud formations and your imagination. These paired texts provide information and inspiration for a creative, expository or combination writing assignment. I have also taken the students outside on a cloudy day to look for familiar images in the sky.
In the photo above, you will see a response to literature writing activity that was linked to both texts. Students were given a small square of blue construction paper and some white paint. In the middle of the blue square, the students put a dab of white paint and fold the square in half pressing the painted area together. Next the square is opened so that the paint can dry. Students look at the cloud image for their motivation to write. They can write about what the cloud reminds them of or an informational piece on the type of cloud it is. While the cloud is drying, the students write. When the clouds are dry, the students cut them out and attach them to their writing. The students share their writing with the class and the papers are displayed for all to see.
Pop Over Toppers For Expository Writing
With the shift to fifty percent nonfiction reading in the primary grades, students will be reading and responding to more nonfiction texts. Pop over toppers can make for an interesting presentation as well as motivate students to write. The two samples in this post are part of an ocean theme. Once students have read about an ocean creature, they can respond to a series of sentence frames or write several expository paragraphs about their creature. Once the writing has completed the process, students can create a topper. The shark topper is 3-D because of the tabs. Attaching the pieces to the paper and folding up on the tabs gives the shark movement. The students can add ocean elements and a shark label in the space in the middle of the topper to enhance the presentation.
The second topper is the octopus. This topper can attach to the page or pop over the space as pictured. Students can use stamp pads and fingerprints to make the details on the tentacles. The patterns for both creatures can be made on old file folders so the students can trace them on colored construction paper, add details with labels, cut out and attach to their writing. Students can share their writing and display their reports. A variety of creature toppers and reports makes an attractive and interesting presentation.
Penguin Families Nonfiction Reader’s Theater
Writing a group reader’s theater with facts from nonfiction text is a great way for students to build fluency while increasing retention through repeated practice. After reading the book, Plenty of Penguins by Sonia W. Black, the students brainstormed a list of fact phrases and characters for the reader’s theater script. The phrases are grouped by topics. Once the characters are decided, the factual phrases are sorted by things each character might say. When the characters and phrases appear to be in an order that is meaningful, it becomes the script. Students practice the script and make any necessary adjustments. Once the script is done, the teacher publishes the script by making a copy for each character. Characters can select a different colored highlighter and highlight their part on their copy. You will need a different color highlighter for each character. The reader’s theater below is a sample of what the finished product looks like.
Penguin Families
Characters:
Narrator
Mother Penguin 1
Father Penguin 1
Chick 1
Chick 2
Mother Penguin 2
Father Penguin 2
Narrator: Penguins live in many places by the sea.
Mother Penguin 1: We are birds that do not fly.
Father Penguin 1: We hop, waddle, slide, dive, and swim.
Narrator: Penguins can be big or small.
Mother Penguin 2: We are black and white. Some of us have color, spots, and stripes.
Father Penguin 2: We live in colonies also called rookeries.
Narrator: Penguins eat fish, squid, and krill. They fear whales and leopard seals.
Mother Penguin 1: We make nests with rocks, and our body.
Father Penguin 1: Mother penguins lay 1 or 2 eggs.
Mother & Father Penguin 2: We take turns sitting on the nest to keep the eggs safe and warm.
Narrator: Baby penguins are called chicks.
Chick 1: I am gray and fluffy.
Chick 2: I am hungry after I hatch.
Chick 1: My mom brings me food.
Chick 2: My dad stays to keep me safe and warm.
Chicks 1&2: We grow up and live in a colony by the sea.
The End
To involve more students you can have separate narrators by numbering each part from 1-4. Students can make slip on penguin wings and a penguin headband to wear when reading the script. This is also a good way to practice content vocabulary in context.
Bats, Linking Vocabulary To Music
A good way to help students to remember content specific vocabulary is to put it in a song. I like to make up songs to popular tunes using nonfiction themes and content specific vocabulary. After reading the book “Bats” by Lily Wood, I talk about nonfiction text features. The students review the bolded vocabulary in the glossary during repeated readings. Next we pick a tune and begin choosing vocabulary to make the lyrics. We also brainstorm a list of facts we learned.
Below is “The Bat Song”, sung to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”.
Bats, Bats, Bats eat bugs
Bats eat bugs all night
Bats, Bats, Bats eat bugs that fly around the light.
Bats, Bats, roost all day
Near caves, barns, or bridges
Bats hang upside down from things with lots of ridges.
Bats, Bats, Bats, are mammals
Even though they fly
Bats use Echolocation to navigate the sky.
Bats, Bats, Bats, migrate
Bats migrate when it’s cold
Other bats will hibernate, both the young and old.
Never ever touch a bat
Especially one on the ground
Healthy bats will always be flying all around.
After singing the song several times, students can think of some hand motions to do when they sing. Students can trace and cut out bat wings from black construction paper. They can add two small strips of paper on the bottom of each wing. The strips should make a loop for the students to slide their arms in. Be sure to lay the wings out, so students are sure to have a right and left wing going the proper way. Next, the student can make a headband with two bat ears. Once the wings and headbands are complete, students can perform the movements as they sing. The song puts the vocabulary in context and the tune helps the students to remember the vocabulary and facts through the repetition of the music and movement.
Alphabet Flip Book for Corduroy Goes To School
This story, written by Don Freeman, has a lift the flap presentation children love. The story follows the activities of the main character, Corduroy, during his school day. The reader will find multiple hidden surprises under flaps on every page. The flaps are similar to a one page flip hook. The photo shows an alphabet flip book for the letter Bb.
After the story, students can brainstorm a list of things that start with the letter of the day or week. Using the list or their own idea, students can make a one page flip book for the letter to incorporate the lift the flap strategy presented in the text. To make a flip book you will need half a sheet of colored construction paper or card stock. Fold the half sheet in half again. Place the fold at the top so the open ends are on the bottom. On the top page write the letter of the day. Students can draw a picture on the inside of something that starts with the letter and label it. Students could also cut a picture from a magazine that starts with the letter, glue it inside and label it. At circle time, the students can share their flip books and post them on the board. This could become a repeating center each week for the new letter.