Getting kid motivated to write, especially 1st graders, can be the trickiest part of the writing process. Learn 6 effective ways to motivate!
Hi, friends! For the past decade, I have continually reminded students to label their pictures, stretch out the words, make finger spaces, begin with a
We are making our way through the writing process and have come to the two trickiest parts- revising & editing. It always seems to hard to differentiate between the two-- during revising, I always see kids working on spelling or capital letters and the chance to really delve in and work on description and sensory details is lost. I came across some great help on Pinterest (of course!) and wanted to share my Revising (ARMS) and Editing (COPS) anchor charts with you: Analyze & Revise: Note: I didn't draw the cute guy, he's from Microsoft Clipart :) I also added the marks on the right-hand side so kids knew what to do to add (use the carrot), remove (cross off) or move (circle and use an arrow) a word or sentence in their piece. By the way, dead vs. alive words is SUCH a fun way to teach boring vs. exciting words. My boys, especially, LOVE to act out the fact that "said is dead" and hey, if that gets them to revise, I am willing to let them do it ;) Editing & Proofreading: Note: This guy is from Microsoft Clipart, too. I have also seen this done with "CUPS" where U=Usage, but that was a bit over my third-graders' heads, so I stuck with COPS and can now act like the Punctuation/Spelling/Capitalization Police if I want ;) We have a district-given "High Frequency Word List" for third grade that we use (it comes from Rebecca Sitton's 1200 High Frequency Word List). I also encourage kids to use their "best effort" spelling, especially on this first piece. As long as it's not on their High Frequency List (I have them glue that to the inside cover of their Writer's Notebooks at the beginning of the year for reference), it can be their best try and I'm ok with that. This also keeps my reluctant writers and strugglers from looking in the dictionary for one word for...the....entire.....writing...........period.... ;) And a great COPS display (that uses my favorite Scrappin' Doodles clipart!) can be found at The Eager Teacher- cuteness! What do you do to teach the difference between revising and editing?
It's week three! Week three involves the next step of the writing process, the story elements, and hopefully your little learners are getting closer to writing a story! Continue With Mentor Texts I mentioned mentor texts in my last post about prewriting planning. I continue using mentor texts at this point in the writing process.
Use these free Writing Folders and freebies to give your writers support during their independent writing time. Find all our FREE Writing Printables HERE. If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, you can download all the printables that go with it for FREE! Not a subscriber? Simply subscribe HERE! NOTE: If you are already a ... Read More about Writing Folders – for K-5 Learners
Add some color and inspiration with classroom posters. Here are 27 free classroom posters sets for and grade level! These instant download poster sets cover inspirational quotes,
Since I can’t get into my classroom for another two weeks, and I know many of you are already in yours getting different areas set up, I t...
Using writing folders saved my writing block. It's so frustrating (for me and the students) to be in the middle of a writing project, only to have a student say, "I can't find my paper." Writing folders have helped us all stay on track and organized! In late summer, as soon as Walmart and Target stock their Back-to-School aisle I look for their specials on pocket folders. I can usually find them priced at 10 for $1. That's when I put my writing folders together. They are a super handy way for students to keep their writing projects organized. Putting two folders together gives you 4 pockets, which is perfect for the steps in the writing project. What I love the most about these folders is they are so easy for the students to use. Whether they're working on their pre-writing with graphic organizers, drawing a picture, or working with a partner during the revising stage, they can store all of the pages they need in a writing folder. The pockets hold everything they need as they work through the writing process. The first pocket holds the writing prompt, organizers, sketches, or anything else they need to begin planning their writing piece. The second pocket holds the pages they use for writing the first draft of their writing. This pocket can also hold any notes or special instructions they need for a particular writing assignment. As they move through each step of the process they move their paper to the next pocket. The center of the folder (between pocket 2 and 3) is a great place to affix any writing tips or lists the writer may need. I like to include characteristics of the traits of good writing, along with common synonyms and homophone lists. The third pocket is where students keep their writing as they work on revising and editing. The pocket can hold any checklists the writer needs as they work on improving their writing. The fourth and final pocket will hold whatever the student needs as they work on publishing their piece of writing. After the final copy is finished, either rewritten by hand or printed from a computer, it can be placed in this pocket. The students turn in their entire folder when it's ready to be evaluated. It's nice to see all of the parts of the writing process as you evaluate their final writing. Once this writing project is completed, the pieces of work for this writing process can be stapled together. It's a great way for students to see how their writing grew and improved throughout the writing process. This completed packet can be kept in a portfolio until the end of the year. The folders can be stored in a box or basket. Storing the student writing folders in a central location makes it convenient for both students and the teacher. I often look through the folders to check on a student's progress. One of the best things about these folders is fewer students mysteriously lose their papers through the writing process. Making the Writing Folders To make the writing folder you need: 2 pocket folders without the center prongs. long-arm stapler pocket labels for Pre-writing, Drafting, Revising/Editing, and Publishing. Optional for the center, writer's tips and word lists Open the folders and put them together with the pockets facing each other. Staple along the fold, from the outside folder. That way, the staple ends will be on the inside of the finished folder. The folder should open up so you see two pockets, then the blank center section, and finally, two more pockets. Now you can add a cover, the pocket labels. The blank center section is a great place to add any word lists or writer's tips your students might need. These references are handy for your students to use all year. Another option is to laminate the pocket folders before you staple them together. If you choose to do this, make sure you add the labels, cover, and writer's tips and lists before you laminate. After you laminate them, staple the two folders together. You may be able to use the laminated folders for two or three years. The printable labels, tips, lists, and folder covers are included in my Writer's Folder and Checklists resource. It has lots of choices for the cover, plus checklists your writers can use when they're revising and editing their work.
How to writing is one of my favorite writing units to teach. My students just get it and they enjoy writing many, many pieces! Maybe it’s because my students think they know how to do everyyyytthiinngggg. 😉 If your students are like mine, let them run with the idea that they know it ALL and have […]
Here are some developmental writing rubrics and standards or expectations-based rubrics for kindergarten teachers.
Are you looking for Writing lesson or bulletin board ideas? These no prep writing crafts are ideal for your literacy lessons!
Learn how to start effectively using mentor texts for writer's workshop to help boost all of your kindergarten, first garde, and second grade students.
Got a reluctant writer on your hands? Adding some silliness can be a great way to liven things up and increase your child's interest in writing. Try this free, printable writing activity today and get ready to laugh!
Field Trip Exhaustion {freebie}
We are 14 days into school (woohoo) and I wanted to share some of the ways I’m supporting my very-beginning writers. One of the best parts of 1st grade is seeing the amazing growth students make in 9 short months. They enter writing single sentences (sometimes single words) and leave writing cohesive paragraphs – it’s...
These sentence sticks are great for quick reading and writing practice. Grab the free download and you'll be ready to go in just a few minutes.
These writing mini-lessons for the ENTIRE YEAR take the guesswork out of what to teach each day in writing each day.
We've all got struggling writers, especially after spending so much time online. There can be a variety of different reasons why your first grade students are struggling with writing. They might be lacking confidence in their alphabet and/or writing ability, lack inspiration, or are not interested in writing altogether.
Are you looking for a tool that will help your kindergarten and 1st grade students become independent writers during writers workshop? Your students will love using these folders as a writing office during their writing time when they need additional support with the writing process, alphabet, and s...
Objective: Students will be able to create alliterations based on the poem “Bleezer’s Ice Cream” By Jack Prelutsky. Vocabulary: Alliteration Time: Approximately 1 hour and 30 minu…
Because of last year's success and growth of my firsties in writing, Writer's Workshop has become the favorite part of my day. We have WW first thing to kick start our day. It's a calming way to get our brains started thinking. Here is the WW schedule we typically follow: 1) Mini-Lesson 2) Lights off, music on, silent writing time 3) Turn in time 4) Share time Here's some examples of introductory mini-lessons we have had. Completing a heart map: We use this to house all of our ideas. Each time students are stuck on what to write about, I have them pull this out for reference. Click on the picture above for your FREE heart map! Choosing a Topic and Starting: Using my heart map, I model how to choose a topic. We follow Lucy Caulkins writing curriculum so the steps I teach for writing follow her advice. 1) Draw your pictures 2) Write your words 3) Go back and add details to pictures and words 4) Color The posters are a reminder of what steps to take when completing a writing piece. Starting next week, I am introducing how to have a "writer's eye" and will refer to these posters also. Our first week of WW was very successful. I had every student engaged in their writing and each turned in at least one piece or more. Here's a look at where some of my students are at in their writing. The top picture is one of my low babies and the bottom one of my high babies. Looks like some of us (and this teacher) have a lot of work to do!
The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless exp…
If you need additional resources for opinion writing, I created a planning sheet and writing paper that can be used for any opinion piece t...
5 Reasons Why YOur First Graders Should Write Daily
Ideas to launch Writing Workshop in the classroom! Writing workshop printables, organization and activities to teach the Writing Process.
These Math Manipulative Labels are a LIFE SAVER when it comes to organization. I finally feel like my students are putting things away wher...
Put writing tools at your elementary student's fingertips with theses Writer's Offices!
{News from Mrs. Knight's First Grade Classroom}
A collaborative blog where two friends share great ideas, activities, and resources about teaching, coaching, and tutoring in the primary grades!
Congratulations! You’ve taken the first big step toward writing a novel: you started. You’ve got an idea burning in the back of your brain, you’ve got characters itching to leap into existence, you…
One of the things I will be working on a lot during reader's workshop time in the next couple months is story mapping. My students do a gre...
A collection of differentiated story writing ideas, tips and free templates to encourage and support emergent writers in the primary classroom.
It's Sunday evening, which means people all over the world are sad because tomorrow is Monday. Don't get me wrong. I <3 my job, my classroom, and my
