Parents can use printable Thanksgiving stories as educational and interactive tools, allowing children to develop comprehension skills and understand the significance of gratitude..

Find resources for teaching story elements to kindergarten, first, second, and third grade students including books and hands-on activities.

Story elements can be a blast for kids with these free graphic organizers and worksheets for character, setting, and plot.

Okay--I think I have admitted this before but here I go again, I dislike teaching writing. {Gasp!} I know, shame on me. Such an important part of a day in the life of a first grader. I'm contributing my dislike of writing to not be such a great writer myself growing up. One of my .unstated. resolution's was to become a better writing teacher. Well, let me tell you...this week I have jumped right in! Seems like I just hadn't found a way(in the past) that fit me or my students. While I was going through my writing folder desperately searching for ideas, I found a sheet that gave me inspiration and my writing lessons were brought to fruition! We started off this week talking about "story starters" and how important it was to catch your readers attention in the first sentence or two of your story. The anchor chart *fanatic* that I am made this: Here are the books I used that had great beginnings to show examples of interesting ways to start a story. The next day we picked a character to write our story about and described it using my 'Describe a Snowman' bubble map. I told them I wanted them to use their imagination and be creative. I showed them a few different type of snowmen (from clipart I found) to get their little wheels spinning. Their creativity came to life and describing is what they did! Our next step was to talk about the parts of a story: beginning, middle, end. We discussed these concepts: Beginning=story starter, character and setting introduction. Middle=give your character a problem. Ending=solve the problem and end the story. They caught onto this SOOOOO much better than I ever imagined! I created a worksheet for them to record their thoughts. After completion, we talked about the AND Disease! They thought this was HILARIOUS!!! I wrote and example of something like this on the board: When I read it they {laughed and laughed and laughed}! They thought I was crazy for using the word AND so many times. They were surprised when I told them that --they-- were actually the ones who were consumed by this disease! I had them go back and edit their papers for the "and disease", capitalization and puncuation. Our final day of writing consisted of completing our final draft. I had them transfer their edited writing and complete it by drawing a picture. I was in ~AWE~ after reading most of their stories....had I really taught them step by step with my own ideas!? Heck yes, I felt like I had hit the jackpot!! We will be at it again this week creating a penguin story to go along with our penguin unit! I'm hoping the process will be a little bit more independent (fingers-crossed)! This teacher is all smiles : ) P.S. If you made it this far, you can click on all the above templates and pick them up in my TpT store for FREE!

Have you ever had the vibes of your story figured out but no plot? This post gives you an easy process to find out what actually happens in yor novel

The best first impression you can make on a reader is a compelling first line hook. Learn how to write the best one for your book!

I'm linking up with Jivey for this week's Workshop Wednesday: Response to Literature! When I take reading groups, we spend a lot of time discussing the story (as much discussing a first grader can handle anyway!). I always remind them what good readers do and I model it for them. For example, I'll say a good reader thinks about what the author wanted us to learn by reading this story. Then I'll pick a story we've previously read and have say I think so and so wanted us to learn blah, blah. After, I ask the kids to think back and see what the story we're working on is about. I do this for setting, main idea, pretty much everything! I also have a little graphic organizer flip chart that I use in my groups. It's part of our Reading Street reading program and can be written on with Expo markers. It has a page for character, plot, beginning, middle and end of a story, and lots more. Many times, I will use these for the kids to show their understanding of the characters, setting, and the stories problem. They especially love the part where they have to answer how they would solve the problem in the story. :) My kids do a lot of written responses in their writing journals as well. Often times, I'll give them a sentence or question to get the started. For example, our first unit is about pets, so their journal prompts may be about how they would take care of a pet, their favorite type of pet, or if they could have any pet, what would it be....things that activate prior knowledge or make them think a little more about the topics we are reading about. :) How do your kids respond to literature? :) One more thing before I take a break for dinner!! Here's a little something special I made for my classroom this weekend! I found the idea on Pinterest (surprise, surprise!). I think it came out pretty good!! I brought it to school on Monday and my kids absolutely LOVED it!! Lately they've been feeling sad because I've been doing special "second grade" things with them and they don't want to leave first grade. I don't want them to go either! But I told them whenever they're feeling sad, they can look at this and remember what a super bunch of friends they have! :) Happy Wednesday!

These methods of outlining will help you create a novel outline that makes writing your first draft a breeze, whether it's your 1st or 10th time writing a book.

So close.. ough! 12 Poses Unisex Teleporter anywhere - x2 Download: patreon; free | sfs If you appreciate my poses, please consider donating to my Ko-fi ☕🌿

This social story is designed to help children understand that it's okay not to be first all the time and that taking turns is an important part of being fair and kind. It explains why it's important to let others go first sometimes and helps children cope with the emotions they may feel when they'r...

Looking for an introductory First Grade Self Control Activity? Your students will love this fun story and craft for practice!

Here are three retelling strategies you can take and use in your classroom right away. Head on over to the post to grab the activities.

We started teaching the 4 year old class at our church this past week. They are sweetest and silliest group of kiddos. I love this age group. We hear all sorts of stories (good ones...it's church!). My favorite part is when they tell me all they know about our topic each week. They always surprise

Hello Everyone! I almost forgot to post one other thing. I have had a ton of questions and e-mails about my story retelling rope that I posted on last year.You can read about that here! :) I have been doing retelling ropes for a long time. Does anybody remember "Project Read?" The author of that amazing curriculum was my inspiration for this way of teaching kids about the parts of a story and extending that into retelling. "Retelling" is an important component of discriminating comprehension in our beginning readers. Making it hands on is important to me! Kids almost always cement learning better when they can incorporate as many senses as possible. I took some time to redo my retelling rope icons, my retelling poem, made some little posters about the parts of a story, and redid my anchor chart. Here are some pics of what this little unit includes. Here are some pics of finished products, anchor chart and student retelling rope. For your free mini unit on retelling grab the rope and click here! I hope this helps with your lessons on retelling!! Hold on and have fun!! Joyfully! Nancy

Have you ever had the vibes of your story figured out but no plot? This post gives you an easy process to find out what actually happens in yor novel

New love, first love, first moves to make your lover known you like them... 'subtly yours’ 8 poses for your walking couples declaring their love subtly ♥ DOWNLOAD (SFS) DOWNLOAD (Patreon) (always…

Someone pinch me….tomorrow is really the Friday before Thanksgiving break! It always seems like if you can make it through September and October you are in the home stretch! This week we worked on story booklets! I did these the same time last year and my kids did very well. We talked a lot about...

Have you struggled with guided reading in your classroom? Do you teach whole group, small group, or a combination of both? I have been teaching for 20 years and I finally feel comfortable with all forms of guided reading. Believe me, I have been around the block with too many programs to name them all. For 2 years I have been working on building the perfect whole group guided reading curriculum for first grade. The success I felt this past year with my students was undeniable and I'm so excited to share it with you. Here is what Guided Reading with a Purpose looks like. This is picture of SOME of the books included. Guided Reading with a Purpose is REAL LITERATURE. Each day a new book is shared with your class. My students love picture books and they love hearing a new story everyday. The books that are shared are based on the weekly theme. After sharing the story with your class, you work on the focus. If the focus is main idea and details, then all week you will work on that skill. Your students will have loads of practice and a full understanding of it all while enjoying a new shared reading each day. When picking the books for the units, I made sure they were still in print and readily available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Scholastic. Guided Reading with a Purpose is STANDARDS BASED INSTRUCTION. Each week the focus is based on a standard. It is all mapped out with the focus standard stated on the chart. Keep in mind many more standards are integrated in daily lessons but I thought it was important to state the KEY focus for the entire unit. Guided Reading with a Purpose provides a weekly LESSON PLAN GUIDE for instruction. We as teachers all know what is best for our students so a framework is provided for you on how I teach each unit with suggestions for extensions throughout the week. Guided Reading with a Purpose is filled with anchor charts and posters. This is by far one of the most beneficial pieces to use each day. I'm not going to lie, the prep work of copying and laminating can be time consuming but it is well worth it. Everyday after school, I would set up my posters and charts to prepare for the next day's lesson. It really helped guide my discussion after the shared story. I also used it to review after they completed their independent work and as a reference for many writing activities. It was almost like a teacher's helper throughout the lesson. Guided Reading with a Purpose provides lots of PRACTICE. I always tell my students that if they want to be better readers, they need to read. This is true for writing and anything in life.. Practice makes progress. For each shared story there are different opportunities to practice the focus skill. I tried to give differentiated version so there was choice. Ultimately, you will know what is best for each student or class. In this picture, my students are comparing polar bears to penguins. When they finished, they shared their posters with their classmates and we hung them up in the classroom. Guided Reading with a Purpose has GROUP WORK. My students LOVE to work together. Throughout the year we did more and more group work. Nobody wants to sit at their seat and do paper work all day long. There are ample opportunities to work together and learn from one another. During the week that we were learning about text to text connections, students were encouraged to bring in two books and share the text connection. Guided Reading with a Purpose has SHARING & PRESENTING. Some students love to share and some are very reluctant. I will be honest, I'm not a huge fan of homework or big projects. I tried to make things that came from home simple or something my students could do independently. I think sharing and presenting is an amazing skill to develop and work on (plus it is also a standard). My kiddos loved the opportunity to share and were always so proud. (So was their teacher) Guided Reading with a Purpose is WRITING. Do you struggle with teaching writing? I'm here to tell you that children's literature is a great way to generate ideas for writing. Each story, I provide a connection to use in writing with either informative, opinion, or narrative writing. My first graders are super writers by the end of the year. Guided Reading with a Purpose includes RESEARCHING. Another one of our standards is research. The last few units are filled with research based learning. It is such a fun way to spend the last month of school. They are more independent, they get to collaborate and they share all that they have learned throughout the year. Guided Reading with a Purpose included CRAFTS. Tons and tons of crafts for the entire year. I personally like to change things up a bit from year to year. This allows me the opportunity to pick and choose what I want to do with my kiddos and work on their fine motor skills at the same time. I had an INCREDIBLE year last year using my Guided Reading with a Purpose. My kids grew so much and really LEARNED the different reading strategies. There were numerous times I laughed inside when they would say "Mrs. Mitchell, I can make a text to self connection". or "Mrs. Mitchell I know this is non-fiction because it has a table of contents and real photos". I can't wait to teach all of these units again this year and see the same growth. Here is what people have said about this unit... "WOWZA ... This is one of my favorite TPT purchases. It has it all. Thanks for all your hard work." "What an amazing and comprehensive bundle! This has helped me organize my guided reading time and meet the needs of all of my students. Thank you for an amazing resource!" "Wow! I have never spent this much on a TPT resource at once but after watching your FB videos about this product, I was HOOKED! I am so excited to use this in my classroom and appreciate all of the hard work and time you put into making this! Thank you!" "Love the craftivities and how you organize your product! Your booklist is also practically the same as the ones I had in mind for this year!"

1-2-3 come Do Some Chrysanthemum Activities With Me “Chrysanthemum” by Kevin Henkes, is one of my all-time favorite back to school books. It’s perfect for a variety of ages, and especially wonderful as an introduction to name activities, as well as discussions about teasing, bullying and “filling buckets”. With that in mind, I enjoyed making a variety of Chrysanthemum-themed activities appropriate for PK-1st grade. I'll be sharing 3 of them in today's blog along with a sweet back to school FREEBIE. Because I like to mix math with literacy, I designed the Chrysanthemum Name Comparison Math Craftivity, where students compare their name with Chrysanthemum’s. I’ve included a simple PK version which can be done as a whole group, with an older elementary buddy, or done as homework with the assistance of a parent. There’s also a template suitable for kindergarten, 1st and 2nd, which involves some easy math, where students can show how they figured out their answer. Use the vowel, consonants and syllable posters to help explain things, then hang up for students to refer to. These can also be used as part of your display, as completed projects make an adorable bulletin board, or hung as a border on a hallway wall. I’ve included 2 “Mixing Math & Literacy” display posters for this as well. For extra pizzazz, punch a hole at the bottom and tie on a yarn "tail", or curl a white pipe cleaner and attach. There are 10 border options to choose from. Give your students a choice, or run off 2-3 of each of the worksheets so you have a nice variety in your display. Girls can add a bow to their mouse, and boys can opt to leave it off if they want. For an added splash of color, mount the worksheet on a variety of colors of construction paper before students glue their mouse head to the top. Next up, is another quick, easy and fun “print & go” name craftivity. I call them "sliders". Simply choose which name slider you want your kiddos to make. There are 6 options. I like my students to get some practice in making choices, so I run all of them off. I’ve included black and white patterns for kiddos to color, as well as templates in color, so that you can quickly and easily make examples to share. Mounting them on construction paper gives a splash of color and makes them sturdier. Run off the boxed “slider strips”, as well as the blank strips and trim. Children color Chrysanthemum, then write their name on the “slider” strip, by writing a letter in each box. If you have PK kiddos who don’t know how to write their name, you can have slider strips already written for them, or provide a name card for them to copy. I’ve included 6 matching name cards if you’d like to use these. Finally, I designed a Chrysanthemum-Inspired Class Name Booklet. At the beginning of the story, her parents explain why they named her Chrysanthemum, so I thought it would be fun to send a note home and ask parents why they chose their child’s name. Parents fill out the worksheet and their child colors it. After everyone has shared their page, collate the contributions, add the cover and you have a very interesting class-made book. Run off the "inside" pages and give children a choice. There are 7 girl-themed pages, plus 7 for boys. I share Dr. Seuss’s story “Too Many Daves”, then include those pages, along with the rose-quote poster in our booklet as well. We make several class books each month. They are always a favorite in our classroom "book" basket, and a big hit with parents at conferences. Adding a school photo to each page makes things extra special. Today's featured FREEBIE is also perfect for back to school. I not only give my students a little surprise treat on the 1st day of school, I do a little something extra special the entire week. For a quick, easy and inexpensive treat bag, fill up a Snack Baggie with Lucky Charms cereal and include my little note. There's also 2 "header" options if you want to put 1 at the top of your bag. Well that's it for today. My mom's visiting from Wisconsin, and I hear her stirring on this beautiful morning, so time to switch gears and go play outside. "Tears of joy are like the summer rain drops pierced by sunbeams." - Hosea Ballou

Teaching setting of a story to your first graders in an engaging way with these different activities. Build comprehension skills by teaching this story element.

These methods of outlining will help you create a novel outline that makes writing your first draft a breeze, whether it's your 1st or 10th time writing a book.

Do you have an idea for a novel? Before you start writing, here are two exercises that will help you test out your story idea before penning the first draft!

Now that 8th grade graduation is behind me, I’m starting to get all geared up for 1st grade. I’ve got just 3 weeks before my family and I head off for our big summer trip, so I’m wasting no time getting going on my summer prep. Years ago a former colleague of mine put together […]

An epic and unforgettable love story begins in Binding 13, the first in the international bestselling and TikTok-phenomenon The Boys of Tommen series, from Chloe Walsh.

Nearly everyone has felt it. The beat of one’s heart pounding inside their chest with a momentary pause before exhaling, as if it is the first time witnessing the iconic moment in history.

Teaching setting of a story to your first graders in an engaging way with these different activities. Build comprehension skills by teaching this story element.

Oh, the first day of school! It's such a fun, but chaotic day. Most of my first days are a little bit of a blur. This is why I have to write very detailed lesson plans or I'll forget everything from that day. I always try to have the same activities for that first day

Gay men share their first gay experience with us, whether it was a first-time gay kiss, first gay love stories or something a bit more spicy...

This week I tried something new with the vocabulary in the story. I got the idea at a First Grade Conference in December. The student writ...

Fables are fun! Here are some activities for your kids to go along with The Boy Who Cried Wolf story. They're a perfect addition for your Preschool, Kindergarten, or First Grade students and will compliment the other lessons, crafts, or centers you have planned. Plus, a FREE Little Red Hen emergent reader download!

Digital sheet music for piano, (easy) NOTE: Chords indications, lyrics may be included (please check the first page above before to buy this item to see what's included)

I'm linking up with Jivey for this week's Workshop Wednesday: Response to Literature! When I take reading groups, we spend a lot of time discussing the story (as much discussing a first grader can handle anyway!). I always remind them what good readers do and I model it for them. For example, I'll say a good reader thinks about what the author wanted us to learn by reading this story. Then I'll pick a story we've previously read and have say I think so and so wanted us to learn blah, blah. After, I ask the kids to think back and see what the story we're working on is about. I do this for setting, main idea, pretty much everything! I also have a little graphic organizer flip chart that I use in my groups. It's part of our Reading Street reading program and can be written on with Expo markers. It has a page for character, plot, beginning, middle and end of a story, and lots more. Many times, I will use these for the kids to show their understanding of the characters, setting, and the stories problem. They especially love the part where they have to answer how they would solve the problem in the story. :) My kids do a lot of written responses in their writing journals as well. Often times, I'll give them a sentence or question to get the started. For example, our first unit is about pets, so their journal prompts may be about how they would take care of a pet, their favorite type of pet, or if they could have any pet, what would it be....things that activate prior knowledge or make them think a little more about the topics we are reading about. :) How do your kids respond to literature? :) One more thing before I take a break for dinner!! Here's a little something special I made for my classroom this weekend! I found the idea on Pinterest (surprise, surprise!). I think it came out pretty good!! I brought it to school on Monday and my kids absolutely LOVED it!! Lately they've been feeling sad because I've been doing special "second grade" things with them and they don't want to leave first grade. I don't want them to go either! But I told them whenever they're feeling sad, they can look at this and remember what a super bunch of friends they have! :) Happy Wednesday!

If you're writing a book for the first time and you're not sure what the steps to do it are, you can follow these simple tips to start writing your novel.