creative writing

1-2-3 Come Do Some Bat Activities With Me

bat activities, bat crafts, bat writing prompts, 5 senses activities, 5 senses crafts, 5 senses writing prompts, literacy centers, October writing prompts, October bulletin board ideasThe writing prompt, “Driving My 5 Senses Batty” is an interesting way to reinforce the 5 senses, which in turn helps students be more descriptive in their writing.

Because this is a topic students easily identify with, they will be excited to get down to the business of writing!

bat activities, bat crafts, bat writing prompts, 5 senses activities, 5 senses crafts, 5 senses writing prompts, literacy centers, October writing prompts, October bulletin board ideasYou’ll love the versatility of this bat packet; as a variety of options make it easy to diversify your lessons for various abilities, grades & skill levels.

As always, patterns come in black & white for students, as well as full-color, so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share. I’ve also included my completed worksheets as a real time saver.

Samples not only help explain things, but act as a catalyst for excitement.

bat activities, bat crafts, bat writing prompts, 5 senses activities, 5 senses crafts, 5 senses writing prompts, literacy centers, October writing prompts, October bulletin board ideasAnytime I add a bit of craftiness into our writing block, my students are engaged and focused from the get go, which is why I designed a “cave topper” as well as a “bat dangler” to add extra fun & pizzazz to their writing worksheet.

Younger kiddos can simply write or dictate a one-word answer to a classroom helper, or assign this as homework to be done with parental help. 

If you have older "reading-helper buddies" you can also do this activity with their assistance. 

My kiddos absolutely love working with our 5th grade friends, and the feeling is mutual.

Encourage older students to write in complete sentences, giving several examples. 

bat activities, bat crafts, bat writing prompts, 5 senses activities, 5 senses crafts, 5 senses writing prompts, literacy centers, October writing prompts, October bulletin board ideasCompleted projects make a striking bulletin board or hallway display, so I’ve also included 2 posters to enhance things.

Use the "definition poster" to introduce your lesson,

bat activities, bat crafts, bat writing prompts, 5 senses activities, 5 senses crafts, 5 senses writing prompts, literacy centers, October writing prompts, October bulletin board ideasThe Packet Includes:

  • A bat cave with & without text, with 2 patterns to choose from for different cutting abilities. This graphic is glued to the top of their writing prompt paper.
  • A bat “dangler” which will be glued to the bottom of their worksheet.
  • bat activities, bat crafts, bat writing prompts, 5 senses activities, 5 senses crafts, 5 senses writing prompts, literacy centers, October writing prompts, October bulletin board ideasA “Five Senses” writing prompt worksheet, which come with & without lines, as well as with and without labels ( hear, smell, see, touch & taste ).
  • A “Going ‘Batty’ Over Great Writing!” poster.
  • bat activities, bat crafts, bat writing prompts, 5 senses activities, 5 senses crafts, 5 senses writing prompts, literacy centers, October writing prompts, October bulletin board ideasFor additional writing, I’ve also included 3 different “bat papers” to choose from, which you can use to assign other writing prompts for, or perhaps use for an acrostic poem, bat facts, bat vocabulary or whatever else you think of.
  • Batty connotations worksheet, bat activities, bat crafts, bat writing prompts, 5 senses activities, 5 senses crafts, 5 senses writing prompts, literacy centers, October writing prompts, October bulletin board ideasA bonus extension about the positive & negative connotations for the word “batty”, with an extra writing prompt, which can be done as a whole group, with a partner or as an individual assignment. Great for early finishers or homework too.
  • These activities would be fun for the week of Halloween or that "something different" on party day too.

adjective themed activities, descriptive writingToday's featured FREEBIE also helps practice descriptive writing, as students describe fall.

Including adjectives, enhances students' writing, so I designed 10 fall-themed describing worksheets that will help your students practice this skill. 

Students write  a "describing" word in each of the boxes on the themed worksheet, which include bats, school, apples, pumpkins,spiders, leaves, sunflowers, scarecrows, turkeys, and pilgrims

These worksheets make a nice Daily 5 fall writing activity, and can also be inserted into a writing folder or journal

I've also included an adjective definition anchor chart.

bat activities, bat crafts, bat writing prompts, 5 senses activities, 5 senses crafts, 5 senses writing prompts, literacy centers, October writing prompts, October bulletin board ideasWell that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by.

I’m Diane from Teach With Me, hoping you & your students will go batty over learning.

Wishing you a fun-filled time of it.

For more 5 Senses activities, click on the link.

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"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something." -Thomas H. Huxley

1-2-3 Come Do Some Spine Tingling Writing With Me!

halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, I love playing around with words, particularly if it will get my students excited, or help teach a concept.

“Shudders Behind the Shutters!” does both.

Ahalloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, nytime I toss a bit of craftiness into a writing prompt, my students are all over it, and can’t wait to begin.

Thus, I designed this writing prompt craftivity with a window.

There are two writing prompt “window” options.

Students can make a list of 13 things that make them shudder OR

halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, they can write a brief, spine tingling excerpt.

I've discovered that narrowing down what students have to write about, rather than saying, "write a spooky story", is a lot less overwhelming for them. 

This bite-size piece, is not only less daunting, but will have your students actually become excited about creating their list or a brief excerpt!

I’ve included samples of both, so that teachers can quickly & easily make an example to share.

Making an example, not only helps you explain what you want your students to do, it acts as a catalyst for getting them enthusiastic about getting down to the business of writing.

The writing prompt “window” becomes the base, for this 3-part craftivity.

halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, Students illustrate their writing by drawing, then coloring something in the 4-paned window pattern. I drew a ghost in mine.

Shutters flip open to reveal this picture window, which then opens to reveal my list of 13 things that make me shudder.  You can use any number, but I chose superstitious 13. 

Did you know that the “fear of the number 13” is called triskaidekaphobia! (triss-kye-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh).
You may want to share this bit of interesting trivia with your students.

halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, I've also included another sample with a "shuddering excerpt". 

For some extra 3D pizzazz, I added some wiggle eyes, attaching them with glue dots. 

halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, Assembling the 3-parts of the craft, is done with a glue stick.

shudder shutter definition posters homophones, halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, I’ve also included a “shudder-shutter” definition poster, as well as one that explains homophones.

You can use these to introduce the lesson.

Encourage students to use their senses, as well as plenty of description, to evoke a shudder or two.

halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, Students can use the (2-on-a-page) writing RUBRIC as a checklist.

halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, I’ve included “definition-example” posters, to easily explain adjectives, simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia and alliteration, which will definitely enhance their writing.

These are not difficult concepts to understand.

Actually, I’ve found that even younger students grasp them quite well, and are excited to share examples they’ve come across.

halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, Completed projects make an amazing bulletin board or hallway display; you are sure to get a lot of compliments!

halloween activities, halloween bulletin board ideas, scary writing activities, halloween writing prompts, spooky writing, halloween crafts, homophone activities, onomatopoeia activities, metaphor activities, writing centers for October, similie activities, I’ve included several posters, as well as some rather spooky-looking letters, which spell "SHUDDERS [behind the] SHUTTERS" to add some extra pizzazz to your display.

Today's featured FREEBIE is an apple-pumpkin Venn diagram.

apples and pumpkin venn diagram, apple pumpkin worksheetTo help reinforce the information my students have learned about apples and pumpkins, I have them do a Venn diagram.

Venn diagrams are a quick, easy and fun way to introduce comparison & contrast writing to your students.

Instead of using the usual circles, I drew an apple for one half, while the other side is a pumpkin. An oval "slice" down the center, provides a place for "similarities".

You can do this as an individual worksheet or whole-group activity, that provides an excellent review and culminating activity for your apple-pumpkin studies.

Completed worksheets make an excellent bulletin board or hallway display.

apple activities, venn diagrams, pumpkin activities, october writing prompts, october bulletin board ideasWell that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. 

It's nothing spooky over here that has me shuddering, just a bone-chilling wind that's rattling my window panes.

It's a small price to pay though, for the absolutely gorgeous fall colors that come with cooler weather. 

Wishing you a simply splendid day!

"Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understoond." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fall Into Some Fun Common Core Writing For Fall!

bulletin boards for september, bulletin boards for october, bulletin boards for november, bulletin boards for common core, bulletin boards for writing, bulletin boards for fall, bulletin boards for leaves, bulletin boards for trees, writing prompts for september, writing prompts for fall, writing prompts for october, writing prompts for november, daily 5 activities, craftivities for october, craftivities for november, leaf activities, acorn activities, squirrel activities, 5 senses activities, class made books, common core writing lessons for kindergarten, common core writing lessons for first grade, common core reading lessons for kindergarten, common core reading lessons for first grade, common core lessons for kindergarten, common core lessons for first grade, creative writing prompts, I LOVE combining art with creative writing.  I call these activities “Craftivities” and when you can mix in a little science at the same time, that's a real win-win.

Craftivities also make simple and easy bulletin boards or hallway displays that are pretty outstanding.

These fall writing prompts will help you teach several Common Core State Standards. They are listed and explained below.

Draw an oak tree on brown bulletin board paper with bare branches so that you can hang the leaves and acorn writing prompts on it, and scatter the squirrels underneath.

The leaves say: I see... I hear... I smell... The acorns say: I taste... and the squirrels say: I feel... (Older students write the entire sentence; younger students trace the first few words.)

Display the tree on a wall in the hallway.  You can use the caption: Our 5-Senses Creative Writing Oak Tree OR Using Our 5-Sense In The Fall.

If you want this to appear a bit more 3-D, twist brown lunch bags into strands, and use duct tape to attach them to the branches and down the trunk.

Run the oak leaves off on a variety of colored construction paper, as this will look better than brown leaves, even though oak leaves turn brown when they lose their chlorophyll.  Mention this fact to your students.

Gather students in front of the whiteboard. Review what the 5 senses are.  Brainstorm with them about using their 5 senses to see, hear, smell, taste and feel different things typical of the fall season.

Review beginning capitalization of words, Common Core State Standard: L.K.2a, as well as ending punctuation. Common Core State Standard: L. K. 2b, and RF.1.1 as well as L.1.2b for 1st grade.

Have students spell simple words phonetically, drawing on knowledge of sound-letter relationships, or write a list of words from your brainstorming session on the white board having students help you spell them as you write them. Common Core State Standard: L.K.2d for kindergarten and L.1.2d for 1st grade where they use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words.

Review what a noun, verb and adjective are, with older students.  Keep things simple for PK students and have them TRACE the beginning words and complete the sentence with 1 noun and a period.  K’s can add nouns and verbs; older students can add adjectives as well.

Make sure that you do an example yourself, explaining the parts of speech, grammar and punctuation as you go. RF.K.1a (Point out to students that they are reading words from left to right, top to bottom and page by page.) RF.K.1c (Point out that the words are separated by spaces and remind them to make sure they have a finger-space between their words too.)

Students can add color to their cut out pieces.  Remind them to include their names.  For a bit more pizzazz, you can also add glitter.  Use this as an incentive for students if they give their best effort and do their work correctly.

To give variety to your “wall board,” I have designed two squirrels.  You can run off both kinds and give children a choice.  Sprinkle the squirrels around the bottom of your oak tree.

If you don’t want to make a bulletin board, or hallway tree mural out of these writing prompts, you can collate the pages together to make a class book.  I’ve provided a cover for you if you want to do that.

You can also suspend the various similar pieces back-to-back from fish line and hang from the ceiling.   bulletin boards for september, bulletin boards for october, bulletin boards for november, bulletin boards for common core, bulletin boards for writing, bulletin boards for fall, bulletin boards for leaves, bulletin boards for trees, writing prompts for september, writing prompts for fall, writing prompts for october, writing prompts for november, daily 5 activities, craftivities for october, craftivities for november, leaf activities, acorn activities, squirrel activities, 5 senses activities, class made books, common core writing lessons for kindergarten, common core writing lessons for first grade, common core reading lessons for kindergarten, common core reading lessons for first grade, common core lessons for kindergarten, common core lessons for first grade, creative writing prompts, Click on the link to view/download 5-Senses Oak Tree Creative Writing packet.  Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN anything you think others may find helpful.

"It takes time to save time." -Joe Taylor