Writing prompts for September
1-2-3 Come Make An Ice Cream Cone With Me!
The end of the year is super-charged with energy. You can literally feel it in the air and it's obvious in your students' excited behavior. Many kiddos are already sharing about vacations that their family is going to take and what they want to do for the summer, so I thought it would be fun to have them write about that, and make a craft as well.
When I think of summer, I think of ice cream cones. It seemed the perfect "craftivity" for an end of the year writing prompt, and led to the "Here's The Scoop" packet.
Run off the cone pattern on brown construction paper, run the ice cream scoop template on a variety of pastel colors of construction paper that would be the shades of real ice cream flavors. Scrapbook paper really looks awesome; I used it for several of my samples.
Students cut out their cone and scoop. They also trim and glue a plain scoop of "vanilla" to the top of their cone. This is where they will complete the writing prompt. Remind students not to write beyond the indentations, as you can see by the photo, the white scalloped section will peek out to give the illusion of another scoop.
Using a tiny piece of Scotch tape, students "hinge" the top scoop to the right hand side of the bottom scoop, so that it flips open to reveal the writing portion. For that finishing touch, add a cherry with a school photo to the top.
There's a template for "Here's the scoop ! These are some of the cool things I'd like to do this summer..." as well as one you can use at the beginning of the year: "Here's the scoop! These are some of the cool things that I did this summer..."
After students have shared their creation, give them a "Wishing you a sweet summer" bookmark. Write students' names at the top, and sign yours under the greeting.
Completed cones make a cute bulletin board too. Make the background out of a plastic picnic table cloth and scatter the cones on it. Your caption could be "Cool writing by some sweet 1st graders." or "Looking foward to a sweet summer!"
For another writing prompt, have students color the "I hope you have a cool year!" bookmark and write a note to a new student, who will be in your class in the fall. What a fun surprise for them to find this on/in their desk on the first day of school.
Also included in the packet is the "Secret Sweetie" game. Have students fill out the cone portion, write a clue on the scoop and then glue their photo on the inside.
Collect them and read several a day. Call on students to guess who they think the "secret sweetie" might be, then flip open the top scoop to reveal the photo.
This can be used at the beginning of the school year to help children get to know their new classmates, or at the end of the year to see how well they know their friends.
Click on the link to view/download the Here's The Scoop packet. Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN away.
"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. ~James Dent
1-2-3 Come Write About Apples With Me!
Increase your students' writing skills with this quick and easy apple "craftivity." Before hand, brainstorm a list of adjectives that describe apples. For a source of correct spelling, as well as ideas, write the words on the board to be used as a word bank, for your students to refer to as they write their "Apple Sense." Encourage them to use at least one adjective for each section.
Review what the 5 senses are and discuss them as they apply to apples. So students know what to do, and can independently get to work, make an example of your own to share.
To add that finishing touch, have students glue their school picture to the leaf. These make an "apple-icious" bulletin board. Your caption could be: A Crop/Bushel of Great Work or Mr(s). _______________ 's Students Get To The Core Of Writing. You could also punch a hole in the stem, and suspend the apples back-to-back from the ceiling.
Click on the link to view/download the Apple Sense Writing Activity. This activity will be FREE for an entire year, after which time it will be up-dated & become part of my 30-page, Apple Sense: Science & Writing Craftivities packet in my TpT shop.
Thanks for visiting today. As always, feel free to PIN away. I'm off to enjoy some summer sunshine.
"I find that a great part of the information I have acquired, was by looking up something and finding something else along the way." -Franklin P. Adams
(This is so true for me, especially when I'm researching something on the Internet or Pinerest! One thing definitely leads to another as the day flies by!)
Fall Into Some Fun Common Core Writing For Fall!
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. 
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
The Very Hungry Student is a fun way for students to write down what they have learned each month.
Because it records their accomplishments, it’s a terrific way to build self-esteem.
Because students write in it each month, you will see improvement in their handwriting, as well as their writing abilities, so the booklet is a good addition to a portfolio, if you have them, or tuck into a student folder, to take out and share with parents during conferences.
Practice reading the simple rhyming sentences, after students complete their page, so that at the end of the year, children are able to read their booklet when they take it home to share with their families!
I have a cute caterpillar with a face for one cover, but you can make this even more special, by having students glue their photo over his face for a “student caterpillar” instead.
Because this is a quick and easy writing assignment, that students can do independently, it makes a nice Daily 5 activity too.
If you don't do Daily 5, keep the booklets for your writing center.
They make a great writing prompt for the first day of school, as there is a page specifically for that.
Because there is a page for each month, you could start out September and each month, with The Very Hungry Student's page as your writing prompt for the month.
For an activity that helps students with verbal acuity, gather children in a circle and have them share that day’s page by reading it to their classmates.
At the end of the year, you can discuss what everyone’s favorite thing was that they learned, or their favorite month of activities. If they overlap, graph them.
A little bit of science is covered, as the very hungry caterpillar is "bursting with knowledge" and turns into a butterfly, flying into the next grade.
In June, (s)he is once again a fat little caterpillar, promising to slim down over the summer, so they are ready to fatten up and gobble down more knowledge, in their new grade!
Click on the link to view/download The Very Hungry Student booklet.
Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find helpful.
I hope you can pop in tomorrow for another back-to-school idea!
"Stop trying to fit in, when you were born to stand out!" - Dr. Seuss
School just ended and June is quickly flying by. Already teachers are downloading some of my back to school packets, so I decided to start designing some new items.
There were quite a few moments when I needed one-on-one time with my Y5’s, on those busy first days, so I was always on the look out for something they could do independently, so I could assign bus numbers, take a first day photo, check how students were holding a writing utensil etc.
I designed the easy reader My First Day Of ___________________. with that in mind. Students trace and write a few main words and then cut and glue the pictures to their matching numbered boxes.
If you read your completed model to the students a head of time, as an explanation, they should be good to go.
Some children will need one-on-one help writing what their favorite thing of the day was for the last page.
To help expedite this, brainstorm with your students about all of the things you accomplished and have them raise their hands and share what their favorite thing was.
Write their answers on the board, so they have something to copy. You could also jot preschoolers’ answers down on their papers, as they share them.
Students then draw a picture of that activity or thing.
This not only makes a nice keepsake, but also is a great assessment tool to show you student-ability levels in cutting, holding a writing utensil, tracing, writing, listening and following directions etc.
If you can print pictures from your digital camera at school, take their photo doing their favorite thing and include it, to make this even more of a keepsake.
When everyone has completed their booklet, read it together as a whole group, to review concepts of print, and so that students are able to share it with their families when they get home.
The kindergarten sample is pictured, but I've also included a page for preschool, Y5's, 1st grade + a blank page for you to program for whatever else you teach.
Click on the link to view/download My First Day of School booklet
Thanks for visiting. Feel free to PIN anything you think others might enjoy.
“Wisdom is knowing what to do next. Skill is knowing how to do it. Virtue is doing it.” –Thomas Jefferson
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