1-2-3 Come Do Some Creative Writing With Me

A delightful discovery, is that an intriguing photograph, tweaks a student’s interest, and gets their imagination, and creative juices flowing. 

You know the old saying: "A picture is worth a thousand words", so I thought looking at one, could certainly provoke at least a few, getting students excited to WANT to get down to the business of writing. 

With that in mind, I spent quite a few hours designing my newest packet: Fall, Picture-Driven Writing Prompts.

There are 135 fall-themed pictures to choose from, with 6 on a page to conserve ink.

Select your favorites that you think will be thought-provoking for your students, then print on card stock & laminate, so you can use every year.

Children select one, and depending on ability level, write a few sentences, a paragraph or a story on the filmstrip template.

Beforehand, use one to introduce the lesson, and as a whole group, make an example together to help explain what’s expected.

Completed projects make an awesome bulletin board.

Display students’ work with the photograph, and put the “Fall Picture Driven Writing Prompts" camera poster, in the center of your display.

I’ve also included a bookmark-size, graphic organizer, where students do a bit of pre-writing, jotting down adjectives & verbs that describe their picture.

These can also be part of your bulletin board.

Click on the link to zip on over to my TpT shop to have a look see at this 28-page packet: Fall, Picture-Driven Writing Prompts. 

Today's featured FREEBIE is a scarecrow-themed writing prompt craftivity.

Completed projects turn out quite adorable. 

There's nothing quite like adding a bit of craftiness to a lesson, to get kiddos excited about writing.

Well that's it for today.  I truly hope these photographs are just the thing to help your students get as excited about writing, as my students have. 

I’m currently working on matching, picture-driven writing prompts, for the other 3 seasons.

"We must all make do with the rags of love we find flapping on the scarecrow of humanity." -Angela Carter, From Nights at the Circus

1-2-3 Come Do Some Writing Craftivities With Me

The key to getting children motivated to write, is simply giving them something exciting and fun to tease their imaginations and get the creative juices flowing.

Pumpkins in the News does that.  It's my latest, 29-page, writing prompt-emergent reader packet.  

I’ve included 2 class-made books: The Case of the Missing Pumpkins, as well as Our Class Pumpkins in the News.

To get the pumpkin rolling, there’s a “What can you do with a pumpkin?” poster, which includes two graphing extensions to cover more standards.

Children will readily share that you can eat and carve them, but are they aware that you can grow a record-breaking giant pumpkin, catapult them through the air, or turn them into a boat and sail them in a regatta?

All of these are popular contests and make headlines in the news.
I’ve included links to awesome videos to whet everyone’s writing appetites.

On the crazy creative side, how about the discovery of an alien pumpkin, or a pumpkin that could talk or grant 3 wishes?

Trust me, your kiddos will WANT to get right down to the business of writing! Woo hoo.

The crafty part of the project is a newsprint pumpkin.
Coloring newspaper with crayons or markers, creates a super-interesting and awesome look.

Completed projects look amazing swirling & twirling from the ceiling.  I've included several "header" cards to choose from, as a title for your display.

Little ones can search for all of the letter Pp’s and circle them.

I’ve also included several worksheets for more letter Pp practice.

Toss in a bit of shape review, with the pumpkin’s facial features, and practice spelling names via his smile. 

The emergent reader has 6, mini pages on a one-page template, to create a "just the right size" booklet, which comes in color for a teacher's edition, as well as black & white for your kiddos.

There's also a pattern with 12-on-a-page to make an Itty Bitty one.  It's packed with plenty of Dolch sight words.

I've included an optional 7th page that says "Happy Halloween".

If you don't include it with the emergent reader, you could give them to your kiddos on party day.

They are today's featured FREEBIE.  Click on the link to grab a copy in both black & white as well as color.

Well that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by. It's my sincere hope that your own little "punkins" enjoy these craftivities.  It's a gorgeous 70 degrees today; the leaves are finally starting to turn.

The fresh air floating in from my window is beckoning me to come play.  I shall succumb.  Wishing you a peaceful day.

"I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion." - Henry David Thoreau 

1-2-3 Come Do A Super-Fun Writing Prompt With Me

There's never enough time to get in all of the wonderful "Getting to know you" activities we do for back to school, so I do at least one each month.

My kiddos LOVE sharing about themselves, so they really enjoy this type of writing. Plus, it's fun to continue to learn more about our classmates.

With this in mind, I designed "Me!" A Fall-Themed Writing Prompt packet. 

All you have to do to get excited about this "craftivity", is make a sample of your own, to see how much fun this is!

An added bonus is that completed projects make an easy bulletin board you can keep up for months! Woo hoo. Caption: "Fall Into Writing!"

Plus, this activity is so versatile, it can be done by PK kiddos with one-word answers, all the way up through 5th grade!

Have older students write 3-4 things in each section.
You can also encourage the use of adjectives too.

There are 7, autumn-shapes to choose from: an apple, 2 pumpkins, 3 leaves and an acorn.

Because they are all fall pictures, you can give students a choice for an eclectic bulletin board display.

Just pumpkins in a patch, leaves and acorns blowing in the wind, or apples on a tree or in a big basket look terrific too.

If you choose the pumpkin pattern without a leaf, have children trace their hand on green construction paper, trim and add to the top for a "keepsake" leaf.

I've also included blank templates, so you can dream up your own writing prompts.

Do in class, or send home as a homework assignment that your kiddos will really want to do!

For that finishing touch, add a school photo. I also have my students choose 2 or 3 colors, so we can practice an AB-AB or ABC-ABC pattern, which really makes their completed writing prompt stand out.

Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to have a look see at this 20-pager: "Me!" Fall Writing Promt Craftivity packet.

While there, I'd so appreciate it if you'd follow me.  That way you'll know when I post FREEBIES, Diane's Dollar Deals, new stuff or have a sale. 

I know it sounds silly, but I really get excited seeing that  number grow.  I'm anxious to reach 700 followers.  Whenever I achieve a milestone, I create a special freebie that will hopefully knock-your-socks off!

Speaking of FREEBIES, today's featured free item is a 15-page leaf-themed math worksheet packet.  Reinforce numbers, sequencing, skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s & 10s. Plus, there are "What's Missing?" worksheets, and some for counting to 120.  Click on the link to grab a copy. 

Well that's it for today.  It's a chilly morning, but no frost on the pumpkins yet (PTL).

I am so not ready for winter-weather during fall.  Wishing you a warm and snuggly kind of day.

"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of life and color are their last days." -John Burroughs

1-2-3 Come Do An Owl Craft With Me

Whether you do this activity at the beginning of the school year for a back to school icebreaker, or in the fall for October or November, this owl craftivity is a wonderful way to get to know your students, and for them to get to know their classmates better. 

Completed projects make an adorable fall bulletin board.  A caption could be: "Owl Stars!" as a play on the words all star.

For those finishing touches, have students cut out their owl, fold the wings inward, and add some highlights with crayons.

Adding a pair of wiggle eyes, stuck on with glue dots, is also cute.  I've included owl templates with the pupils missing, so they can be creative.

Where they place the eyes really changes the personality of these cute little critters. They can even make them goofy, like I did in my sample.

There are two options to choose from:  Students can make an owl for themselves: "Owl" About Me... or have children pick a partner and make one for that student: "Owl" Be Your Friend.

If you have chosen the personal owl for your kiddos to do, adding their school photo makes this a sweet keepsake. 

If you're doing this in October, it's a fun activity for your Halloween party day. 

Children can write "Happy 'Owl-oween!" on the back and present the card to their friend. 

Click on the link to view/download the Owl Writing Prompt Craftivity. 

Thanks for visiting.  I'm off to do a zillion and one things that I never have enough time for.  Wishing you an energizing day.

 "If we were meant to talk more than listen, we would have two mouths and one ear." -- Mark Twain

12 pages.

I think if you include a simple and quick craft for students to make and attach to their writing prompt, they'll get more excited.  I've included 24 scarecrow-themed writing prompts for them to choose from.  As you can see by the photo, there are 2 ways to display children's work.  Completed projects make an awesome bulletin board, or look sweet hanging back-to-back from the ceiling. 

1-2-3 Come Make A Writing Prompt Craft With Me

Summer is an especially wonderful time to ride a bike, so I thought I'd make a "craftivity" using a bicycle.  If you're a frequent visitor, you know that I enjoy designing things involving a "play on words". 

As I putzed with a writing prompt I thought substituting the word "wheel" for real would be fun.  Thus "I had a 'wheel' great summer!" was born. 

There are two templates to choose from.  One is for back to school, the other for the end of the year. Use as an interesting icebreaker for the first week of school, where students write about the places they went and the things they did over vacation. 

This is a fun way to find out about your new students, as they complete the prompt inside the spokes of the wheel. 

For added pizzazz, and to learn a bit more about your kiddos, have students write using their two favorite color markers.

Simply run the bike off on a variety of colors of construction paper. 

Students trim and glue to the wheels. (I ran off on white card stock.)  If you want them to spin, poke a hole in the center and attach with a brass brad. 

For that finishing touch, have students attach a school photo.  Children read one or two items from each wheel, as they share it with their classmates. 

You can do these in class; as an activity for open house; or send home on the first day of school for children to complete with their family.

While I was at it, I thought this idea could also be used at the end of the year, where students wrote about their favorite things, activities, subjects, etc. 

There are six wheels they can choose from, including a blank one to fill in whatever prompt you want. 

Completed projects make a sweet bulletin board. 

Click on the link to view/download the bicycle writing prompt craftivity. 

Thanks for visiting.  Feel free to PIN away. 

Do you have a back-to-school activity you could share with us?  I'd love to hear from you: diane@teachwithme.com  or leave a comment below.

1-2-3 Come Do Some Fall Writing With Me!

While I was working on the scarecrow packets, it crossed my mind that scarecrows are really not all that scarey?  I thought of the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz who wanted a brain, and I wondered if a scarecrow had one, what would he say?  My brain needs a shut off button, so one idea led to another, 'til I decided to turn all of these thoughts into interesting writing prompts with a scarecrow character.

Getting students excited about writing, and WANTING to write, can be difficult.  A teacher announcing that "It's time to write." is often followed by a lot of groaning, as if you had asked students to whine in unison. 

To get my students enthusiastic about writing I'd dream up creative and interesting writing prompts to jump start their brains.

Instead of  informing students that it's time to write, ask them:  "If you were a scarecrow what would you want to wear?"  or "Do you think scarecrows are scarey? If you were the farmer, how could you make a scarecrow scarier?"  

Watch all the hands shoot up.  With lots of enthusiasm say: "Great! Now choose one of these scarecrow writing prompts and tell me your thoughts in detail." Reveal the prompts listed on the board and have students choose which one they are most "excited" about.  My kiddo's couldn't wait to get started. Woo Hoo!

Click on the link to view/download the 6 Scarecrow Writing Prompts

Thanks for visiting today.  I design and blog daily, so I hope you can stop by tomorrow to check out the newest FREEBIES hot off my computer.  Feel free to PIN away.  I think sharing is so important. To ensure that other "pinners" return to THIS blog article, click on the green title at the top; it will turn black, now click on the "Pin it" button on the menu bar.   If you'd like to see all the creative-educational items that I pin, click on the heart to the right of the blog. I have an entire board of just scarecrow and writing activities.

"It's always better to try and fail, than fail to try." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Do Some Fall Writing With Me

Since the "Apple Sense" craftivity was downloaded quite a bit, I decided this format would also work well for Pumpkin Sense.   No matter what grade your students are in, they need to be reminded to use their senses to make their writing "come alive."  The use of adjectives is equally important, and such a simple thing to explain using examples.  I find that if students can add a bit of art to their creations, writing is more fun and completed projects make wonderful bulletin boards that build self-esteem.   

Run off the pumpkin template on orange construction paper.  Students add a bit of color to the the stem, with a green crayon.  You can make this even cuter, by having students trace their hand (with their fingers spread) onto a sheet of green construction paper, trim and glue their "leaf" next to the stem.  Adding a photograph gives things that finishing touch.

Run the "pumpkin guts" off on yellow construction paper.  Students trim and fill in their answers.  Before hand, discuss the 5 senses, as well as what an adjective is, explaining the importance of using both to write better.  

Brainstorm words that can be used to describe a pumpkin using the various senses and write them on the board.   Students can draw from this word bank when they write. 

So that they are practicing starting a sentence with a capital letter, have students write a complete sentence, rather than filling in their answer.  Review proper end punctuation.  To make sure that they use adjectives, encourage students to underline them.

You may want children to write a rough draft, checking to make sure that every noun has a descriptive word before it.  Can they think of a better word to describe what they are seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling, etc?  When they are satisfied with their final draft, they can write it on the yellow insert.   Click on the link to view/download the Pumpkin Sense craftivity.

Continuing with adjective practice, I designed a Describing Fall packet. 

Students think of words that describe the various fall themes: school, apples, leaves, pumpkins, spiders, bats, scarecrows, sunflowers, turkeys and Pilgrims, and then fill in the appropriate boxes with adjectives.  Once they have done that, students incorporate several words into 1 or 2 sentences that they write on the back of their worksheet. 

Children can add a bit of color with crayons or markers.  When everyone is done, have them share their work.  I've also included a definition of an adjective anchor chart. Click on the link to view/download the Describing Fall Adjective Writing packet.

If you're looking for more activities involving the 5 Senses you may like Sam's Senses craftivity.  Children cut and glue the labels to Sam the pumpkin man.  What makes Sam special is that his hands are the traced hands of the student.  Click on the link to view/download Sam. 

My Fall Senses, is a quick and easy candy corn graphic organizer that again helps students practice their writing skills.  Click on the link to view download this fall writing activity.

Thanks for visiting today.  I design and write daily, so I hope you can stop by tomorrow for the newest FREEBIES.  Feel free to PIN away.  To ensure that "pinners" return to THIS blog article, click on the green title at the top; it will turn black, now click on the "Pin it" button on the burgundy menu bar.   If you'd like to take a look at all of the wonderful-educational items that I PIN, click on the heart button to the right of the blog. 

"Strength: A river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence." -Unknown

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 1^st 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 1^st 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

Writing Prompts From A Poster!

Well the creative juices were flowing last week when I diddled around with a song to teach Common Core Standards.  I didn't think I could get more fun than Old MacDonald helping out with vowels.

I putzed with the idea of making up a poster to help students do a bit of creative writing.  Kids love posters, and as the saying goes "A picture is worth a 1,000 words" so why not use one to stimulate writing those words.

I thought by making an interesting and thought-provoking poster, teachers could use it as a segway into several writing prompts their students would enjoy diving into.

Older students could write about the symbolism and what the poster means.  Teachers could explain this to lower elementary.

Even young children can think of other things in the classroom that could give advice and tell what advice they would give.

After discussion, let them choose an object and complete a sentence, like the poster, making an illustration. Have them cut and glue their contribution to a class tag board poster.

This would make a nice "Word Work" activity for Daily 5.

Older students can make their own poster, using their room or another room in their home or school as the example.

What a hoot to do the cafeteria, gym, locker room, kitchen, basement or garage!

Click on the link to view/download Wisdom From The Classroom Poster.

Thanks for visiting today. Feel free to PIN anything you think others might find worthwhile.

"Nothing has a better effect upon children than praise." -Sir Philip Sidney