Christmas Lights

As a part of our writing program, Write From the Beginning, the students created their own strand of Christmaas lights which they then wrote about. They described what they look like, how they feel, and what they can do using a Circle Map followed by a Tree Map. They then used the Tree Map to help them write sentences. I try to use at least one of our days to do guided writing with the students rather than guided reading. They seem to love editing their work and getting a chance to make corrections. We hang up their final products in the hallway along with their art. Their writing tends to be better when they realize they have a purpose for writing - an audience!