Elf Descriptive Writing

The students created elves out of holiday scrapbook paper. They then wrote to describe their elves. They also wrote one thing they would do if they were an elf.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

We read the How The Grinch Stole Christmas to work on several reading skills. The students first retold the story to a partner and then individually completed a story map to identify the story elements. Then we discussed how the Grinch changed throughout the story. As we discussed the character traits, we talked about better vocabulary to use when discussing emotions. We charted the vocabulary and the students took notes about the Grinch's character traits at the beginning of the story and the end on Deanna Jump's handout from her Grinch unit. The students then created their own Grinch and wrote at least one way they could make the Grinch smile. We have been working on making connections to text as well.

Too Many Tamales

We read Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto. After reading, we discussed the story elements of the book and charted them on the Promethean Board. The students then completed a story map on their own to put the story elements in their own words. They also wrote at least one connection they had to the story and illustrated it.

 

 

Auntie Claus

We read one of my favorite Christmas books, Auntie Claus, to analyze character traits. As a class we created a Flow Map to retell the story with an emphasis on how the main character, Sophie Kringle, changed throughout the book. After reading, the students made a connection to the message of the story - that it is better to give than to receive. Each student made a "gift" to write at least three things they can give that do not have to be bought (hugs, affirmations, etc.)

Making Connections

We read several books so the students could practice making connections. We read Hallo-wiener, Pumpkin Jack, and It's Pumpkin Time. After reading, the students shared their connections with the class and we charted them on a Circle Map. The students then wrote at least one sentence about what the story reminded them of.

The Kissing Hand Connections

We read The Kissing Hand a while back to practice making connections. We talked about how Chester felt in the story. After reading, the students shared with a partner one thing the story reminded them of from their personal life. They then wrote a sentence about it and illustrated it.

The Cow Who Clucked

We recently read The Cow Who Clucked by Denise Fleming to further learn how to make connections to a story. After reading and discussing some of the events that happened, the students wrote one sentence to describe their connection to the story on an outline of a person. They then colored the person to look like them.

Auntie Claus

In reading we have been learning about character traits. We recently read Auntie Claus to discuss how the main character, Sohpie Kringle, changed over time. After reading, the students retold the story on a Flow Map. As they retold the story, I introduced vocabulary to describe Sophie's character which we highlighted on the Flow Map. Later the students made connections to the lesson in the story which is that "it is better to give than to receive." They made presents out of scrapbook paper to write down four things you can give to someone that does not have to be bought.

The Tortoise and the Hare

As a part of our study of fables and making connections to lessons in stories, we read The Tortoise and the Hare. The students discussed the author's purpose for writing and then wrote at least one connection they had to the story or one lesson they learned.

Digraph Show and Tell

In reading we are working on making connections and the phonics sounds for /ch/, /sh/, /wh/, and /th/. To help the students make connections to these sounds so they can remember them, we had Digraph Show and Tell. The students brought in chess and checker pieces, whisks, whales, sharks, whistles, sheeps, shirts, and more.

Wemberly Worried

To help the students make connections and to ease them into the change of a new grade and class, we read Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes. After reading the story, we discussed how we should treat one another in class. The students then wrote and illustrated their favorite part of the story.

Making Connections: The Cow Who Clucked

We recently read The Cow Who Clucked by Denise Fleming as a part of our lessons on making connections. After reading, the students wrote at least one connection they had to the story and supported it with text evidence. For example, the students would write "The Cow Who Clucked reminded me of (personal experience) like when (textual evidence) happened in the story." The students wrote their connections on the outline of a person and then colored it to look like themselves.