Made in First Grade: Spotlight on Writing

We've had a few distractions this week.....from bus evacuation, pictures, to a first grade reading assembly, there is just never a dull moment! The class is getting so good at transitioning though so even when we do have a day where things are a little "flip-flopped" as we call it, it doesn't take much to get us back into the groove!

This week I thought I'd share a little of what writing time looks like in here. We have writer's workshop 4 times a week and I truly can say it is a FAVORITE around here. We start all together on the rug for a little mini-lesson and then they are off to their best working spots, sometimes along side their "writing partner" to get to it! After they write independently for a bit we try to make time for a quick share. Sometimes 1 or 2 children read their stories aloud to the class, sometimes they share a work in progress with their partner or table. They LOVE sharing!!! And I LOVE how proud they are of their writing!!

This weeks mini lessons focused on how writer's have a special partner they use for help with planning. We brainstormed question words to use then partners took turns reading their stories to each other. When partner 1 finished reading their story, partner 2 asked questions like who, when, how, where, and why. We used these questions to help add details to our story!

We also learned this great phrase "Once You're Done, You've Just Begun!" We talked about what to do when you think you are done with your story. Their are SO many options. You can start a new piece, add details to your pictures, and add details to your words. We also learned that once a writer is done writing, they become a reader and they re-read their story slowly to look for any thing they can fix up! We even have special pens for that!!

I hope you learned a bit more about what writing looks like in here! I love how excited and enthusiastic they are about their stories. It's an absolute joy! I can't wait to share some of their work in progress with you soon!!

Here are just a few other highlights from this week....