Comics. How can something that looks like such a simple literary genre, carry so much weight? Comics hold the heavy task of pointing at many social, personal, national and political problems. But…. they can come in such a cute package! Getting students familiar with this genre can be a very fun task, and one that we should all undertake at some point. It’s an art to be able to talk about a legitimate issue, with an air of satire or comedy. Let’s show our kids that they can effect and create change in their world, through literature. If you want to teach your students comic strip writing, follow these simple steps below: Comic Writing –Continue reading
Category: Writing
Extension Activities for The Wild Robot
The Wild Robot is a modern day tale of a robot that becomes stranded in the wild after an accident. This story is making it’s way across classrooms and into children’s lives, and with good reason. It’s a captivating comparison of technology and the natural world. As with all reading materials, they begin to take on more meaning when kids are able to apply what they’ve read in their lives and lessons. That’s why I’ve created this cross curricular extension activity package. It combines geometry and paragraph writing. Keep reading to get a peak into how you can use extension activities for The Wild Robot. 2D Shapes The first part of this package asks kidsContinue reading
Narrative Writing Plan For Kids
I recently gave a talk about creative narrative writing for 7-9 year olds after a book reading. Below are my talking points, which you can use in your class or homeschool. The kids responded really well to the plan and were able to reiterate the story writing process. They were able to relate to the concepts, so overall it was a great success! Read on to see the plan and you can find my narrative writing plan on TPT, it comes with and awesome poster set to display on walls. Part 1: Problem/Solution This is the most basic principle of story writing. The kids really seem to relate if you compare stories to a sandwich. Continue reading
Fraction Activity – The Best Parts of Me
Whether you’re looking for a fun fractions activity or looking to build your students’ self-esteem, look no further :D. I’ve got a cross-curricular fractions activity that will get your students practicing both their math and writing skills. Oh, and it’s a super-hero themed activity to boot. The package includes an introductory brainstorming page. This is where students are meant to think about their greatest qualities, and list them: Next, students begin drawing out their superhero image, and label a fractioned circle: These superheroes would be great as a way to decorate a bulletin board. Either cut out the superhero figures, or clue the page onto a construction paper backing. The package also includes clipart images,Continue reading
Parts of a Letter – Poster & Worksheet Set
I love teaching kids about writing letters. It feels like a lost form of communication in our time, but it’s still an important and relevant writing genre. Students will need lots of examples to show them the various components of a letter. It also helps to have students do lots of practice and write to famous authors, public figures, family members or to each other. Here is my Parts of a Letter – Poster and Worksheet set, available on Teachers Pay Teachers: This is a great way to visibly show students each part of a letter. Each section is labelled and has a coordinating explanation card, which further details what each section is and providesContinue reading
News Articles For Kids – Lesson Ideas
It’s important to raise kids with a sense of global citizenship and community awareness, and what better way is there to do this then to introduce children to the world of news? When teaching kids about news articles it’s helpful to dissect the genre itself: define it’s characteristics, read plenty of examples and look for stylistic elements. Once that’s done, you may have just prepared your students to be critical readers of the news, and perhaps even effective news article writers! Below is a list of steps I recommend if you plan on teaching writing news articles for kids. Take a look: Discuss Non-Fiction Features It’s essential that students understand that news articles fall within “non-fiction”Continue reading
Ideas for Fall Language Activities
There is so much to be described in the Fall season, which means it naturally lends itself to many language activities. Students can engage in describing, creating, reflecting and reading all about Fall features. Take a look at the following Fall language activities that link back to curriculum. Most of these activities can be tweaked to apply to a variety of grades and difficulty levels. Reading For Meaning Speaking & Writing – Word Choice There are so many special experiences to be had in the Fall season, so it works perfectly to have students practice expanding their word choice and descriptions. Check out the following ideas: Writing – Classifying Ideas Paragraph Writing WhatContinue reading
10 Creative Writing Prompts – Pictures & Graphic Organizers
Have you been wanting to jazz up your writing activities? I have just the thing: picture writing prompts. Each prompt below targets a specific writing genre and is accompanied by a graphic organizer, which will help students in their writing process. Using prompts is a great way to give students vivid imagery without giving them all the details. You’ll be surprised to see the ideas that your students will come up with. 1. Attack of the Gummies! This picture will definitely appeal to any kid and get their creative juices flowing! Which kid wouldn’t be excited by the possibility of a faucet that provides endless candy. This would make a perfect writing prompt for aContinue reading
4 Steps To Effectively Teach Point of View!
Teaching point of view/perspective in narratives is one of my favorite units! After following these four steps, your students will be pros at identifying and describing points of view in various texts and also create unique perspective pieces. These 4 steps to effectively teach point of view are meant as a guideline, you can use and expand them to cover many more lessons. Take a look: 1. Define & Identify Start off by discussing point of view and who exactly is narrating the story. Are they speaking in the first person? Do they have abilities to know all sides of the story? Is their view limited? Some of these questions may be philosophical but your studentsContinue reading
Biography Unit Ideas for Primary Grades
By grade 4, students are expected to be able to conduct some research, organize ideas and use their knowledge to create various pieces of writing. What better way to facilitate these practices then by conducting a biography unit? Biographies offer students many benefits, some of which are gaining a new perspective on their own life, while being inspired by the works of others. Below are some biography unit ideas for primary grades. Before beginning this unit it is a good idea to have a discussion about fictions vs. non-fiction texts. As well as, discussing how to write an engaging story/biography. For reference, you can look into a story writing unit and learn more about nonfictionContinue reading