We are coming to the end of our first writing unit and students have really raised the level of their writing using many of the new strategies they have been taught. They each have a writer's notebook. The front is used for anchor charts and other tools that they can refer to when needed. The back half is where they try out the new strategies or techniques I teach. They have learned to use a story mountain to plan their pieces. This helps them to think about all the story elements, rising action, the heart of the story (theme), and character feelings for each event or scene. Students are working on ways to show emotion in their characters through actions rather than stating how the character feels. They are also working on using their five senses to describe sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch. We started using mentor sentences from children's literature to learn various grammar skills that students can use in their own writing. They list all the things they notice about the sentence, label parts of speech, choose words to revise, and then write their own version. We reviewed lots of skills this week, and took a closer look at fixing up our own writing by replacing boring verbs with more vivid verbs. It's also a great vocabulary builder. Word Work!
We have started our word work groups. Students will be working with a set of words for two weeks and then be assessed on their understanding of the rules and patterns taught. They each have a packet that is kept in the blue home binder along with a sheet outlining activities, a sorting mat, and their cut up words.
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AuthorMrs. Gray Mentor TextFireflies by Judy Brinkloe
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October 2017
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