Perfect Paragraphs for President's Day

This week we will be reading and writing about Abraham Lincoln. Then next week, on to George Washington. I can hardly wait to see my kiddos finished products. Especially after the successful pieces they wrote about Martin Luther King, Jr. a couple of weeks ago. Just take a peek at a few of them. I could have shown them ALL! Each child's was different, yet all very impressive - especially for only being 1/2 way through first grade. I am so proud of my wonderful students!

Ok... time to get back on track. In preparation for the next two weeks of writing, I modified some old writing templates I had created a few years ago. 

The 16-page pdf file includes:

Word Banks

Was, Had, Did pages for recording research

Drafting Templates for a 7 sentence paragraph

An Informational Writing Checklist 

and a ...Report Cover and Publishing Paper

The entire packet is absolutely FREE 
and is available now in my TpT store. 

Click HERE or the colored graphic above to grab it. 

Happy Writing! 

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

This week we will be reading The Itsy Bitsy Spider and The Tortoise and the Hare in our Reading Anthology.

My students usually know the first verse from the Itsy Bitsy spider rhyme - but not the later ones... So, this is always a favorite.

And... there are always a few if not more, who ask for a copy of these later verses to go home. So this year I created this little booklet for them.

They will begin by filling in the missing rhyming words for each verse and then illustrate the pages.  On the last 3 pages they will be asked to 1- list the spider's problems, 2- tell how she tries to solve them, and finally 3- identify the central message of the story.

I know they are going to love this. 

Grab a copy for yourself  HERE.

The Little Engine That Could

This week we will be reading The Little Engine That Could in our reading textbook.

Since we are working on writing summaries, I thought it might be fun to create a summary template that formed a train - beginning with the little engine pulling a bunch of train cars behind it.

This is what I came up with.

I think my students are really going to enjoy creating this one!

Grab a copy for yourself here.

"How To" Instructional Writing

My 1st grade CREW are currently working on writing "How To" instructional paragraphs using the transitions First, Next, Then, and Finally. Of course these are sandwiched between and introductory and closing sentence to complete a six or more sentence paragraph.

FIRST, we began with the ever popular: "How to Build a Snowman" - which we finished up last week.

Here's a sample from one of my youngest students.

NEXT, we wrote "How to Make a Sandwich" paragraphs.

THEN, it was on to "How to Play___________  (basketball, checkers, four corners, Old Maid, etc).

FINALLY, we will write a "How to Get Ready for Bed" paragraph that will be used as our unit assessment.

To help my students through the writing process and publish attractive pieces, I created the templates shown here.

Click on each picture to grab a copy for yourself.

MLK Word Bank and Writing Paper

I just finished updating my MLK writing paper and word bank mini-pack. I will be using this along with some other fabulous resources I purchased from TPT authors: A Year of Many Firsts, Curriculum Castle, Jessica Peterson, Fishyrobb, and Teacher to the Core.

Click HERE to grab this FREEBIE.

 Here is sample from one of my students:

Polar Bears

This week's story in our Imagine It program's Big Book was "Polar Bears" by Jacqueline S. Cotton.

After reading the story together, we completed our first "Can, Have, Are" page of the year. The children did a fabulous job and enjoyed the process of finding facts and categorizing them.

Then, we used these "findings" to develop and write a six or more sentence non-fiction information report about these amazing arctic creatures with an introduction, 4 facts, and a closing.

Once we were finished writing, we stapled our reports to a 9x12 piece of white construction paper and added a head and legs to turn them into eye-catching publications.

Tomorrow the kiddos will practice their reading and public speaking skills as they share their polar bear reports aloud.

I am so proud of their work and how far they have come in just 30 short days!

You can grab a free copy of this mini-writing project here.

Happy Friday!

A Day at the Beach

I just completed a cute "A Day at the Beach" writing pack for one of my students who will be out for a week on independent study.

After I printed it, I thought, "Why not share it with my blogging friends as well?"

So here it is! Just click on the first picture to download your FREE copy.

Hopefully you will be able to use it as well.

Enjoy!

October Freebies and More

October FREEBIES

October Word Bank and Writing Paper

October Super Sentence

October Perfect Paragraph

Open Court Imagine It! Support Materials

Unit 3 Materials
Unit 4 Materials

October TPT Items

Tick-or-Tock Candy Corn Clocks

Primate Place Value:
A Barrel of Fun with Tens and Ones

Halloween Language Arts Activities
for the Primary Grades

Nightly Reading Log for 1st Grade

OCR Imagine It: Unit 2 Non-Fiction Writing

Writing Journals

I just finished preparing my students writing journals for the year. It took a little time - but well worth the effort. All it took was a pack of decorative paper, a glue stick, my pirate-themed labels (with each student's class number on the treasure chest), and a role of clear contact paper.

These Stage 3 Primary Journals by Mead worked just perfectly for my 1st graders last year. It was amazing to see how their writing progressed .
There was plenty of room for pictures and top, middle, and bottom baselines for proper letter formation.

They were more pricey than the regular composition books, but worth the investment.

Update...

A few weeks after this post, I received an email from a follower asking if I could create these labels for second grade as well. So, here you go Liz! Click HERE to download the labels for SECOND GRADE.

April Writing

As promised, I finished my April-Themed Word Banks and Writing Paper by the end of the week. It is the biggest and best yet! With many themes that can be used throughout the year - not only in April.

This 42-page pdf file contains 10 different word banks with matching writing paper and bubble story maps. Also included in the pack is a syllable sort recording sheet and prewriting template. Word banks/themes feature:

1. Easter
2. At the Zoo
3. In the Wild
4. On the Farm
5. Earth Day
6. At the Library
7. Under the Ocean
8. In the Garden
9. The Perfect Pet
10. April Showers

Your student's work will not only improve with the help of the word banks, but will be ready to display as soon as they are finished! Adorable! The entire pack is available now in my TPT store.

Of course I also have a FREEBIE from the pack for my loyal blog followers. Get your April Showers word bank, bubble map, and story paper here.

March Word Banks and Writing Paper

I just completed my March-themed writing pack. This 30-page pdf file contains 7 different word banks with matching writing paper and bubble maps for brainstorming. The pack also includes a prewriting planning sheet and syllable sort page. Word banks/themes feature:

• Read Across America/Dr. Seuss
• St. Patrick's Day
• Going to the Dentist
• Going to the Doctor
• Spring
• Alaskan Iditarod Race
• Baseball

It is now available in my TPT store.

The baseball pages of the packet are available HERE for FREE.

March Super Sentences and Perfect Paragraphs

Once again...for those of you who are MORE organized than me and prepare materials weeks in advance - I wanted to let you know that I have finished the March version of my Super Sentences and Perfect Paragraphs.

Also at the request of a follower, I have added a final draft page to each Perfect Paragraph template, that includes only the heading and graphic followed by lines. See sample below.

They are currently available for purchase in my TPT store.

Of course, there is always a FREEBIE or two included for those of you who only have time for a page a month... Click HERE to grab your Super Sentence FREEBIE and HERE to grab your Perfect Paragraph FREEBIE.

Each page in these pdf file features a different picture/theme to inspire students to write perfect paragraphs and super Super Sentences.

Happy Writing!

Harriet Tubman

Last week, one of my followers left a comment to one of my posts asking if it were possible for me to create a writing word bank and the matching story paper for Harriet Tubman. So, in honor of black history month which was not included in my original February writing paper pack - how could I refuse.

Well, I finally found the time to make this happen... So, Lyssa over at My Mommy Reads - this is for you and for anyone else who is teaching or sharing about the life of this most extrodinary woman.

Grab your FREE copy HERE.

February-Themed Word Banks and Writing Paper

I just comleted my February-themed writing pack. This 20-page pdf file contains 5 different word banks and matching writing paper for the month of February as well as a prewriting planning sheet with completed student sample, noun, verb, and adjective sort and syllable sort page. Word banks/themes feature: Groundhog's Day, Valentine's Day, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Mardi Gras. It is now available in my TPT store.

Grab the Abraham Lincoln pages of the pack here for FREE.