K-1 Opinion Writing: 3 Books Guaranteed to Make Them Laugh...and Write!

Are you looking for books to motivate reluctant writers? These 3 Jon Klassen stories are bound to get your students talking about their opinions!

Once my students are comfortable with the idea of opinion writing, I like to move onto more open-ended books. The types of books that force them to think about what really happened at the end of the story and form their own reasons for it.

K-1 Opinion Writing: 5 Books to Inspire Early Writers

I have always enjoyed teaching opinion writing to K-1 students. Opinion writing is more motivating, as we all know they have opinions they love sharing!

However, getting K-1 students to include a reason for their opinion can be tricky. 

Over the past eight years, I have used these books to launch our opinion writing unit. They have helped my students understand why their opinion need a reason in an engaging way!

K-1 Narrative Writing: 14 Ezra Jack Keats Books to Inspire Early Writers

Encouraging K-1 students to write narrative stories can be difficult as we all know. They have had plenty  of experiences, but they are not always able to think of one when it is time to reflect and write about their lives. 

Ezra Jack Keats books are the perfect way to inspire your early writers!

K-1 Narrative Writing: 13 Donald Crews Books to Inspire Early Writers

Donald Crews is one of my students favorite authors to study each year. 

3 Ways to Start the New School Year Strong

Choosing books for the first weeks of school can be tricky!

K-1 How To Writing: 14 Books to Inspire Early Writers

Over the past few years I have ended up with a lot of how to books and what I like is that they are not all nonfiction. 

K-1 How To Writing : Launching Activity for Your How To Unit

Launching a new writing unit always requires a fun and hands-on lesson, so I always start with how to make fruit salad!

K-1 Bingo Games for Literacy and Math

My first grade class enjoys playing games during morning arrival each week.

Distance Learning in Kindergarten

I'll be honest, distance learning in Kindergarten can be overwhelming when you first start to think about it!

Of course, that is true for most grades. However, in Kindergarten there  are many things that need to be seen in person, for both you and your student!

Kindergarten Writing Ideas - A Weekly Routine to Motivate Early Writers!

Over the past 6 years, I have noticed that a lot of my Kindergarten students struggle with free write time.

 

Skill Games for Homework

Homework is such a hot topic these days - I know I have never been a fan of it for Kindergarten. 

Classroom Reveal!

Here is a peek at my classroom from last year!

Kindergarten Classroom Decor

Kindergarten students need to have access to a wide variety of words in their first year. It can be overwhelming, having all those posters displayed in one classroom.

Increasing Vocabulary in Grades 3-5: 40 Social and Academic Vocabulary Words

Updated for 2022 with a new, clean look!

In my first year of teaching I taught a 5th grade class that benefited greatly from social and academic support.

Building Vocabulary in Grades 3-5 with an Easy Daily Routine!

I started using a daily vocabulary word when I worked in pull-out in grades 2-5. I worked with accelerated readers in the computer lab and they struggled when presented with new words in their reading passages.

Controlling the Volume in the Classroom

Updated for 2022 with a new look!

I am not a silent person, pretty much ever. I have always been a bit of a chatterbox, and that is probably the reason why I do not mind a chatty classroom. I could not make it through the day without talking to the people in my life, and I certainly do not expect them to be silent throughout the majority of the day.

No Work Weekends Planning Schedule

It took about a year to figure my system out, but I now have a planning schedule that allows me to take each weekend off from school completely.

Using a TV in the Classroom - ELA and Math

Having a TV in your classroom can seem overwhelming at first, but it really is an amazing way to increase learning. Click here to read about how I incorporate it into our morning meeting.

All About Me Book for K-1

I must confess, the beginning of last school year is a blur. I found out in July that I was switching schools, and moving from 5th to Kindergarten.

End of the Year Memory Books for K-1

As every teacher knows, the last few weeks of school are a hectic time. They are packed with field trips, field day, assemblies, graduation activities and a whole lot of active children!

Being back in Kindergarten for the first time in ten years, I was a bit unsure of how I could go about keeping them occupied; while still writing, reading and of course, having fun!

I thought that a memory book would be our best bet. I wanted it to be a writing activity we could all do together - but I didn't want anyone to feel stressed or overwhelmed at the thought of making a book.

I decided to use a combination of graphic organizers and open responses. This would allow my students who loved to write the option of expressing themselves freely. The graphic organizer would give enough structure and motivation to even my most reluctant writer! (Or anyone who had a severe case of "summer brain" those days!)

I let my students choose which version they preferred:

They really enjoyed being able to choose the pages they wanted to complete and the style in which they could do it.

We did the graphs together and the class names made a wonderful morning work activity those last few mornings!

One of the parts that my class loved the most was the borders and black and white clipart. They liked coloring it in and I loved how uniquely different each book turned out.

This activity definitely made the last few days a lot more fun for everyone!

If you would like to see more, click here or on any of the pictures above!

I hope you have a wonderful last few weeks of school!