One of the best parts of being with first graders is watching them grow leaps and bounds over the course of a school year. Many of them walk in the door with little courage when putting pencil to paper to draw and write. Bravery is a huge part of the whole year. When kids grasp this notion, they soar and that is just the case with a young man in my class this year and I couldn't get him off my mind today.
Little E wasn't sure about what to do when someone didn't tell him what to write about the first few weeks of school. The more he saw other kids sharing and listened to great mentors for writing, he gained the confidence he needed. He started with wordless stories and had lots to say in his pictures after we studied
ways writers can think about pictures. Then he eventually started writing more text when we studied
personal narratives. He has now come alive now with our non-fiction study. You'll notice we haven't ventured into the research piece that often goes right along with non-fiction. Instead, I decided to introduce some text structures first and have the kids practice teaching others in areas that we feel we have some expertise. I'll tie in research after spring break. On Friday, he shared the start to his book Sea Creatures (something he feels he is an expert about) and talked about how the mentor
Ten Things I Can Do To Help My World helped him think about adding tips to each page. He is generating ideas, building stamina for writing longer and telling the reader more. Thinking about his success makes me happy for him. It would be so nice to have a comparable piece from the beginning of the year but I don't so do your best to visualize. Hopefully these beginning pages in his story are enough to put a smile on your face.
Little E wasn't sure about what to do when someone didn't tell him what to write about the first few weeks of school. The more he saw other kids sharing and listened to great mentors for writing, he gained the confidence he needed. He started with wordless stories and had lots to say in his pictures after we studied ways writers can think about pictures. Then he eventually started writing more text when we studied personal narratives. He has now come alive now with our non-fiction study. You'll notice we haven't ventured into the research piece that often goes right along with non-fiction. Instead, I decided to introduce some text structures first and have the kids practice teaching others in areas that we feel we have some expertise. I'll tie in research after spring break. On Friday, he shared the start to his book Sea Creatures (something he feels he is an expert about) and talked about how the mentor Ten Things I Can Do To Help My World helped him think about adding tips to each page. He is generating ideas, building stamina for writing longer and telling the reader more. Thinking about his success makes me happy for him. It would be so nice to have a comparable piece from the beginning of the year but I don't so do your best to visualize. Hopefully these beginning pages in his story are enough to put a smile on your face.
3 comments:
Little E is doing a great job. I'm so glad you are sharing your thinking and your students' progress with us. I thoroughly enjoy your reflections - and after reading your post, I spend time thinking on my young friends!
THank you Mary, you always have the kindest comments. Can't stop thinking about my kiddos even on the weekend sometimes. Thanks for reading.
Thank you for writing thiis
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