New lessons posted today in Reading, Phonics, Science, Writing, and Math!
Hi all!! As we head into the last month of school, we recognize that encouraging your kindergarten student to write might be getting tough! Writing is one of the most difficult content areas as it involves so many skills and a LOT of stamina. However, because it is difficult, it is also important to practice writing as much as possible to keep connecting those neurons and prepare for first grade!! Your learners don't need to write lengthy stories each day, but even encouraging them to write a few sentences on a regular basis will help grow their writing muscles. To the right, I've included an image and link to some fun writing prompts from Lakeshore Learning...set a goal with your child to do 3-4 of these each week (they can look ahead and pick their favorite prompts!).
In today's lesson, we will create a list of some of the different types of writing you can do/practice! Keep this list in your writing space; each day when you sit down, think about your reason for writing and then gather the tools you need (you can find charts and checklists from all writing units by clicking the link below), and get started!
Write a Book Recommendation for your teacher!!
Follow the prompts to write about what superhero you would most like to be!!
Would You Rather? Treehouse or Castle
Would You Rather? Fish or Puppy
Would You Rather? Birthday or Halloween
Would You Rather? Ski or Bike
Below you will find lessons that introduce students to persuasive writing! For writing time, plan to have paper and a pencil for your child, as well as a place to store the writing pieces they are working on and/or have completed. Writing is one of the most difficult academic areas for kindergarten kids, so regular practice is important. When you do a writing lesson below, the warm-up (if one posted) is optional. Watch the lesson video (these are no more than 10 minutes) and then set a goal (and a timer, if one is available) to work on writing for at least 10 minutes. If your child is able to write for longer, go for it! However, know that your child might get frustrated during writing because it is so challenging; for this reason make sure they have a brain break basket on hand to take a short break if necessary.
**Important note for parents: writing can and should be a fairly independent time for students. While you can support your child by making sure their writing tools are readily available (alphabet chart, snap words, vowel shield, brain break basket, timer, etc.), please do your best not to do the work for your child. Do not tell your child how to spell words, rather encourage them to stretch out words and write all the sounds they hear, and to make sure they have a vowel in each word - then celebrate their attempts. You can also encourage your child to make sure their writing is easy to read by including spaces and writing neatly. Other than that - try to be hands off :-) Encourage and celebrate your child's efforts and stamina. Encourage your child to reread often so that they can share their writing with you once the timer goes off. Our goal in kindergarten is to increase students' independence and confidence as writers, and we can do this by not stepping in too much, and celebrating the work they do. Thank you for your support!!**
By: Dr. Seuss
In this persuasive writing unit, we will learn to SEE problems in the world around us, THINK of solutions, and then WRITE to make change. The Lorax is a great story to watch (and read) before we begin this unit because The Lorax faced a huge problem: The Once-ler was cutting down all the Truffula Trees and destroying the natural area for birds and animals. The Lorax must "speak for the trees," and try to convince the Once-ler to stop what he's doing! It's a very hard job, and the problem gets bigger as the story goes on, but the Lorax never gives up! In the story, Dr. Seuss reminds us all that: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." So take a moment to watch this movie (or the newer version, or read the original storybook) and get inspired for the work ahead of us in this fun new unit!
Optional video about persuasive writing
Optional video about persuasive writing
Welcome to Day 1 of our persuasive writing unit. Today we will set up our writing space, and learn about the persuasive writing process!
Today's lesson will focus on making your writing more convincing by adding lots of reasons!
Read this before today's writing lesson. As you listen to the story, think about how the cows use words to persuade Farmer Brown to follow their idea!
Get a pencil and paper and try this 5 minute warm-up before watching today's writing lesson! Today we will practice writing letters.
Today's lesson is called Don't Stop There: Generating More Writing for More Causes! Persuasive writers write letters, signs, songs, and more to convince others to follow their idea.
Get a pencil and paper for your 5-minute writing warm up! Today we will practice snap words.
In this lesson, we will create a learning tool where we will brainstorm lots of different problems at home and in the world. You can use this tool every time you sit down to write!
Get a pencil and paper for your 5-minute warm up! Today we will practice writing CVC words.
Learn to use the new and improved "When We Are Done, We've Just Begun" chart to fix up your writing and make it even better!
Practice your word families!
Spelling strategies give writers WORD POWER, so they don't have to say, "How do you spell...?"
Today's warm-up combines science and writing. Find a cool object from nature and draw and write all about it!
Today's lesson will focus on one type of persuasive writing: letters! We will learn to write powerful letters.
Grab a pencil and paper and get ready to sort words into two categories: nonsense or real?
We will continue to explore what makes a powerful letter!
For your warm-up today, watch a read aloud of Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Think about all the reasons the pigeon gives to convince you (the reader) to let him drive the bus. Are you convinced?! How can you be as convincing as the Pigeon in your writing?
Persuasive writers write LOTS of letters to lots of different people!