In first grade, students will learn how to write personal narratives or small moment stories, informational texts, opinion pieces, as well as some fictional writing. In each unit, students will be guided through each aspect of the writing process from planning and drafting to revising and editing and eventually to publication.
Personal Narratives or Small Moment stories are the stories of their everyday lives - losing a tooth, helping mom make cookies, or learning to ride a bike. We call them "Small Moment Stories" because our writers try to find the smaller, more meaningful moments within each narrative that holds more importance. By using detail and description, the writer stretches this part out. Special trips, such as a vacation at the beach, may continue to be a topic of interest to a young writer. Rather than record the "Dawn-to-Dusk" sequence of the day, the small moment may have been building a sand castle with great care and being surprised that the tide came in and took it out to sea! The first graders are beginning to move away from "The Breakfast-to-Bed" story in which he/she presents a chronology of sequenced activity. They are focusing in on the truly meaningful moments of their daily lives. The 1H writers are learning to find their voices as writers. Click the link to view the checklist that children will use, Narrative Writing Checklist
Students will also learn how to write informational texts. Students will "research" a chosen topic. They will use print sources as well as searching the web for facts. Students will learn the importance of the layout of the page, how to use headings, how to label diagrams or pictures. Six and seven year olds are so curious about the world. This is a great opportunity for them to learn how to research a chosen topic and learn how to write to teach the reader more about a given topic. Click the link to view the checklist that children will use, Information Writing Checklist
Another genre that first graders will explore is Opinion writing. Opinion writing is the pre-cursor to Persuasive writing that students begin in third grade. As you know, first graders have a lot of opinions and they are not afraid of expressing them :-)During this unit, students will learn to state an opinion and support their opinion with reasons. Click the link to view the checklist that children will use, Opinion Writing Checklist
The last unit of study that the writers in 1H will learn about is fiction writing. They have heard hundreds of fiction stories and often develop interest in specific authors. This is an opportunity for the authors in 1H to use their imaginations to make up stories. They will learn to develop stories by using dialogue, action, and feelings. Click the link to view the checklist that children will use, Fiction Writing Checklist