Research Book for Young Writers

We are learning about zoo animals this week. I'm going to integrate this into writing by having my class do a research project on different animals. I put together a simple research book to use. I will eventually add some pictures of the finished products.

Here is what the book looks like (except the pages are white - not sure why every picture I upload looks so dark):

Check it out HERE!

Bluebonnet Craft/Writing

My kids loved making our state flower - bluebonnets!  We made a tree map about what bluebonnets are, have, and need. Then students wrote a fact about bluebonnets. Here are a few:

Bluebonnets need water.

Bluebonnets can live. Bluebonnets have a stem.

Bluebonnets need sun.

Bluebonnets are state flowers.

Armadillo Writing/Armadilly Chili Graphing

Today we focused on the Texas state small mammal: armadillos.

In reading, we read the nonfiction book Animals Underground Armadillos:

Afterwards, we made a tree map on what armadillos have, can do, and need.

Then students retold facts about armadillos through writing. Here are a few of them:

Armadillos have pups. Armadillos have babies.

Armadillos have ?. They can roll into a ball!

Armadillos can live in a burrow.

Armadillos can roll into a ball.

Armadillos have armor.

For math, we read Armadilly Chili:

After reading, we tasted chili and then graphed if students liked it. All but three students loved it. I got many compliments on it - evidently I am the best chili maker ever! Little do they know, I'm just a good can opener! ;)

I forgot to take a picture of our graph.

Snowmen/Snow Day

Since we really did not get much snow on our actual snow days, we made our own snow in our classroom!

After making and playing in the snow, we wrote about making the snow on snowmen!!!

Penguins: Writing, Free Books, Penguin Cams

Last week was a fiction week in reading so we focused on Tacky! If you haven't read Tacky stories to your kids, do it! They can't get enough! There are so many versions to chose from which makes it even better!

This week we are focusing on nonfiction and we are still using the penguin theme. We have been writing facts about penguins.

If you don't have nonfiction books on penguins, We Give Books has some great nonfiction books on penguins. Below are the books they have. You can click on the title to go to the website/book:

See How They Grow - Penguins

DK Readers: Emperor Penguins

Emperor Penguins

My kids LOVE having the opportunity to watch LIVE PENGUINS!!! Here are a couple of websites to check out:

SeaWorld Penguin Cam

Animal Planet Penguin Cam

Enjoy your day!

Writing Samples

I'm so proud of the progress made so far this year!!

This friend did not attend prekindergarten and came in not knowing letters, sounds, writing in scribbles, etc. Here is her writing sample:

"It was my imagination. I was so scared (?). I thought I saw a monster."

She has come a long way!!

Here are two more of this weeks writing samples:

"I was happy because I went to the mall. It was fun! I ate 100 of food. Yes yes yes yes yes yes!"

I'm not sure where all of the yeses came from...guess he was really excited about the mall! =)

"I went to Incredible Pizza. I had fun today. I was in Odessa. I had a sleep over with a new kid."

This is was I love about kinder...going from scribbles to stories that make sense! It is so rewarding to see the progress. Can't wait to see how they are doing at the end of the year!!