We began writing this year by talking about the Reasons People Write. The list our class came up with was awesome--better than the poster I had purchased!
Next, we brainstormed topics we are interested in writing about. Students thought on their own, shared with a partner, and came together as a group to create a large classroom list (Think*Pair*Share). Each student recorded a Topic List about what they are most interested in writing about, in their writing journals.
Next, students drafted their first writing piece of the year. We will use this for goal-setting.
Since then, students have been reading up a storm and are already writing Book Reviews. Once these are typed up, they will appear on Haiku as a resource for students to use when searching for a good book to read.
Students have also begun to work on Constructed Responses to literature. We are using the book Peter and the Starcatchers as a way to explore reading imagery, characterization, predictions, and plot elements. Students will learn how to answer writing prompts by using thePainted Essay format, in order to build organized and detailed constructed responses.
(click on the Painted Essay Link above to learn more!)