writing Archives - Page 4 of 4

Memorial Day Activities For Elementary

May 7, 2021 teachersbrain education, Teaching Tips, Writing

While some students may just see Memorial Day as a day off from school, it is a great time to teach them about Memorial Day and why we celebrate it. It is important for them to know about those who gave their lives while serving our country.

Here are some ways you can teach elementary students about Memorial Day in your classroom.

Start by giving them the definition. It seems simple, but this is something that not a lot of students know or understand.
Read a book about the holiday. Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops by Jill Biden and Raul Colon is a great book written by the First Lady.
Write a letter to a hero. If your students have any friends or family members that served they can write a letter to them. For other students you can have them write a letter to hero you select for them. This is a great way to give students perspective and a chance to express their gratitude.
Discuss the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day. On Veterans Day we celebrate those still living who served our country, on Memorial Day we celebrate those we lost.

My Memorial Day Writing Activity is the perfect addition to your lesson!

Perfect for students in first through third grade, you’ll get a variety of writing activities.

Included with this resource, you’ll get

an informational sheet about the holiday
acrostic poems with self rating systems
Home of the Free Because of the Brave printable
Informational writing planning page
Informational writing page
Thank you, Hero Letter
Thank You Letter
Posters for students to fill out
Poster about informative writing
Transitional words and phrases list
Word wall words
Rubric

You’ll get everything you need to get your students engaged in learning about our American heroes.

Looking for more teaching activities for May? Check out Mother’s Day ideas here!

Writing Prompts For Early Elementary Students

January 15, 2021 teachersbrain kindergarten survival, Teacher's Pay Teachers, Writing

Do your early elementary students need help getting their creative writing juices flowing? Writing prompts can help!

When faced with a blank page, many kids can feel overwhelmed by writing assignments. They’re not sure where to start, and some students can even shut down when faced with writing activities. Other students might be comfortable with writing, but just don’t get excited about “boring” writing assignments in the classroom.

writing prompts

Writing prompt journals are the answer for these challenges!

Journals filled with writing prompts give a clear assignment each and every day. Your students will know exactly what to write rather than spending time deciding about a topic.

With daily assignments students will approach their writing with more confidence. As they become more comfortable with responding to prompts they will lose their feelings of overwhelm.

In addition, journals are a great way to monitor students’ growth in their writing skills. By keeping each month’s journals you will be able to see their content and conventions grow over time. You can also identify problem areas for particular students or the whole class and address those skills with specialized lessons.

As your students become more familiar with daily writing, they will take more chances with creativity. Writing as a daily routine will help you address all of these skills regularly without extra planning. You can even add in word banks with vocabulary words for them to use and teach them how to check their work with self check-offs.

If you’re ready to incorporate daily writing prompts in your classroom, my Writing Prompts with Word Banks Bundle is just the print-and-go material you need.

Simply print the pages out for the month, staple, and you’re ready!

Students will love the fun writing tasks as well as the word banks. They can easily spell words they may need in their writing and feel more confident in their ideas. There are also checklists at the bottom of each day’s prompt so students can check their own work for writing expectations. Each month includes a writing rubric you can use to assess students’ writing.

In addition to journals for all twelve months, I’ve also included silly writing prompts to really get your students excited! Reluctant writers will enjoy using their skills for a fun writing assignment.

I hope these writing prompts get your students excited to use their creativity with writing!

5 Ways To Help Students Master Their Names

September 11, 2020 teachersbrain education, kindergarten survival, Teaching Tips

One of the first things we teach our little learners when they come to kindergarten is how to write their own name. It is so important for students to get plenty of practice and learn this readiness skill early on. It is something they will write often and for the rest of their lives. Knowing how to write it will help build their confidence in their own abilities in school and help set the stage for learning the rest of the alphabet during the school year.

Here are some different ways to practice and make learning names fun:

Handwriting. You’ll want to place a lot of focus on good old fashioned handwriting when it comes to learning their names. This is one of the most important ways to practice. It feels like second nature as we grow up but learning to hold and control a pencil takes lots of practice for our younger students.
Tracing with a finger. Write the letters to their names out and have your students practice tracing the letters with their fingers. This will help them get used to the shape of the letters and help with memorization.
Dry erase board practice. There’s just something about a dry erase board and dry erase marker that students love. It is just more exciting to use than a plain old pencil. Pass them to your students for an engaging and fun way to practice writing their names. A bonus is that it is easy to wipe away any mistakes!
Painting or shaving cream. What is more fun for kindergarteners than getting messy? Make this fun and educational activity by spraying some shaving cream on their desk and having them trace their name into it or by pulling out some paint and brushes.
Digital practice. These days, it is just as important to practice digitally typing and identifying letters in their name as it is writing it. Your students can practice this by identifying the letters in their name, counting the number of letters, and typing it out on their keyboards.

These interactive, Editable Name Practice Google Slides will help your students master this skill. They can be easily personalized to make sure your students will know their names, letters, and be engaged in learning. It is perfect for virtual or in personal learning. You’ll get 20 colorful Google Slides with titles, editable text boxes, directions, and moving parts.

You can also get this resource in Spanish if your students are not English speakers!

You can try out the Editable Name Practice Activity by checking out this freebie!

Here is a video tutorial for how to use this resource!

Do you have any fun activities to teach your students to write their names? Let me know in the comments!

For some more kindergarten resources, check out my post here.
Names

Writing Prompts for the YEAR

October 3, 2017 teachersbrain Writing

Why is writing important? It is important because we can communicate easier in creative ways with others. Writing is necessary for life. This skill helps express feelings and thoughts. Writing builds a connection with reading skills. It is different from oral communication. Writing helps organize thoughts. Studies show that teachers should spend more time teaching writing both explicit and naturally. This is where it is helpful for a teacher to provide a daily writing journal. If students finish work early, give them the option to write in a journal. It is unclear through research just how much time is needed to teach writing because every student learns differently. Also, many teachers integrate writing in other subject areas. Share different types of writing with your students. Let them have opportunities for a real audience and a chance to hear feedback not just with the teacher. I used monthly journals. Every Friday I allowed a few students to be the featured author, and share their writing with the class. Each author could choose 3 people to give feedback or a positive comment. I had to model this the first couple weeks, but students are quick to pick it up. No matter what, make sure you teach writing in elementary everyday. It will build a great foundation for your students.