I LOVE POETRY

This is a simple way to make sure your students are exposed to poetry even though you have a full curriculum and very busy days.   Gather some poetry books and them put on a shelf or in a crate.  I actually put the books in a picnic basket and then stored them that way when we were not using them.  Make sure you have all of the Shel Silverstein books.  Children love that poet.  Copy at least a weeks worth of the worksheet and put out near the poetry books or where you put papers for your students to access. Do one with the students to show what you expect of them.  I would always demonstrate with one of my favorite childhood poems by Robert Louis Stevenson: 'The Swing'.  Below is a sample with out the student drawing.  Expectations for students:  neat handwriting, detailed drawing, and neat coloring .  This could be worked into a great center area if you wished.  I assigned one a day during the month of April - National Poetry Month.  This gave my Third Graders extra penmanship practice with cursive handwriting.  You might end up with 20 completed for each child at the end of the month.  This makes a nice booklet to send home or even a nice Mother's Day Gift.

SPECIFIC FORMATING

 Often you can take a worksheet and make it specifically for your class.  See the additions to the writing paper.

FURBIT - Parts of Many Animals

Create an imaginary creature for your classroom to capture your students' attention.
Cut out parts of different animals and glue them to a sheet of paper to form your creature.  Introduce the newly created animal to your class and ask them what they think he is.  Name the various animals the new creature was made from.  Write a class story telling where Furbit lives, what he eats, what activities he likes, what habits... OR have students write  individual stories.  Post stories in the hallway with your creative writing.  If you have enough pictures to cut up, each child could do their own imaginary animal.

PEN PAL IDEAS

Here are a couple of form pages to help your students understand the format of a letter.  Below are two of the decorated letters I used for the Pen Pal Letters.  I purchased design paper and ran them through the copier to add lines for the students to use.  As we wrote our letters, I would ask the students to show me some of the skills we had been working on: capitalization of proper nouns, certain punctuation, and of course neatness and nice penmanship-always!  Remember to make copies before you mail the letters out, so you can insert in the Journal/Memory Books.  I also put the letter from their penpal in their Journal/Memory Books.

CITIZENSHIP BOOKLET

This could be used as a culmination of your Citizenship Study.  Students discuss the aspects of Citizenship in the three areas of their life: At Home, In the Community, In the Country.  They draw a detailed picture showing how they can be a good citizen in each of these areas.  After being checked by the teacher for good detail, the students can color.  After all three papers are completed, the students are ready to complete the written portion of the booklet.  Make sure all writing is proofed and encourage neatness at all times.

IF I WERE THE TEACHER...

Do you want to know what your students are thinking should be taught in the classroom?  This writing assignment is an eye opener!  Pros/Cons of brainstorming:  students have material to use while writing....students might limit their responses to the options listed on the board.   Makes a cute Class Book.   This can also be put on the website if you wish to share with others.   Will be a nice addition to the Journal/Memory Book at the end of the year.

ALL ABOUT ME

I can't think of an easier writing assignment.  The guidelines are at the top of the page in question format. The students just need to answer the questions using complete sentences.  The questions also lend themselves to make it easier to capitalize and punctuate.  Tell the students that for each answer, they need to start with a capital letter and end with punctuation.  I encouraged the students to add a bit more: grade they were in, hobby, pets, sports, favorite subject...  We did a little brainstorm session before we began writing, so the extra ideas were on  the board, to help them.  A nice ending sentence could be:  One other thing I think you should know about me is _______________________.  I always had my students start a writing project with a Sloppy Copy.  Have the students bring their first effort to the teacher to be checked for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, idea...  On the Final Copy the students should be very aware of neat writing.  This project makes a great Class Book.  Remember to put in the Journal/Memory Book at the end of the year.

AIMS SCIENCE: FALL LEAFS ME HAPPY

Question: What can we find out about fall leaves?
Material: Worksheet, Leaves, Magnifier, Map Colored Pencils
Directions:
Measure 4 leaves - use inch measurement
Pick 1 leaf to look at closely with a magnifier.
Carefully draw the leaf, the veins...
Color with map pencils.
Write a paragraph on the leaf paper.
~ tell about leaves
~ what is the same about them
~ what is different about them
~ what can you say about the colors
~ what do you know about touching the leaves
~ what can you say about the shapes
~ how did the leaf look different under the magnifier

TONGUE TWISTER FUN

Children have a lot of fun with tongue twisters.  Use this joy with our language to practice penmanship, encourage reading, and adding a touch of art.  Make sure you have a few tongue twister books available.  Let students spend a few days reading and enjoying the tongue twisters.  Students choose the item they want.    Then each child needs to figure out and explain what the tongue twister is all about and why it is funny.  I would make copies of chosen pages so that the books will not be needed to do the paper work.  Set aside time for students to neatly copy the tongue twister neatly on handwriting paper.
The paper needs space at the top for the student illustration.  Instruct that tongue twisters are written in a certain way like poetry is.  Students need to copy exactly.  Once writing is completed, student gets page checked by teacher for neatness and correctness in spelling and formation of letters (especially, if you are teaching cursive).  Then student get to draw a detailed picture to illustrate their writing.  That should be checked by the teacher also, just to encourage lots of detail and care, with less rushing to get done.  Then student can color.  We used crayons so there would be a choice of colors.  Have one artistic student illustrate your cover and one student with neat handwriting do a contents page.  Then put on the web and into a class book and watch students flip through it, reading and enjoying for many months.  Remember at the end of the year, to transfer papers to Journal/Memory Books.

PENPALS ACROSS AMERICA

*Works well with GREAT MAIL RACE*
Also can do a variety of "State Activities"
to introduce the students to the
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

As students get penpal letters, put them
in class books and later transfer to
Journal/Memory Books at the end of the
year.

I would have the class write a letter
each month.  Do it as a class, so it is
easier for you and for them.

THE GREAT MAIL RACE

HALLWAY BULLETIN BOARD

LETTER TO PARENTS

PEN PAL NOTE

TEACHER COVER LETTER

SAMPLE BLANK MAP

SAMPLE ENVELOPE

Directions:
1.  Formulate a questionnaire to include in each letter you send.  See sample.
2.  Develop a class letter which each child will copy to send away.  Be sure to ask for the return of the questionnaire.  Encourage BEST HANDWRITING.  See sample.
3.  Prepare a cover letter from the teacher to be included in the mailing.  See sample.
4.  Have students choose state/city they are interested in.  Some students may need to send out two letters to make sure you have covered all 50 states.  Pick towns from zip code lists.
5.  Address envelopes:  BEST HANDWRITING
     Second Grade Class
     Town
     State    Zip
     *POSTMASTER--Please deliver to any school with a second grade.
6.  Post a large map of the United States and put names of the students on the states to which they have written.
7.  As replies are received, color the states, or list the states to the side of the map.  Keep a tally so the children can see the number of replies.  WORK IN MATH QUESTIONS.
8.  WINNING???  Do we get all 50 states back before school is out?
PUT RESPONSES IN CLASS BOOK DURING THE YEAR AND THEN TRANSFER TO JOURNAL/MEMORY BOOK AT THE END OF THE YEAR.

THANK YOU

This is the probably the last chance your students will get the opportunity to write a letter that year.  What a nice way to practice this skill.  This paper can be used for any Thank You Project, but I chose for the students to thank the school for what they have received.  Before you begin make sure you have a good discussion about what kind of things might be written.  I let the students think back to past grades also.  Encourage best penmanship.  After students are finished (I always had them do a 'sloppy copy' first) with the writing section, proof it, and then let them color.  Encourage best coloring.  Markers give a more vivid color.  Back with colors that are typically thought of for beginning of school - red and green construction paper.  Best part of the wall display was the two pieces of art that we put in the center.  Drawings were of the school-church.   This paper should definitely be placed in the Journal Memory Book.

MOTHER'S DAY TEA

This project can be done with younger students by using the copy of the card that has the verse written for the child. All the child needs to do is sign his or her name beneath the verse. OR you can take up to the intermediate level and have the students copy the verse from the board, using best penmanship. I used this opportunity to have my 3rd graders practice their cursive writing.

No matter which level you choose to do this project all students need to draw a picture on the front of the card. I chose to use "guided drawing technique" and had the students follow my sketching as I did it on the board. We drew a tree on the left with flowers beneath, a sun at the right top with clouds beneath the sun, and a detailed picture of MOM with the student standing next to her.

FATHER'S DAY CERTIFICATE

Change the year date.  Copy these sheets onto tag board back to back.  Encourage neat writing, detailed drawing, and nice coloring.  Check spelling.  Place in an envelope supplied by the school.  Send home the last week of school.  Remind the students to make sure to give to their father!

TOP 10 REASONS I LOVE MOM & DAD

Easy, quick, Mother's Day or Father's Day Card.  Cost is minimal - depending if you can get envelopes from the supply room or you can make envelopes from brown paper sacks.  Follow directions for ENVELOPE.  Encourage best coloring and handwriting.


ENVELOPE
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/cards/curvedenvelope/template.shtml
Carefully cut out the envelope (you could use a pinking shears instead of a regular scissors to give your envelope an unusual jagged finish)

Fold over the flaps, one at a time, on top of the central square. When you get to the last flap, gently push one edge of the flap under the first flap.

Address your envelope on the other side.
You now have an unusual envelope/letter with curved flaps. If you want to seal it, you can either tape the flaps down securely or put a pretty sticker where the four flaps meet.