First Grade Wow: Spider Writing

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Spider Writing

Hello Everyone!!!

Writer's Workshop is in full swing! We have worked hard on composing with pictures, collected ideas, increased our focus to small moments,worked with writing partners , and are now trying to make our stories come to life. Lucy Calkins, in her Writing Units of Study, describes the next steps as writing in “Itsy Bitsy Steps.” Jennifer Serravallo, in her Writing Strategies Book, discusses organizing in sequence. Working on helping kids unfold their stories in steps is a something that takes more than one mini lesson. It will take mentor texts, modeling, re-organizing, revising, and a little element of manipulative fun. I like to start off by sharing one of my favorite books, One Day by Rebecca Dotlich. You have to get this book! It shows kids how important it is to include all the parts of a small moment. We then talk about spiders and how they build their webs step by step. I like to use Eric Carle’s The Very Busy Spider! Every page shows the spider making each part of her web. Then I get busy and begin modeling a piece which includes step by step organization. To add some fun and interest to the skill I use little spider rings to indicate each step.

The kids get ready to tell their small moment stories bit by bit.

I give each kiddo a small spider eraser to help remind them to write like a spider! This whole lesson takes a few days, and many hours of trying. But by adding the right fun elements, kids will embrace this important skill!! Happy Writing!!