Sunday, January 22, 2017

Winter Writing Favorites


I'm sure many of you agree with me when I say I have a love/hate relationship with bulletin boards. I don't know about you, but I feel a lot of pressure to make my bulletin boards show work that is attractive yet rigorous! (Tell me I'm not alone!)

To gear all of us up for January/February bulletin boards, I've collected a few of my favorites to share with you.

PENGUINS

Who doesn't love penguins? I typically start my informational writing unit with penguin research reports. We do some shared research and shared writing, then students do their own research on a chosen species of penguins. The end project is adorable.

I decided to simplify the process a little bit this year by creating a writing template for the penguin belly, which you can grab for free here. The link also shows how I make the tracers for the penguin body.



BUILDING SNOWMEN...

We don't get much snow here in Georgia, but students love snowmen nonetheless. It's not new information that a snowman is the perfect subject for how-to writing. Start your lesson off by showing (and singing) Do You Want to Build a Snowman from Frozen (bonus points if you dance along).

Allow students to create their own snowflakes for the bulletin board, which can also turn into a great (yet difficult) how-to writing piece.



... AND MELTING SNOWMEN

Another all-time favorite of mine that is more appropriate for the South is a melting snowman. I love this project because it is so versatile! It's great for a creative narrative, but works just as well for a science writing piece about the water cycle. You can find a whole blog post about this project here.



These are three boards that I've done myself, but I also have to share my favorite winter writing activities that other amazing teachers have done. Check them out below!


OTHER FAVORITES


Happy creating!

Kristin from School and the City