Fitting your first grade writing lessons into your day can sometimes feel like a struggle. But with these 5 tips you'll have your students writing every day!
1. Sign In
One of the easiest ways to get your kids writing from the very start of the day is to have them sign in. Create a sign in area near your classroom door. You can use an easel or laminated sheet of paper where students sign their name before entering the classroom. Using this kind of sign in area makes it easy for you to wipe it clean each day.
Your sign in board can start off as a simple place to practice writing their name. Students can sign in to show that they're in attendance at school or to choose what they want for lunch. Pose the question – Are you buying or packing? Students can sign their name in the correct column.
As your year progresses, you can use this area to ask your students opinion. Are you excited for our Halloween party? Yes or No Which do you like better – apples or oranges? Students can write the words on your sign in board.
Try hanging a piece of lined chart paper on your sign in board. You can have a simple sentence on the sign in board with questions like “What did you eat for breakfast?” Students can answer with a sentence like “I ate cereal.”
Another simple idea for your sign in board is to have students practice writing the word of the day. Choose a spelling word or sight word and everyone writes it as they come in the door. The sign in board is a quick and easy way to fit a little first grade writing into your day.
2. Morning Work Time
One of the easiest ways to get your kids writing every day is to make it a part of their morning work routine. The start of the day, when kids are slowly trickling into the room, can be a difficult time for planning. How can you make this a productive learning time if all of the students aren't in the room yet? This is the perfect time for journal writing.
Give your students simple writing prompts on the board to practice each day. Begin the year with easy writing prompts like labeling a picture or writing a list. As the year goes on, you can have them draw a picture and write a sentence. You can even give students narrative and opinion writing prompts during this time.
Sometimes students just want time to write freely about any topic. Throw these days into the mix as well. In my class, we have “Free Friday” where students write about a topic of their choice. Morning work time is another easy way to fit first grade writing into your day.
3. Journals
Journals can be used in many ways for students to practice writing. There are lots of journal styles to choose from. My students have more than one journal and we use them for different purposes.
One of my favorite journals is this one, which gives students a place to illustrate their writing. It has writing lines which helps students with their handwriting as well. I like the composition style notebook because they're sturdy and with 100 sheets, they last the entire year.
We also use this paper printable journal for our daily writing practice. The prompts and writing templates are helpful to beginning writers. I use these journals as part of my daily writing mini lesson.
I can teach the students the writing process on the board using the matching google slides version and students can follow along in their printable journal at their tables. These journals have proven to be invaluable during distance learning as well. Students can use the printable version at school and the editable google slides version at home.
4. Daily Mini Lessons
Another way to fit writing into your day, is with your daily mini lessons or writers workshop. Writing instruction should be a part of every first grade curriculum. But many times teachers will ask how they can fit this into their day.
It's easy to fit writing into your day when you combine it with other subjects. In my classroom, our formal writing lessons are always integrated into other subjects like science or social studies. We'll research a science topic together like polar bears or winter weather. We read non fiction texts about the subject and then I use this as an opportunity to teach students about informational writing.
I often combine a writing lesson with a read aloud as well. We read fiction texts and discuss reading comprehension strategies such as character, setting and plot. We might use these lessons as a springboard to begin learning how to writing as they write about the plot of the story.
5. Writing Center
Finally, having a writing center is a must in every first grade classroom. This is where students can practice all the different writing techniques that you show them all year.
A good writing center will include lots of materials to get kids excited to visit this area and practice writing. Freshly sharpened pencils, skinny markers, crayons, pens. Give kids lots of writing materials.
Add different worksheets and printables with ideas that include various types of writing. At your writing center kids can write a letter to a friend, make a grocery list, write a story, make a greeting card or a post card. Kids love when you staple together a few sheets of blank pages into a mini book.
Writing center ideas are endless! Think of all the kinds of writing there are in the world. Magazine covers, newspapers, product labels. Kids can create any of these things at your writing center.
Need more ideas for writing? Head over here to learn how to create first grade writers with balanced literacy.
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