Writing Workshop September Books

This post will share with you the writing workshop book that I created for the month of September to use with my students.

This is the cover of my September writing workshop book. The cover is photo copied on purple paper. I like to have the covers of stories different colors each month to help me with organization. The circle is for the students to number their stories(I got this idea from Mary Ellen Giacobbe). I love the suggestions Mary Ellen writes about for managing student folders too.

I do have my books stapled together. I put four or five lined pieces in a book. I like to start the year off with writing books. I know many teachers use journals. I don't use journals for writing workshop because I want my students to always be thinking about creating stories. 

This is stapled to the back of their book facing out(photocopied in black and white). I always want to get better at documenting where students are at. Of course the first few months of school focus on learning all the procedures that kids need to learn during writing time too. Below are my mini-lesson's for the start of September!

This summer I read the book What's Next For this Beginning Writer? By Janiene Reid and Betty Schultze with Ulla Petersen. I know the idea of kids telling their story is not a new concept but I love how the author's wrote, "If they can't say it, they can't write it!" One of my favorite mini-lessons from this book was teaching the 3 B's.  Happy Writing!

Click Here to Download

Reading and Making Counting Books!

The first Investigation I teach from my math curriculum book is counting. The students explore many different hands on stations giving them practice while counting. We also have a counting jar that's a year long station.  This year I plan to read a lot more counting books. I hope to have students create and publish a counting book. Below are some follow up lessons that connect to some familiar primary counting stories.

  I hope to post some counting songs and pocket chart stuff soon. I am still in the process of setting up my classroom so I am in that crazy feeling stage!!!!

You could give students precut black dots

color the cubes and make an illustration

The counting jar is a station that the students visit throughout the year. I do have a jar in the room and the students count the different items. I just photo copy the pages to make a little book.

click here for the counting books

This book was new to me and I I LOVE it! It was recommend from the book Teaching Preschool and Kindergarten Math by Ann Carlyle and Brenda Mercado.  This book has a simple text with some wonderful vocabulary words.
 I look forward to using some of the vocabulary words  for our WOW word of the week.

I love the idea of having students create little counting  books using thumbprints.
Ed Emberly's book is perfect to get ideas! You could also use pattern scrap paper for the little creatures. The illustrations are beautiful.

Reading, Writing and Math Questions

Every fall I regret not asking my students interview questions connected to reading, writing and math. I know this is a great tool to use to help drive instruction and document growth of students! So, my goal this year is to meet with each child and ask them questions in the fall and spring. I know the biggest challenge will be finding the time!!

click here for questions

I look forward to comparing&celebrating their fall and spring thinking!

You will notice there are two reading questions 

one for a reader and one for learning to read

100 Days of Learning Journal!

I LOVE the idea of having a class diary that records 100 Days of learning! 

 Each day, you create a page in the class journal. I plan on creating pages together at large group time and then making it a class job. I listed below some ideas I have to put in the journal.

I found this idea on Pinterest. Here's the pin

 

If you scroll down you can find the Crayola site this great idea comes from!! This is what I came up with for my class learning journal.

I bought this sketch book at Michael's Craft store. It's a good size   11''X14". You can also find these books at AC Moore, both stores always run 40 percent off coupons each week and teachers get 15 percent too.  

I used my Cricut machine to make the cover.

I love that this book has blank pages. They do sell smaller ones too. I have used the smaller ones for class journals. It has a strong hard cover.

                 What can we record in our Learning Journal?

 Number each day in big bold colors(Crayola idea)

record something about the number of the day(morning math time)

make an illustration from the class read aloud

let the illustrator of the day draw something they loved about the day
popular recess game
record the Open Circle lesson

record the weather

record the results of the survey question

a special activity

a math game played
use this book as a tool to go back to when making memory books
read all the pages on the 100 day

Starting the year, I plan on incorporating this journal into my  writing workshop mini-lesson!

Interactive Writing Lesson
labeling Lesson
using Invented Spelling
making illustrations together 


I love this journal idea. I know it's adding more things on to a busy day but I think it can be easily incorporated into so many parts of the day. This book will be a great to share with parents all of the learning taking place in kindergarten. 
Happy writing and drawing!

 Click below to get there!

Source: crayola.com via Joyful Learning in KC on Pinterest

Author Labels

 I think when you set up for your classroom everything takes so much longer then you think! Here is the last set of book labels for my classroom! Now, it's on to sorting.

click here for author labels

How many in a handful?

The first math investigation my math curriculum focuses on is counting. I decided to create this small book of counting different objects.When students record their answer they can trace their hand and record.

After students have recorded a few objects the pages  then ask them to make a prediction and circle if their prediction was more or less. I know making predictions will be tricky for students but I think it is a great was to talk about what a prediction is and the math vocabulary words of more and less. Happy Counting!

How Many Handfuls