Illustration Study Celebration

 We wrapped up our Illustration Study recently. Each student chose a book in which he/she had used interesting illustration techniques. We made covers for the books out of construction paper. Then on Wednesday each had a turn to sit on the bench and share from the book. Afterwords we toasted their efforts with ice water accompanied by cookies.

Here is the chart we put together as we studied illustration strategies in Writing Workshop. We recorded our "noticings" about the illustration strategies we studied and made note of which of the students had tried those strategies.

Since the celebration we have worked on a Halloween Big Book together. We have also had a couple of Nuts and Bolts mini-lessons to look at important writing habits. This coming week we will begin a new Unit of Study on ways to structure text.

Celebration Time!

A week and a half ago we wrapped up our first unit of study with a celebration of the students' efforts. Each student had chosen one book from their first efforts to publish. They re-read their choices, making sure that they could read them, that all the words were there, and that the book made sense and kept to its big idea. Revisions were made where needed. Then each book got a construction paper cover with title and author added to it.

For the celebration each student took a turn to sit on the Author's Bench (our regular classroom bench transformed by a piece of fabric for the occasion.) Since our unit of study was focused on where writers get ideas, the students told where they got the ideas for their books and then each read a page and showed the illustration. When the sharings were done, I passed a plate of fruit and each student chose a piece. We then raised our fruit and toasted our hard work.

Illustration Study Celebration

Not long before Winter Break we celebrated the books that the students published as part of our illustration study. At our celebration each student told about his/her book, read a selection, and talked about how illustrations added to the writing. We toasted our efforts with brownies this time.

Celebrating Our Writing Work

We have wrapped up our Unit of Study on Where do writers get ideas? Each student chose one of the books he/she had been working on to publish. The students read over their choices carefully, checking to be sure they had not left out any words and that Word Wall words had the Word Wall spelling. Then each read the book to a classmate to be sure it was "reader friendly." Last week we had a celebration. Each student showed the published book and either read a selection or told about it. Each also told where he/she got the idea for the book and why he/she wrote it. We “toasted” our efforts with apple slices to finish up our celebration.

Celebrate! Celebrate!

We had fun on Friday as the students shared the pieces they had chosen to "fancy up" for our celebration. Some had chosen a one page piece to share. Of those who chose a booklet, most wanted to read just one page, but one read his whole booklet. They were a supportive audience for their fellow writers. We will continue to work on our reading our work, as some voices were too soft to hear clearly. After all had shared, I poured out some juice and gave a toast to their work this past month.

Next week we will begin a focus on pattern books, drawing from First Grade Writers by Stephanie Parsons.

Some of the students who were in my language group last year had noticed our preparations for the celebration. They asked me to get out the books I kept that they wrote last year. (They took some of their books home.) I had had them on display in our book area last year, but had packed them away for the summer. I have put some out now to join the new ones from this year's group. (Our classroom is a mixed age group with students six to eight years old.)