Wow!  What a difference a year makes!

 

Last year, at this time, my first graders were 5 years old.  As incoming kindergartners, many of them did not know how to write their names.  Most of their illustrations involved only one color of crayon and lots of swirly scribbles.  That was a year ago.

 

 

Well, here we are at the beginning of first grade, and it’s so much fun to see the writing that’s being done in class!  We started off the year with a big stack of blank books.  Without much direction, I asked the kids to write a book.  This is a great way to assess what each student knows.

 

Do they know that their book should have a title?

Do they write the author’s name?

Do they begin writing on their own, or do they wait for help?
What are their illustrations like?  Do they have details?

Is it hard for the kids to come up with ideas for their stories?

 

There are so many things to look for!

 

School is fun!

New backpack

Time for school!

I like to play.

 

I’m amazed to see the beginning of these stories, but even more amazed to see confident writers in my class this year.  I can tell it’s going to be a fabulous year in Writer’s Workshop!

 

 

Happy writing!