Saturday, February 8, 2014

Publishing Writing: 1st Grade

Today's post is all about our updates in writing workshop!  Right before we left for winter break, we had our writing party.  Organizing publishing can be very tricky in a first grade classroom.  I think I have a good system down.  It took me several years to figure it out, but I am really pleased with it!  So first I have the kids select a story they would like to publish.  Most kids will do fine choosing but some may pick a story that is just "fair," and you will need to assist.  I go home and look through them to see what I think they need.  I try to make minimal marks on their stories because they have worked hard on them and I don't want to diminish that fact.  I try to use post-it notes a lot.


The next day, I model re-writing my story on chart paper first.  I stress the importance of all of our goals {handwriting, neatness, capitals, etc...}.  Students then work on re-copying their stories onto fresh paper, correcting anything I have noted.  If I have a group of children who need to work on the same types of things, I will pull them to my table or meet with them first to let them know what I'd like them to work on. *During publishing, I will also be working with my struggling writers the entire time.



As the children re-copying, they grab a cover and decorate it/give their story a title, etc...{note: I also do a mini-lesson about this prior to the covers being available to the kids}.  As students finish, I attach a rubric to the back help them self-assess their work.  I then take the stories home and I assess their work.



Typically, publishing can take up to 3 days for my students.  Once published, we have a gallery walk, where we set out our stories at our desks and walk around to look at them.  We also have a treat of some sort. You can read more about our last writing celebration here.




If you haven't checked out my writing units, you can do so by clicking the picture below.  All of my units are available individually or as a bundle for a savings.


xo
Megan 

3 comments:

Sarah said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

They are definitely working hard. I am proud of my kinders this year for their great writing! I have lots of little ones doing first grade work. This month we are working on writing books and a celebration at the end is a great idea. (as well as a gallery walk!)

Sarah
teachingiscolorful.blogspot.com

Susan Efseaff said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Great post! I love your pictures. I've been trying to work on publishing with my kiddos too and haven't perfected my system yet...after 14 years! Good for you. I like your suggestions! Thanks again!
Friendly Froggies

Jen R said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

I bet it is so exciting to see how much the firsties grow with their writing!
Jen
The Teacher’s Cauldron

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