Wow! We have excellent writer's in our classroom! Over the past week we have been working hard on several learning targets in writer's workshop. Please take a moment to read our goals:
*I can sketch my ideas across the pages (beginning, middle, end)
*I can stretch words slowly, writing the sounds I hear
*I can write what characters say (add detail of dialogue/ speech bubbles)
*I can show where I am by the words I use (add detail of setting)
*I can TELL, LISTEN, and TRY during my writing conference with my teacher and peers
Today our learning target was: I can use punctuation to improve my Small Moment stories.
We had so much fun in writer's workshop! Adding a variety of punctuation marks helps make our writing more interesting to read. Before we returned to our desks to add/change the punctuation in our previous stories, we discussed what a period, exclamation point, and question mark is and what each one means. This is what we discussed today:
Question Mark- A question mark has a period with a curved line. Question marks are used when a question is asked.
Period- A period is a small dot. A period is used when you simply say/state something that is not a question or has strong feelings.
Exclamation Point- An exclamation point is period with a straight line. Exclamation points are used when there are strong feelings. Strong feelings could include being very excited, extremely upset, really hungry, incredibly cold, etc.
Once we discussed these three punctuation marks, we read a variety of sentences to decide which punctuation mark would be the best for that sentence. To help make our learning fun and engaging, the first graders each received "punctuation flags." On each flag was a picture of a period, exclamation point, and question mark. Once a sentence was written on the board, they would silently clip their clothespin on the punctuation mark that made the most sense for that sentence. They held their flags high in the sky to show me their thinking.
I was so very impressed by their understanding of punctuation marks! We had a wonderful time learning about punctuation and we wanted to share our learning with you at home:
*I can sketch my ideas across the pages (beginning, middle, end)
*I can stretch words slowly, writing the sounds I hear
*I can write what characters say (add detail of dialogue/ speech bubbles)
*I can show where I am by the words I use (add detail of setting)
*I can TELL, LISTEN, and TRY during my writing conference with my teacher and peers
Today our learning target was: I can use punctuation to improve my Small Moment stories.
We had so much fun in writer's workshop! Adding a variety of punctuation marks helps make our writing more interesting to read. Before we returned to our desks to add/change the punctuation in our previous stories, we discussed what a period, exclamation point, and question mark is and what each one means. This is what we discussed today:
Question Mark- A question mark has a period with a curved line. Question marks are used when a question is asked.
Period- A period is a small dot. A period is used when you simply say/state something that is not a question or has strong feelings.
Exclamation Point- An exclamation point is period with a straight line. Exclamation points are used when there are strong feelings. Strong feelings could include being very excited, extremely upset, really hungry, incredibly cold, etc.
Once we discussed these three punctuation marks, we read a variety of sentences to decide which punctuation mark would be the best for that sentence. To help make our learning fun and engaging, the first graders each received "punctuation flags." On each flag was a picture of a period, exclamation point, and question mark. Once a sentence was written on the board, they would silently clip their clothespin on the punctuation mark that made the most sense for that sentence. They held their flags high in the sky to show me their thinking.
I was so very impressed by their understanding of punctuation marks! We had a wonderful time learning about punctuation and we wanted to share our learning with you at home:
Our "punctuation flags" helped us review punctuation and we were ready to add exclamation points, periods, and question marks to make our writing more interesting to read. Fabulous job first graders!