
Tag Archives: Writing


I Needed a KICK IN THE PANTS!
I can tell it’s SPRING…
I’m getting
LAZY!
But I have FINALLY, updated one of my MOST Valued PRODUCTS!
BOOK CLUBS!
HURRAY!
Now…I work 3 jobs…
I get up at 5:00 AM and go to bed at 9:00 PM.
I think I deserve some DOWN time!
BUT…
Then…I..get…really….complacent…
procrastinate…LAZY!
So every once in a while,
I need someone to give me a little
PUSH SHOVE
KICK IN THE PANTS!
Time to git ‘er DONE!
This has been one of those weeks!
So…
I have a packet I made that I use in my classroom
A LOT!
If any of you already have this…
DO NOT FEAR!
Help is on its way!
Now,
MY KIDS LOVE THIS!
The packet is full of independent activities, comprehension questions, word work, etc
ALL related to the BOOK OF THEIR CHOICE!
I can use it with ANY book.
My independent readers can read a book
and as a GROUP
( can we say COLLABORATE )
they can DISCUSS & complete the pack TOGETHER!
Now I don’t use it daily…maybe once every two weeks or so.
It takes them awhile &
I really want them to “get into it”.
Lots of rewards, positive notes, specials when completed.
It’s a GOOD THING!
BUT…
It’s OLD. Really OLD.
It was in need of “A LIFT” ( in all the right places ).
Sounds like me! 🙂
I DID IT!
I GOT ‘ER DONE!
And here she is.
ALL gussied up and purdy!
She has grown from 14 pages to 44!
She is ALL GROWED UP NOW!
I added a booklet style because
PAPER & INK ARE AT A PREMIUM!
So now…less paper… less ink… more productive teacher & students!
My Little LOVE…
Book Club
is available
at my TPT store
1stgradefireworks
You will LOVE this!
How to Survive the 4th Quarter DASH!
AKA… What to use to keep some working, while reteaching to others! 🙂
SPRING BREAK is Finally HERE!
Assessments, report cards, cleaning, paperwork,etc…
Third quarter done! YIPPEE!!
Though I really DO love this time of the year.
Kiddos are making TREMENDOUS progress!
Sniff…sniff…PROUD TEACHER!
When we go back we have the
4th Quarter DASH!
Catch everyone up to grade level standards
before they go to second grade!
And to HELP…I need it!
Some of my kiddos will work on YOU QUACK ME UP!
While I am WORKING with small groups, reteaching concepts they DIDN’T quite get.
Right?
Say this with a SMILE..
“YOU QUACK ME UP!”
to be taken to my TPT store!



ELA: rhymes, Read the Room, Sight Word Games,Grammar
MATH: 3 digit addition, Place Value, Guess My Number
My kiddos LOVE LOVE LOVE this!
So much fun going on in Room 3!
And NOW for the FREEBIE!
Click HERE
This GMA wants some
GIGGLE TIME!












And so…
HERE WE GO! 🙂
Check out my TPT Store for MORE goodies!

We get a “Literacy” DO-OVER : Shared Writing
And a FREE BALANCED LITERACY Resource to get you started!
2022 is the Year of LITERACY!
Because 2021 was so BAD….we get DO-OVER!
We get a “LITERACY ” do-Over”!
Ready to UPDATE your literacy block?
Balanced Literacy: Here is your NEW YEAR’s PLAN!
*DISCLAIMER… I know the Science of Reading is the NEW “go-to” for teaching Reading.
I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I am learning. I have been teaching reading to FIRST GRADERS for 30+ Years. AND I AM ALWAYS LEARNING. SO… I hope YOU are open to new ideas & “reusing” OLD ideas to help our “littles” learn. If this helps YOU – Yeah! ( Jan. 2022).
Why? What? and How?
The elementary classroom Balanced literacy model has been defined as “an approach designed to help individual students learn how to process a variety of increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency.” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001)
As a result, It is HOW we teach our students to be independent readers and writers. It is NOT what books we use to teach them.
Balanced Literacy has been defined in “components” or “pieces” of literacy instruction.
This 8-week series will focus on the components of a complete BALANCED LITERACY program. We will focus on clear and concise definitions. Definitions that educators can discuss in collaboration.
A “common language” where we can learn from each other and with each other.
The 8 components we will focus on are:
- Read Alouds
- Shared Reading
- Guided Reading
- Independent Reading
- Modeled / Interactive Writing
- Shared Writing
- Guided Writing / Writer’s Workshop
- Word Work
Each week we will focus on one area of Balanced Literacy and share experiences, teacher tips, and resources to support and expand our Balanced Literacy repertoire.
BALANCED LITERACY
This week: Shared Writing.
Week 1: We discussed Read Alouds.
Week 2: We discussed Shared Reading.
Week 3: We discussed Guided Reading.
Week 4: We discussed Independent Reading.
Week 5: We discussed Interactive Writing.
This week we jump into SHARED WRITING.
Let’s talk about Shared Writing.
Before we write, we read, discuss, preview new vocabulary, and make connections about our thoughts and ideas.
Shared writing is an instructional approach to teach writing to students by writing with them. The idea is to teach writing through writing. The process of writing is demonstrated by the teacher through a ‘write aloud’ process. The teacher acts as a scribe while the students contribute ideas.
Effective literacy teachers present the demonstration, explanation, and models needed by naïve writers in order for them to understand how and why to incorporate genre and text structures (and such transcription skills as punctuation and spelling) into their own writing behavior. ReadWriteThink.org
First, we will discuss Shared Writing. The teacher transcribes the entire text while engaging students in a rich discussion about how the text should be composed.
- Shared writing is taught to small groups or a whole class in briskly paced, 5- to 20-minute lessons.
- Plan lessons for types of writing that present particular challenges to your students.
- First, develop and extend children’s background and language knowledge on a topic or experience of interest.
- Establish a purpose for the writing and an intellectually engaging opportunity for students to apply new learning.
- Write the entire text yourself in front of students (using chart paper or document viewer) while requesting input from students regarding aspects of the writing where they most need to expand their expertise.
Stop for a moment and VISUALIZE what you have read.
- During the writing, model processes needed by your students. Have a small whiteboard available, for example, to demonstrate to students how to say a word slowly and write sounds heard into “sound boxes” (Clay, 2006) before writing a phonetically regular word into the text for them.
- Demonstrate in-the-moment revision during shared writing as necessary to construct a strong draft. Reread the text to students from time to time to discuss what needs to be written next or to monitor whether or not the text conveys information clearly.
- Do not deliberately make errors during shared writing. Model the immediate construction of a high-quality draft.
- Read the completed text to students.
- Post the text in an accessible spot in the classroom, and provide opportunities for students to read or use the text multiple times over the next several days or weeks.
Some tips to keep in mind for shared writing:
- I use large paper that looks just like the paper the children use during writing workshop. I write on chart paper or perhaps a SmartBoard so the whole group can easily read it.
- The children are engaged and involved in telling the story (or essay, song, poem, or other kinds of text).
- I restate/scaffold children’s language by modeling rich language and coach them when they are the storyteller.
- Over time, children see each step of the writing process modeled:
- Coming up with ideas
- Planning across the pages, rehearsing how the text will go
- Drafting words and sentences
- Revising
- Editing
- Publishing
- Over time, children see qualities of good writing modeled:
- Meaning
- Organization/Structure
- Genre
- Detail
- Voice
- Conventions
- TwoWritingTeachers
Tools that may be helpful for shared writing:
Teacher Books that may help with Shared Writing:
These literacy posts may help in YOUR Balanced Literacy journey.
So…Leave me a comment… What does Shared Writing look like in YOUR classroom?
FREEBIE – Check My Writing Checklist

We get a “Literacy” DO-OVER : Modeled / Interactive Writing
2022 is the Year of LITERACY!
Because 2021 was so BAD….we get DO-OVER!
We get a “LITERACY ” do-Over”!
Ready to UPDATE your literacy block?
Balanced Literacy: Here is your NEW YEAR’s PLAN!
*DISCLAIMER… I know the Science of Reading is the NEW “go-to” for teaching Reading.
I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I am learning. I have been teaching reading to FIRST GRADERS for 30+ Years. AND I AM ALWAYS LEARNING. SO… I hope YOU are open to new ideas & “reusing” OLD ideas to help our “littles” learn. If this helps YOU – Yeah! ( Jan. 2022).
The Why? The What? and The How?
This Week: Shared / Interactive Writing
Balanced literacy has been defined as “an approach designed to help individual students learn how to process a variety of increasingly challenging texts with understanding and fluency.” (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001)
It is an approach to teaching. NOT a curriculum. It is HOW we teach our students to be independent readers and writers. It is NOT what books we use to teach them.
Balanced Literacy has been defined in “components” or “pieces” of literacy instruction.
This series will focus on the components of a complete BALANCED LITERACY program. We will focus on clear and concise definitions. Definitions that educators can discuss in collaboration.
A “common language” where we can learn from each other and with each other.
The 8 components we will focus on are:
- Read Alouds
- Shared Reading
- Guided Reading
- Independent Reading
- Modeled / Interactive Writing
- Shared Writing
- Guided Writing / Writer’s Workshop
- Word Work
Each week we will focus on one area of Balanced Literacy and share experiences, teacher tips, and resources to support and expand our Balanced Literacy repertoire.
BALANCED LITERACY
This week: Shared / Interactive Writing.
This week we jump into Shared & Interactive Writing!
You can’t THINK of Writing without thinking …
LUCY CALKINS!
Shared Writing
During shared writing, the teacher transcribes the entire text while engaging students in a rich discussion about how the text should be composed.
- Shared writing is taught to small groups or a whole class in briskly paced, 5- to 20-minute lessons.
- First, develop and extend children’s background and language knowledge on a topic or experience of interest.
- Establish a purpose for the writing and an intellectually engaging opportunity for students to apply new learning. Students might write a letter to a local newspaper or write directions for a new game they have developed.
- Write the entire text yourself in front of students (using chart paper or document viewer) while requesting input from students regarding aspects of the writing where they most need to expand their expertise.
Think about what you have just read.
Ready to expand? Here you go!
- During the writing, model processes needed by your students. Have a small whiteboard available, for example, to demonstrate to students how to say a word slowly and write sounds heard into “sound boxes” (Clay, 2006) before writing a phonetically regular word into the text for them.
- Demonstrate in-the-moment revision during shared writing as necessary to construct a strong draft. Reread the text to students from time to time to discuss what needs to be written next to or to monitor whether or not the text conveys information clearly.
- Do not deliberately make errors during shared writing. Model the immediate construction of a high-quality draft.
- Read the completed text to students.
- Post the text in an accessible spot in the classroom, and provide opportunities for students to read or use the text multiple times over the next several days or weeks.
Shared writing is a process teachers use to help children to understand how to write a particular kind of text and to provide them with a model piece of writing to emulate. It involves a teacher producing some text on the board with input from the class. The students ” discuss and collaborate” while the teacher is the scribe.
The main difference between shared and interactive writing is who is holding the pen. In shared writing, the teacher holds the pen and serves as the scribe. The teacher also serves the roles of… summarizer of ideas, questioner, and prompting for quick decisions on spelling and print concepts.
Interactive Writing
Interactive writing is a cooperative event in which
teachers and children jointly compose and write text.
Not only do they share the decision about what they
are going to write, they also share the duties of
the scribe. The teacher uses the interactive writing session to model reading and writing strategies as he or she engages children in creating text.
Through questioning and direct instruction, the teacher focuses
the children’s attention on the conventions of
print such as spaces between words, left-to-right
and top-to-bottom directionality, capital letters,
and punctuation. Clay (1979)
These literacy posts may help in YOUR Balanced Literacy journey.
These Interactive Writing resource books for TEACHERS may be helpful for YOUR reading.
So…Leave me a comment… What does INTERACTIVE WRITING look like in YOUR classroom?
FREEBIE HERE!
Informational Writing
This week we did some EXCELLENT WRITING!
I have to be honest…I have not taught ALL of my SCIENCE standards. And yes, animal classification is a standard.
Somewhere, I have a new Science series, but my new ELA series takes up most ALL of our day…& Math… so, as any good teacher ( who LOVES science & writing) would do INTEGRATE!
We wrote informational writing about animal classifications!
And then we PAINTED them!
Living things…yaadaa. yaadaa. yaadaa…NO!
WE WROTE ABOUT REAL ANIMALS!
My EL’s had a hard time with the new vocabulary, (Thank You Project GLAD), we did new academic language, made charts, filled out graphic organizers, did shared writing, sloppy copies, and a final draft!



We had to edit for spelling, handwriting, complete sentences, punctuation, AND IT HAD TO MAKE SENSE!
All of that in 5 days!
AND THEN….. They got to make a “tear art” bear head.
( They HATE tear art… “Can I PLEASE use my scissors?” “NO!”)
Simple…tear construction paper, glue to small paper plate, add ears (with torn paper..they need FUR too), add eyes, nose, & mouth.



As a culminating activity, we painted out animals & added our reports for sharing. ( see above)
SO….here are the units we used to RUN the MARATHON!






Enjoy! Check it out on my TPT store!

We get a “Literacy” DO-OVER : Guided Reading
And a FREE Balanced Literacy Resource to get you STARTED!
2022 is the Year of LITERACY!
Because 2021 was so BAD….we get DO-OVER!
We get a “LITERACY ” do-Over”!
Ready to UPDATE your literacy block?
Balanced Literacy: Here is your NEW YEAR’s PLAN!
*DISCLAIMER… I know the Science of Reading is the NEW “go-to” for teaching Reading.
I AM NOT AN EXPERT! I am learning. I have been teaching reading to FIRST GRADERS for 30+ Years. AND I AM ALWAYS LEARNING. SO… I hope YOU are open to new ideas & “reusing” OLD ideas to help our “littles” learn. If this helps YOU – Yeah! ( Jan. 2022).
This series will focus on the components of a complete BALANCED LITERACY program. We will focus on clear and concise definitions. Definitions that educators can discuss in collaborations. A “common language” where we can learn from each other and with each other.
The 8 components we will focus on are:
- Read Alouds
- Shared Reading
- Guided Reading
- Independent Reading
- Modeled / Interactive Writing
- Shared Writing
- Guided Writing / Writer’s Workshop
- Word Work
Each week we will focus on one area of Balanced Literacy and share experiences, teacher tips, and resources to support and expand our Balanced Literacy repertoire.
BALANCED LITERACY
This week: Guided Reading.
Week 1: We discussed Read Alouds.
Week 2: We discussed Shared Reading.
This week we jump into GUIDED READING.
Let’s talk to the EXPERTS about Guided Reading.
Gay Su Pinnell and Irene Fountas Video by: Kemberly Meriwether
Guided reading is subject to many interpretations, but Burkins & Croft (2010) identify these common elements:
- Working with small groups
- Matching student reading ability to text levels
- Giving everyone in the group the same text
- Introducing the text
- Listening to individuals read
- Prompting students to integrate their reading processes
- Engaging students in conversations about the text
The goal is to help students develop strategies to apply independently. Work focuses on processes integral to reading proficiently, such as cross-checking print and meaning information, rather than on learning a particular book’s word meanings. (For example, a student might see an illustration and say “dog” when the text says puppy, but after noticing the beginning /p/ in puppy, correct the mistake.) During guided reading, teachers monitor student reading processes and check that texts are within students’ grasps, allowing students to assemble their newly acquired skills into a smooth, integrated reading system (Clay, p.17)
What does a guided reading lesson look like?
It varies based on reading level, but here’s a general structure for a 15-20 minute lesson.
- Students re-read familiar texts for several minutes. This is a great way to promote fluency!
- For just a minute or so, the students practice previously learned sight words.
- The teacher introduces the text.
- The students read the text out loud or silently while the teacher coaches. They do not take turns reading; instead, each child reads the text in its entirety.
- The teacher leads a discussion of the text.
- The teacher makes 1-2 teaching points.
- If time allows, students do a few minutes of word work or guided writing.
Scholastic has 4 Tips for Guided Reading Success:
- Establish Routines. Routines for The Lesson format ( this helps with TIME constraints ), routines for when Guided reading happens, AND routines for what the OTHER students are doing while the teacher is teaching at the table.
2. Make SMART text choices. The text should provide multiple opportunities for students to apply strategies and skills you have identified for the group.
3. Dive into INSTRUCTION. Before, during & after reading.
3. Assess and Be Flexible. Your groups should be fluid and should change as your students’ instructional needs change. That’s where informal and formal assessments come in handy.
Scholastic.com
Guided Reading STRESS?
Learning Lessons With Amy Labrasciano
These literacy posts may help in YOUR Balanced Literacy journey.
These Guided Reading resource books for TEACHERS may be helpful for YOUR reading.
So…Leave me a comment… What does GUIDED READING look like in YOUR classroom?
FREEBIE…Sight Word Game! Who doesn’t LOVE a GAME???
2022 is the Year of LITERACY!
Here you go!

Those CRAZY Word Walls!
WORD WALLS
I can honestly say, in my 27 years in first grade,
I have “redone” my word wall…
probably 26 times!
My dilemma is always the same…
How to put them on the wall so kids can
access them ( at ANY reading level!)?
At first, I thought “A..B..C” order.
Then, I thought “by curriculum unit..week 1..week 2, etc”.
Next, I thought ” phonics sounds ..short a..short e…etc”.
Last, I thought “they don’t even LOOK at IT!”
and so…
I WAS FRUSTRATED!
What to do? What to do?
ASK THE KIDS!!!
So what do THEY want?
What will THEY use?
What do THEY want it to look like?
And they TOLD ME!!
They helped me “SOLVE” our Word Wall “PROBLEM”!
Now our word wall has sight words we use for 6 weeks
( 1 unit of our curriculum).
These words will be in our stories
AND
on our TESTS!
We study them EVERY day ( at Morning Meeting )
AND
we play I SPY with the words wall DAILY!
The kids practice with each other, too!
Partner Practice…yippee!
We use our chromebooks, write on our desks with whiteboard markers, flash cards to take home, and we play LOTS of word games!
My WORD WALL focus’ on sight words.
I teach vocabulary words, but those go on our focus wall for weekly connections.
This year…I am adding personal word walls to their writer’s workshop folders.
They will add words THEY need to use in THEIR writing.
This was last year when we did WAY TOO many
words at one time!
Now…LESS IS MORE
Lots of games to practice our “words”.
I have some games and products
to help with WORD WALLS.
Check them out!
So to Conclude…
When putting up word walls, fewer WORDS at one time is BEST!
Teach to MASTERY! Review! Practice! Be consistent!
PINTEREST HAS A MULTITUDE of resources to help.
I found these:
222 SIGHT WORDS from 1stgradefireworks
Here are MORE ways to help your students learn to READ
- Balanced Literacy
- Reading Workshop
- Prepare Those Kindergartners
- Routines
- Primary Teachers are QUIRKY?
I hope this helps your students become BETTER readers and writers!
Leave me a comment. How are things going? Anything I can do to help? 🙂
Wendy 1stgradefireworks

Helping my EL’s with Writing.
My kiddos come with a SMALL amount of ENGLISH print.
MOST..not all..but MOST have enough English to communicate
everyday NEEDS to me.
BATHROOM, Recess, and When is LUNCH?
How to help my EL’s with writing, when you don’t speak the same language?
We are OK.
BUT…
English PRINT?
WOWZA! Another WORLD!
FIRSTLY…
We begin…BEGIN…with Phonemic Awareness.
Sounds…
ORAL…
However, NO PRINT!
Letter Sounds, Vocabulary Words, Rhymes, Alliterations,,
SOUNDS
and LOTS OF THEM!
Secondly,
We ADD
PHONICS!
A symbol (letter/word) to the sounds.
Alphabet, HFW, Word Families, emergent readers, etc.
For those who make READING a priority…
they excel!
For those who don’t have a LOT of support at home..
It can take LONGER…
But then…
We WRITE!
We write well and we write A LOT!
Lists, poems, booklets, stories, and they LOVE IT!
The problem occurs when they don’t have an ENGLISH word to attach to the “word” in their head!
Vocabulary MUST be a HUGE part of the daily writing minilessons.
And RESOURCES!
We use Step Up to Writing…



and
I “supplement”…Ummm
SUPPLANT
with
LUCY CAULKINS!
YESSSS!!!



Click HERE to see it…
Lastly,
We use my
WRITE ON!
papers because they have
VOCABULARY
built in!
Available HERE…
My kids are doing GREAT!
(Most could only write their names at first!)
Daily PROGRESS! 🙂
First Grade Student Writing
First Grade Student Writing
And so..
we
AND ..we
WRITE ON!
And HERE is a FREEBIE to Help you on your way!



Helping FIRSTIES become Better Writers
Can First Graders become BETTER WRITERS?
Hello everyone!
My name is Wendy McCarty.
I am the creator behind…
I create classroom and homeschool materials
that engage young minds and help the teacher to support instruction.
You can see my products in my TPT Store:
Today’s Topic…
Writing in First Grade
Now… I wish I was PERFECT.
I wish my kiddos were PERFECT.
There are NO Perfect PEOPLE!
NO Perfect KIDDOS.
No Perfect.
Now that we have gone there…how do we get close?
We get BETTER!
Better Readers.
Better Speakers.
Better Writers.
Better..Better…Better
( My Mantra )
HOW?
We write EVERY DAY.
Usually..more than once.
We write about our day in school
…things we like
…stories we have read
…new words we have learned
…new thoughts we have had
etc.etc.etc.
I try to do a mini-lesson on a strategy.
I add new vocabulary. In CONTEXT.
We make connections.
We expand our thinking.
We TALK!
And it can be noisy.
It’s OK.
Sometimes LEARNING is messy.
And loud. And busy.
It’s OK!
We do writer’s workshop.
My kids write.
AND they LOVE IT!
HOW?
Give them paper, pencils, markers, colored pencils, etc…
Give them…TIME!
And … LET THEM TALK!
My classroom is NEVER quiet!
Talking
about writing,
during writing,
and after writing.
TALK, Write, Create!
Are they perfect?
NO.
Is that OK?
YES!
*(Update)
I have added new
to my
Writing Center.



Fall Vocabulary Banners for WRITING
The banners
help my
beginning writers
( HOW DO YOU SPELL…..??? )
and my
EL students
(LOTS of VISUALS )
See how I use the
VOCABULARY BANNERS
Here.
For WRITER’S WORKSHOP
If you need a starting point...
Monthly Writing Pages
WITH
VOCABULARY Helpers
at the
bottom of EVERY PAGE!
I LOVE TEACHING!
I am currently headed into my 27th year teaching…ALL of them in first grade!
My kiddos ask me “WHY don’t YOU ever GRADUATE to Second Grade?”
I tell them
“First Grade is IN my HEART!”
You can follow me at:
https://www.facebook.com/1stgradefireworks
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/1stgradefireworks
https://www.Instagram.com/1stgradefireworks
https://www.pinterest.com/1stgradefirewor
Follow me: TPT FB IG Pinterest