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Text of the page (random words):
k and activity for early or pre writers have them draw a funny cartoon all 3 of my kids are still at the early writing stages so we concentrate more on process and how to create ideas so we brain stormed together what makes things funny is it what you write or what you draw why is one joke funny and another isn t after everyone had an idea we talked through if the idea needs a picture the letter that made santa laugh in the book had a funny picture to go with it did their funny idea need a picture to help explain it when they started writing i emphasize a lot that i do not care about spelling right now i want them to write my kids are worried about it being perfect i want them to get words on the page and then we can edit it for spelling or grammar this can be a very hard thing for kids to understand and grasp at a young age but if they can get past wanting it to be perfect it can really help them be more willing to write on their own i m always on the look out for other good books to lead into writing prompts do you have some christmas favorites for my kids to write about this year tweet pin it now posted by ticia at 7 00 am 0 comments labels christmas teaching with ticia writing monday may 21 2012 teaching with ticia writing centers a few months ago i wrote a post about the portable writing center i designed and it was wildly popular i realized that i m not the only mom or teacher who wants ideas on how to encourage writing i started researching and looking into more ideas and wanted to share a few things i figured out from that provide a variety of writing materials pink and green mama shared her portable center and it had many different pens markers crayons pencils i ve found that the more things available to write with the more they will write try different sensory experiences try writing in paint or my personal favorite shaving cream it cleans the surface your writing on i used this all the time while teaching dry erase boards also make a great place to practice set up a permanent space if you have the ability and wall space this is great in a classroom it was my most visited center lessons learnt journal shared how she set up her area along with where she got everything i ve found in my various experiments less is better because it forces them to think it through more or you could set up word walls and other important writing information provide many different things to write on if you look at my picture up above you see all sorts of different cards in there other great things to leave in there note pads with funny pictures those little pads of paper given away as freebies old stationary construction paper scrapbooking paper you re not going to use fun things to add stickers magazines pre made books writing prompts examples of correct writing form writing ideas board some more ideas of activities things to do do you have anything to add did you write a post about writing or a writing station i d love to add it to my writing board or come back later and add it to this post tweet pin it now posted by ticia at 9 30 am 7 comments labels teaching with ticia writing thursday march 15 2012 st patrick s day reading and writing activities make take and teach created a sight word bingo freebie for you just in time for some lucky reading fun extra special teaching has a download for a st patrick s day making words activity ingles360 is sharing a st patty s day packet for free that includes uppercase and lowercase letters fabulous in first has shared some ideas for st patrick s day writing paper with prompts such as lucky to be me and if i caught a leprechaun mrs wills kindergarten will be making words with this st patrick s day printable available for purchase from her tpt store minds in bloom has a list of writing prompt ideas for elementary age students hojo s teaching adventure has several writing prompts and lined paper options for you to choose from for an elementary writing activity tweet pin it now posted by katie from abc 123 a learning cooperative at 5 00 am 0 comments labels holiday language arts st patrick s day writing thursday february 23 2012 telling stories prompting creative writing whimsical ways helps young writers get creative with story stones a simple and fun way to encourage character setting and plot development teach beside me made color coded blocks labeled with interesting nouns verbs and places to set writers up with a story idea tlsbooks offer several creative writing prompt ideas similar to this serious questio n activity with a few fun pebbles and a sharpie marker first grader at last will inspire creative writing meg writes uses a simple jar to inspire creative writing i may have mentioned it before but my favorite resource for creative writing prompts is rip the page by karen benke fyi not an affiliate link just a fave i also really like the idea of these story cubes from the literary gift company what do you think do you have an idea for a diy version of these cubes tweet pin it now posted by katie from abc 123 a learning cooperative at 5 00 am 1 comments labels creative writing writing thursday february 16 2012 handwriting tool word spacing my daughter is a kindergartener which means she is also a beginning writer it has been delightful to watch her figure out the sound symbol relationships and now she is becoming more aware of writing conventions in the past few days she has been analyzing the spacing between words in all types of print media she is quite concerned that some magazines don t have a big enough finger space her interest in this developing skill encouraged me to check into the type of tools you are all using to teach this beginning writing skill thoughts from a kindergarten teacher explains how to use mr spacey to teach kinders the importance of spacing between words debbie s resource cupboard has a downloadable space ship remind students to use proper spacing with this 5 finger rubric from kindergarten crayons the long way around introduced some cute little spacemen the enchanted homeschool submitted a wonderful link for a helpful handwriting tool she explains learning objective the general purpose of this tool is to help children with spacing i know that the rule of thumb is to teach children that they need a finger tip of space between each word in their writing but my kids lost that concept within a week or two especially my son who struggled with handwriting initially due to lack of interest and being left handed so i came up with this tool materials 1 sticker either leave the manufacturers backing on it or place the sticker on a piece of paper so there is no sticky side left elmer s glue 1 large sized regular old paper clip small piece of wax paper scissors tweet pin it now posted by katie from abc 123 a learning cooperative at 5 00 am 6 comments labels writing thursday february 9 2012 valentine writing prompts sub hub has shared a free valentine s day poetry writing activity that can easily be downloaded classroom freebies has a downloadable valentine themed lined paper for you to use for any of you classroom writing projects kindergarten freckle teacher posted a valentine poem freebie for shadow writing practice writing with prepositions following this lilly s chocolate heart writing project from suite 101 journal buddies suggests 77 love themed writing prompts for elementary students elementary technology lessons used party printer to turn writing assignments into valentine shapes connect a blog offers free valentine s themed stationary for writing projects tweet pin it now posted by katie from abc 123 a learning cooperative at 5 00 am 0 comments labels valentine valentine s day writing monday september 12 2011 journal writing with preschoolers kindergarteners let the children play uses journaling portfolios to show children s progress and learning preschool lesson plans encourages writing with a creatively stocked center inspiration surrounds creativity abound s uses a matchbox picture activity to stimulate story starting suggestions for storytelling which could be recorded by an adult katie from a list maker s life uses cut up sentences with early elementary children to encourage journaling waddleeachaa has a great series on teaching writing here are the basics about journal writing with preschool age students and another about working on journaling with kindergarteners tweet pin it now posted by katie from abc 123 a learning cooperative at 5 00 am 0 comments labels journaling preschool writing monday august 29 2011 playful learning creating a writing center giveaway included update this giveaway is now closed it was fun to see all of the excitement about mariah s book and e course the winners below have been contacted regarding their gifts thanks for your participation katie book winner comment 49 cindy e course comment 45 today we are thrilled to introduce you to mariah bruel the author of playful learning develop your child s sense of wonder and joy we are honored to be part of her blog tour she is a creative teacher and talented writer find out more about playful learning by checking out her site creating a writing center it never ceases to amaze me how a well stocked organized writing center inspires spontaneous writing among young children the goal is to create a space that invites a variety of impromptu writing experiences for your child by having an area dedicated to providing writing tools papers and a place to work children can independently write lists letters stories or books building writing skills through authentic and engaging writing experiences creating a writing area in your home or classroom does not need to be complicated or overwhelming by simply leaving out a few interesting writing supplies you can inspire the young writers in your life here is a helpful list of some fun materials you can add to your child s writing area a variety of writing papers printed on colorful playful paper download the nurturing young authors printables here alphabet chart blank note cards and envelopes sticky notes blank books assortment of fun pens and pencils fine point permanent markers fine point black markers colored pencils alphabet stickers alphabet stamps interesting hole and paper punches tape glue sticks scissors erasers pencil sharpener one of my favorite ways to create interesting writing areas for children is to think out of the box when it comes to the storage organization and display of the materials i love it when i can re purpose items i already have on hand below are some images of storage solutions that can be created by using everyday household items magazine racks and file holders make great displays for a variety of writing papers if you have limited space i recommend filling a utensil caddy with pens pencils and other interesting writing materials most caddies are big enough to hold blank cards and books as well simply place the caddy on your coffee table and watch the writing begin caddies are also great for moving from room to room or even outside when the inspiration strikes a wire fruit basket along with some buckets cab be used to house scissors hole punches tape pens pencils and glitter glue napkin holders also make great holders for blank cards envelopes or list paper hooks and buckets are an easy and inexpensive way to make use of open wall space above a table or desk here are some more out of the box sources of inspiration tin can caddy peg board my new favorite pen cups simple wood box more tin cans here and here giveaway after spending time reading and re reading my copy of playful learning i am especially excited to be joining mariah this fall for her playful learning spaces e course while taking the course i will be sharing brief tidbits here on abc 123 during our bi weekly show and tell feature however i would love for as many of you to join me as possible mariah and her publisher shambhla publications are offering 2 great resources as giveaways to you 1free admission to the 6 week e course value 125 1 copy of the book areyou as excited as i am about either of these opportunities please leave a comment here to be entered into the random drawing if you would specify whether you are interested in the book the e course or both that would be helpful comments will close on this giveaway on tuesday september 6th and the winner will be notified immediately if you are interested in reading more here are other stops on the playful learning blog tour 8 17 sew liberated 8 18 the artful parent 8 19 ohdeedoh 8 22 let the children play 8 23 simple kids 8 24 spell outloud 8 25 not just cute 8 26 make and takes 8 29 abc 123 8 30 modern parents messy kids 8 31 a bit of this and a bit of that 9 1 adventures in mommydom 9 2 inspiration surrounds creativity abounds 9 5 happy healthy hip parenting 9 6 tinker lab 9 7 helping little hands tweet pin it now posted by katie from abc 123 a learning cooperative at 5 00 am 73 comments labels creative writing writing friday april 29 2011 encouraging creative writing mommy labs believes that in order to get kids interested in writing we have to give them reasons to write she helped her little ones create pin up noteboards out of upcycled dvd cases this activity from primary graffiti will give kids of any age a chuckle parents donated magazines the kids selected funny pictures and created quirky dialogue to enhance each picture the important book became an interested writing spring board at together time 4 families creative writing now has ideas for starting your own creative journaling in honor of the royal wedding today i just had to share a goofy little book that i had fun working in to a creative writing lesson in the story a little girl lets her imagination run wild as she imagines which knickers the queen will be wearing when she comes to visit the child s school kids book review shares a complete review of the highlights of the book the illustrations are adorable and the text is sure to bring some giggles check out what one school did to get creative after reading the book tweet pin it now posted by katie from abc 123 a learning cooperative at 5 00 am 2 comments labels writing thursday april 28 2011 poetry welcome new to abc and 123 please check out our faq in the sidebar sneaker teacher explains how to write an i am from poem ignite a poetry unit with poetry bags small types inspired her lego crazed little one to create poetry with his favorite toy i imagine this would make a fun center activity in any classroom at crayon bits the first grade teacher encourages reading fluency using poetry small types also put together their own version of an on the go poetry activity that does not require any materials read write think has a fun interactive acrostic poem building activity first grade serenade explains how she uses poetry in the classroom and shares poems of the month celebrate poetry with a great list of activities from kristine o connell george post it poems balloon poems cookie poems and so m...