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SPRING . . . A time to GROW as readers and writers!
by Heather Casey, Doctoral Student, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick, New Jersey
by Heather Casey, Doctoral Student, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick, New Jersey
SPRING . . . A time to GROW as readers and writers!
by Heather Casey, Doctoral Student, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education, New Brunswick, New Jersey
As winter turns to spring, students' thoughts may turn away from the indoors as they begin looking forward to outdoor fun. Why not use this excitement to rejuvenate students' reading and writing interests?
Start with a note to parents explaining your plans and expressing your hope that they will be your partners in this endeavor. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Help students recognize how far they have come as readers and writers since September. Begin by having them look back at some of their favorite reading and writing experiences. Have the students make a list of what they feel good about as readers and writers and what they think they still want to learn more about. Students can turn this list into a letter to be shared with their families. Encourage parents to write back and/or discuss the contents with their child.
- Design a spring readers and writers bulletin board. Begin with a tree where students can put fully grown "leaves" with reading and writing accomplishments written on them. Provide cutouts of buds just beginning to emerge so that students can write topics they want to learn more about or titles of books they would like to read. Use this as a chance to talk to students about how we are always working to make ourselves better readers and writers. There is always an area in which we can "grow."
- As the days begin to warm, take the students on a nature walk outside. Ask them to take notes on what they are hearing, seeing, feeling, smelling, and even tasting as winter turns to spring. This is a perfect time to involve parents, as they can be "writing buddies" on the nature walk. Then, either inside or outside, have students write a poem, a short story, or an essay about their spring observations. Use the different genres represented in such magazines as Highlights for Children as models for the students' writings. The students' original pieces can be assembled into a class book, complete with illustrations, to be shared with everyone.
- Ask students to bring in a favorite book they have read over the school year and "sell it" to the class. Encourage the students to select books that are about springtime or the outdoors. Weather permitting, these talks can take place outdoors! Encourage students to keep a list of books they find interesting for future reading selections and to share with their families.
- On the first night of spring, invite families to come to "Spring Festival" by sending student-designed invitations ahead of time. Display students' recent and past achievements, and allow time for students to present the reading and writing experiences that they enjoyed the most.