Quarter four is where first grade will be introduced to nonfiction. This is a fun, new technique of writing! Within the unit of nonfiction students will use books and the internet to gather facts for at least four categories and write them into sentences (what animals look like, what they eat, enemies, life cycle and habitat). Students will make a glossary, table of contents, index, diagrams and captions.
By now students should easily select a topic to write about with a strong lead, detailed middles and a satisfying ending. Sentences will be complete with punctuation and be able to revise a personal or peer piece by rereading and monitoring for sense, adding details where needed and omitting any unnecessary information. We will add strong action words and/or sound words to create more interest. By adding voice students should add the inside story, punctuation, font and dialogue. Student will also learn to add the following: time order words, ellipses, time leads and lesson learned endings.
Practice on correct handwriting strokes that are legible and formed correctly are a yearlong goal. Students in quarter four should be able to write independently for 25-30 minutes productively.
Somethings to do at home to help your child in quarter four:
- formulate small moment story ideas
- practice 5 page stories with a beginning, middle and end
- how to add details into stories
- practice handwriting, punctuation and spacing
- talk about animals and research one at home for fun
In third quarter students spent a lot of time on revision. Your child learned proper editing marks and how to go back and add to or change their story to create more interest. When we talk about the ‘inside story’ we want to hear students writing things such as: I thought…, I felt…, I wished…, I noticed…. This invites the reader to know how the reader is feeling and what they are thinking.
Leads and endings remained a big topic in quarter three. A lead is to entice the reader into your story. Have a time lead (Last night…), a weather lead (One cold, snowy night…), a question lead (Have you ever been to Champion Fun Center? I have!…) or a character lead (Do you have a cool grandma? I do!…). In addition, to end a story a reader does not end with THE END or just stops. You need a satisfying conclusion. For example, a lesson learned (I now know I will never ride my bike without asking my mom first!), or a hope or wish (I hope my aunt comes to visit again soon! or I wish I could be on vacation every day!).