I use this inspiring book when teaching Rhyming Couplets to my first graders. After reading, we brainstorm our own ideas for "pocket rhymes", then they partner-write in pairs, edit them with me and then we publish a book as a class. These always become a permanent member of our classroom library as they children like to visit them year after year. Take a look at our book to the right! These are written by my students!
One of my favorite stories to read in first grade is about Humphrey the whale. This book provides a purpose for learning about the humpback because the students become interested in their plight. Before they write about animals of their own choice, we work on this book in small research groups. Each group is responsible for their own page as they practice researching information, gathering data and putting it into their own words as a model for nonfiction writing. The lesson doesn't end there... as a class we decide on adopting a real whale and the students take up a school collection to send to the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Association. Check out our book!
Smartboard Lessons
The following Smartboard interactive lessons were created be me for the 1st grade classroom