Category: Writing Workshop

How are dinosaurs different from one another?

Leave a comment

How are dinosaurs different from one another?

Our journey began with a shared curiosity about the ancient world. Before opening any books, we mapped out our existing knowledge with our own words and imagination. We exchanged initial theories, listening closely to one another’s ideas and posing questions to guide our exploration.

 

Our initial brainstorming session erupted into a vivid exploration of the prehistoric world.

The researcher shared their foundational theories, mapping out their current understanding of what a dinosaur is, how they lived, and how they relate to the world we know today.

  • Reptilian Connections: “They are like crocodiles.” / “They are like dragons.”
  • Biological Needs: “They are animals.” / “They drink water.”
  • Habitats and Movement: “They live in the jungle.” / “They walk on 4 legs.”

“They are big because they eat people.”

A pivotal moment emerged as the child began to grapple with the timeline of coexistence, asking whether people existed when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Then, the dialogue shifted from abstract concepts to lived, personal memory as the young researcher shared a personal connection to bridge the past with their present reality:

“I saw big dinosaurs in Malaysia!”

In the Reggio tradition, we view this not as a factual error, but as a profound moment of prior knowledge activation. The child is actively filtering the concept of “dinosaur” through a real-world visual memory—a museum exhibit, a theme park, or a large-scale statue. This memory serves as their personal proof that these magnificent creatures are tangible, real, and accessible.

 

Visualising and Meaning-Making

To deepen our investigation, we introduced the text ‘Many Kinds of Dinosaurs‘. The book served as a collaborative tool, where detailed illustrations and clear language acted as a springboard for deeper research. As the reader engaged with the pages, we constructed vivid mental pictures—translating words into inner visual landscapes. This process of visualisation allows us to not just read, but truly feel and see the scale, textures, and diversity of the dinosaur world. As the inquiry deepened, the child’s focus shifted from passive observation to the active mechanics of prehistoric life. We began to wonder about how “dinosaurs lived, moved, or roared, [and what] they used” to interact with their environment.

 

Co-Constructing Relationships: Alike and Different

Driven by our discoveries, we sought ways to make sense of the vast information. We chose to organise our findings by exploring connections, finding patterns of similarity, and celebrating stark differences.

Through this active process of comparing and contrasting, we were learning to categorise the world around us, transforming isolated facts into a deeply understood web of relationships.

Traces of the Past: An Inquiry into the World of Dinosaurs

Leave a comment

The Spark of Inquiry (Observation)

Young children are deeply fascinated with what they see around them and naturally curious about the world from the past. A simple conversation about time can spark immense wonder. To honour this curiosity, we decided to take ourselves on a collective adventure back in time to explore and talk about the ancient creatures that roamed the Earth long before us.

 

The Hundred Languages of Children: Our Initial Theories

Before embarking on our journey, we wanted to uncover the children’s existing knowledge and mental images. We invited the group to share their ideas by asking a foundational question: What do we already know about dinosaurs?

  • Noah “Dinosaurs live in the jungle.”
  • Asel “Dinosaurs are big!”
  • Noah “And it eats people. I love dinosaurs, they are my favourite.”
  • Asel “They eat fried rice.”

By listening to the children’s initial theories, we notice how they use their current understanding of scale, time, and biology to make sense of the prehistoric world. They bridge the gap between the known (aeroplanes, schools) and the unknown (extinct creatures). This initial dialogue serves as our map, revealing the specific threads of curiosity—such as size, diet, habitats, or extinction—that we will co-research next.

 

Documentation of the Narrative Journey

We read the wonderful picture book ‘Mamasaurus‘ by Stephan Lomp, and followed Babysaurus on an adventure as he enlists his prehistoric friends to seek his Mamasaurus.

The children deeply inhabited the role of palaeontologist, stepping physically and emotionally into the narrative with every turned page.

As the story unfolded, they translated their live interpretations onto paper, weaving their graphic and writing skills into a personalised reinvention of the tale.

Through careful observation, they selected specific colour palettes to reflect the identity of each character. This continuous mark-making serves as a visible artefact of their collective meaning-making and expressive dialogue.

Our Inquiry Into the World of Machines: Connecting Home and Text

Leave a comment

Initial Theories and Curiosities

Our exploration began with a question: What is a machine?

We thought about the tools and objects that use energy to help us work at home, activating prior experiences to draw direct links between concepts in our heads and the physical world we navigate daily. This shift transformed the abstract definition of a “machine” into a tangible, shared study of everyday life.

 

Meeting the Text: Making Thinking Visible

When introduced to an informational book about household tools, the researchers did not just read—they actively constructed meaning. By closely studying the cover and detailed photographs, they practised the art of visual literacy and decoded the visual language. 

“We use many machines at home.”

This central theory became our anchor. By writing this concept down, the writers manifested their comprehension, showcasing how an engaged researcher actively synthesises new data with old memories and rich life experiences.

 

Investigations and Gathering Data

Researchers know how to collect and document their observations and learning through active investigation. To practice these skills and test their theories, we went on a hunt around the learning space—treating our environment as the third teacher—to learn about, identify, and document the different machines we use each day.

 

The Educator’s Reflection

This documentation captures more than a reading comprehension lesson. It reveals the children’s deep competence as capable researchers. They effortlessly bridged text, home environments, and personal theories. Moving forward, we wonder:

  • How do the children distinguish between a simple tool and a complex machine?

Our Hands, Our Stories: Sculpting Meaning Through Playdough

Leave a comment

“An environment that encourages children to play also encourages them to converse, to explore, and to collaborate.”

The Spark of Inquiry

Children are natural storytellers who seek to make sense of their world through multiple languages. In our ‘Writer’s Workshop’, we intentionally move away from the mechanical repetition of writing. Instead, we offer children a joyful, purposeful context. By anchoring their mark-making to a real experience, writing transforms into a meaningful tool for connection, fuelled by a clear sense of purpose and a real audience.

 

The Alchemy of Making: Step-by-Step Discovery

We invited the children into a sensory-rich, hands-on exploration: the collaborative creation of playdough.

Gathering Our Collective Voice: We began by listening. The children mapped out their existing knowledge, sharing how different colours of dough could be transformed into people, objects, and vehicles.

The Language of Sequence: With focused intentionality, the young authors translated the physical recipe into visual documentation. They illustrated the specific tools, measured the ingredients, and mapped out the procedural steps needed to form the soft, malleable dough.

Blending Literacy with Art: As they drew, the children played with the physical geometry of letters and sounds, weaving text into their illustrations to guide their future readers.

The Sculptor’s Studio and Environmental Responsibility

Once the dough arrived at its perfect consistency, the children instantly transitioned from authors to sculptors. The room was filled with the rhythmic sounds of pounding, rolling, poking, and pinching. Sausages, spheres, and miniature cars emerged from their hands—ideas made visible in three dimensions.

When the creative energy settled, a natural sense of community care took over. The sculptors became caretakers of their space, meticulously clearing their workspaces and showing deep respect for their shared learning materials and environment.

Visible Reflections

The journey culminated in a beautiful moment of sharing. The children eagerly flipped through their self-made booklets, reading their own documentation with care and intention. The learning did not end at the atelier; filled with pride, the children carried their handmade playdough home and shared their stories and discoveries directly with their families.

What can you do at the beach?

Leave a comment

We began by discussing the different activities we can do at the beach and our favourite things to do there.  Next, the writers used drawings, words and sentences to share these ideas with others, using inventive spelling as a strategy for writing and spelling.  

Then, we read the title of the nonfiction/informational text using what we know about letters and sounds to break apart unknown words to read new words.

This is a strategy that readers use to decode unknown words. As we began to read the text, we used our imagination to visualise in order to understand the ideas shared in the text. The readers paused to describe the information provided by the photographs and used it as a word-attack strategy. We discussed the questions:

  • What do most people wear at the beach?
  • What do you see at the beach?
  • What are the two kids digging in at the beach?
  • How do you think the kids eating on the beach feel? How do you know?
  • What are the kids using to build a castle?

 

Throughout the reading process, readers were encouraged to point to the words they were reading to track their reading independently.

 

 

The comprehension skill in focus was identifying the main idea and supporting details included in this informational text. Most stories have a main idea, which is the subject of the story. The title of the story, as well as the pictures, can give us clues to the story’s main idea. When a story has a main idea, it also has supporting details, which are descriptions that help the reader better understand the main idea.

The writers used illustrations, words and sentences to share the different activities the characters engaged in during their time at the beach.

 

They were encouraged to capitalise the beginning of sentences and include punctuation at the end of a sentence. Leaving spaces between the words helps readers read the information with the appropriate pausing and understanding.

As we continue to discuss and read new texts, we will practice using these strategies to grow as readers and writers! 

Literacy Circle Roles

Leave a comment
A literature circle is a small-group instructional approach that supports the development of comprehension, independence, and reading enjoyment. The young readers took on different roles in our literacy circle to help them develop their reading skills.

To prompt thinking, we used the following role cards:

Literacy circle (or literature circle) roles provide structure for student-led discussions about a text, with specific roles such as:

  • The Artist
  • The Connector
  • The Passage Picker
  • The Summariser

We read the story ‘The Rabbit Listened’ by Cori Doerrfeld, which is a wonderful picture book about ‘empathy’. The character Taylor doesn’t know where to turn or what to do when something terrible happens. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to cope with this loss and frustration, and one by one they fail, until the rabbit arrives to simply ‘listen’.

After listening to and discussing the story, the readers used the different roles to share their thinking and perspectives.

The Writing Process

Leave a comment
The young writers continued to follow the writing process to create a story that captures their audience’s interest. They began by creating a ‘plan’ and documenting their ideas on a ‘storyboard’.
Then, they drafted their story, narrating all the different events that take place in it.
The writers narrated the sketch of the story using interesting details and events, sharing problems that arise and how these are solved as the story unfolds. Including a powerful ending for the story was a key focus. 
Next, they revised their story to ensure it made sense. They edited their work, using the dictionary and their knowledge. They used the acronym ‘CUPS‘ to help them check their capital letters, usage of language, punctuation and spelling.
We look forward to reading the young writers’ final stories!
 

Details that HOOK the Reader

Leave a comment

We wonder how authors and illustrators hook their readers.

What are some of the strategies and techniques they use to capture the attention of their readers? 

The young writers started by revisiting their stories. Their stories were inspired by snakeskin, using this idea to create their own pieces of writing. As authors, they were encouraged to think about the characters, how they feel, what they say, and how they act in their story. We used a mentor text to learn more about stretching a story to expand on small moments. We read ‘Shortcut’ by Donald Crews. 

This is a story about seven children who decide to take the shortcut home along the train tracks. It is an exciting story that keeps the children on the edge of their seats. In this text, the author uses multiple strategies to hook the reader and keep them in suspense.

The details in the words and illustrations help transport the reader into the story, allowing them to see, feel, and imagine the children on their journey through the shortcut. The writers discussed these details, gathering information about the messages and specifics the author shares throughout the text. We wondered how we might use some of these techniques in our own writing.

The writers then started to write their stories, exploring ways to include these techniques. They discussed how to convey ‘time’ and ‘sequence’ by using time words, such as ‘the next day,’ ‘one morning,’ or ‘late in the afternoon.’ They were encouraged to add more details to help readers follow the story effortlessly. Rereading what they had written before helped ensure their stories flow smoothly.

Zooming In!

Leave a comment

We have been exploring the different elements of a story through analysing picture books. We have observed that writers craft engaging stories by:

  • Generating meaningful ideas for writing
  • Stretching out small moments
  • Zooming in to include lots of details
  • Rereading to make sure the writing makes sense and…
  • Crafting powerful endings.

The children were invited to create a story inspired by a snake skin. They started by making a ‘story plan’, using what they had learned about the ‘Story Ark’ to decide the key details of their narratives.

Next, they used those ideas to sketch out a ‘storyboard’ with more detailed information about the characters and events. The writers were encouraged to use their senses to add more details about the setting.

Including how the characters feel at different stages helps readers visualise the story as it develops. We discussed the importance of adding dialogue and strong actions, which also help to create stories that keep readers engaged throughout.

Finally, the writers began to tell their story using words, creating their first draft.

 

What is a Story?

Leave a comment

What might a story need to have?

We began by brainstorming all the different elements of a story. These were recorded in one colour (brown).

Next, we read the story ‘A Cat and a Dog,’ written by Claire Masurel and illustrated by Bob Kolar, to help us reflect on other elements that might be present in a story.

These new ideas were added to the initial brainstorm (green). Then, the children were given a provocation to help them use their imagination and creativity to plan and write their own story.

They began by jotting down their ideas, considering the characters, the setting, and the structure of the story. It was important to think about how we might use our senses to describe what is happening in the story.

The initial brainstorm helped the children to organise their plan, allowing them to add more details and interesting events to keep their readers more engaged.

The plan was used to create a storyboard, which will help the writers with their story creation. We look forward to sharing our stories with you!

Hummingbirds

Leave a comment

We began our Reading and Writing Workshop by introducing ourselves to each other. Getting to know one another and discovering commonalities between a learning group helps establish a positive and safe learning community.

We used a nonfiction text about ‘hummingbirds’ to stimulate conversation and discussion about literature. The focus of the lesson was to connect with prior knowledge, ask questions to learn more, and make connections with the text.

The children began by writing what they already knew about hummingbirds. Next, they listed their questions and wonderings about this fascinating creature.

Then, we started to read the text, pausing to discuss the key information in each section of the nonfiction piece, making connections and noting wonderings as we turned the pages.

At the end of the shared reading experience, the children recorded what they had learned from the book, including new information and interesting words they encountered during the activity.

We wonder who we are as readers and writers and hope to learn more about ourselves and our learning community @theseedatelier.

A Plan for Learning

Leave a comment
At the Seed Atelier, assessments are viewed as a valuable tool for learning. The children have engaged in reading, writing and comprehension activities in preparation for the Reading and Writing Workshop.
Workshop Focus: To develop reading and writing skills through the world of books and storytelling. Guiding Questions: – How might picture books help us develop a love for reading? – What strategies develop strong comprehension skills? – What techniques do authors and illustrators use to write creatively? This workshop will help young children develop their identities as readers and writers. We will delve into the world of books to explore strategies and techniques that foster strong reading and writing skills. You can register for the Reading and Writing workshop through the link: https://forms.gle/cKEGZtvTcdtt7QnH6

Illustrations: Feedback for Improvement

Leave a comment

The kindergarten writers have been creating stories inspired by their personal experiences, play and imagination. We have noticed that their three-dimensional structures, Lego designs and play materials are part of their storytelling. As writers, they use mark-making drawings and words to communicate their stories with others. Illustrations are essential to the writing process as they help writers plan, describe and enhance the reader’s experience. This is true with both fiction and non-fiction writing. Considering the significance of illustrations in bookmaking, we decided to invite the children to improve their illustrations through feedback.

  • What can we learn from drawing a butterfly?

We began by inviting the children to make a quick sketch of a butterfly. The children swiftly tapped into their prior knowledge to recall all the important features of butterflies to create their drawings.

Then, we invited the children to go on a gallery walk, to look at all the different drawings. Were there any good techniques they could use to improve their artwork?

Next, the children drew a second butterfly, considering and using any new ideas they may have seen while viewing some of the other butterflies created by their friends.

  • How might feedback help writers and illustrators improve their work?
  • What is important to consider when drawing a butterfly?

How might we ‘use the eye of a scientist’ when drawing a butterfly?

We watched the video ‘Austin’s Butterfly’ to listen to young learners giving kindergarten artists critical feedback that could improve their work.

Using the eye of a scientist when drawing a butterfly.

The next day, we asked volunteers to offer their drawings for feedback.  Riccardo, Isabella and Adalyn chose to share their sketches with the class. Each child received a sticker to vote for their favourite butterfly, sketch one or two.

  • Sea “We draw the butterfly and we put a sticker, we choose 1 or 2 because I think that butterfly is beautiful and cutie.”
  • Adalyn “Because you choose number 1 and number 2. We can see and choose.”
  • Isabella “We choose the drawing so we can say which one to make it more better and say how to make it better things.”

  • Dahyun “Because we need to choose 1 or 2, and we can say what is better. And what is you like on the butterfly.”
  • Ciel “We get a sticker and we choose one picture what is beautiful and we put the sticker. Then, we tell what they need to do because otherwise, they don’t know how to make the picture better.”

We encouraged the young artists to consider the feedback they have received and given, and to think about how they might make their next butterfly drawing better.

  • Euno “I draw the last butterfly I draw it more beautiful, more decorations in my butterfly.”
  • Sea “I will draw more beautiful than step 1 and step 2, I put many colours and shapes.”
  • Adalyn “I will draw some patterns, lines and circles.”
  • Dahyun “I like friend’s ideas. More colour and more drawing.”
  • Isabella “I am going to put more details like nicer patterns.”
  • Jacob “We can have a detailed drawing and colouring to look more like a butterfly.”
  • Suzy “I am going to draw it more bigger, then I can put more beautiful things on it.”
  • Junsu “Draw patterns and shapes on the wings.”
  • Riccardo “Make it bigger and much better.”
  • Evan “I need details and colouring like yellow to make it more beautiful. Because I like yellow because it’s my favourite colour.”

The child’s conversations and reflections show…

  • their developing understanding that our experiences and imagination can inspire our creations
  • that they can describe what they notice about an artwork
  • how they reflect on their artwork and the work of others.

The artists set out to draw their butterflies. They referred to books and specimens to look for details. Each of them were drawn to different butterflies.

Craft Moves

Leave a comment

Mo Willems is one of our favourite authors. We have read his books over and over again. One of our favourite stories is ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the BUS!’

How do authors and illustrators use lines, shapes and patterns in their picture books?

Notice how Mo Willems  uses letter, lines and shapes to create his drawings. We can explore drawing, creating and designing through our exploration of lines, patterns and shapes.

We read to book again and again and looked closely at the different ‘craft moves‘ the author has used. We explored how we can use some of these ‘craft moves’ in our writing. We also discussed how books were made and noticed that books have/can have:

  • a title
  • the authors name
  • the illustrators name
  • many pages
  • writing or pictures or both on almost every page

What do you notice, what do you see?

What ‘Craft Moves’ has Mo Willems used to create his picture books?

  • Isabella “I see a pigeon, the picture.” (cover)
  • Ciel “I know because it looks like a pigeon.”
  • Dahyun “Because it has a beak.”
  • Sea “I see a pigeon at the end of the book.” (hidden images)
  • Riccardo “It doesn’t look like a pigeon because his neck is too long.” (drawings can be different to real objects)
  • Euno “I see feathers on the pigeon.”
  • Junsu “I see the words. Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus.” (title)
  • Suzy “I see a coin.” (awards)
  • Jacob “That’s a panda book! The sticker on the side means it is an English book because in the library Ms. Mulder told me.” (organisation)
  • Isabella “The words on the bottom.” (name of the author)
  • Euno “Sometimes there’s a letter here, and it means the level of the book.” (levelled books)
  • Ciel “There is an exclamation mark on the book. When it is interesting people use it. And I see the comma, the one on the don’t.” (punctuation)
  • Sea “I see colours on the picture.” (visuals)
  • Mohammad “The eye.” (details)
  • Isabella “I see finger spaces.” (concepts about print)
  • Adalyn “I see a speech bubble.” (speech)
  • Isabella “That means someone is talking.”
  • Suzy “He [Gerald] is spinning.” (shows movement and action)
  • Junsu “The word is so long.”

How will the Kindergarten writers use these craft moves in their writing?

We invited the children to create their own stories using familiar or imaginative characters. They may want to add their details, speech bubbles and thinking clouds to add dialogue and thought.

How can we ‘tell’ our stories?

Leave a comment

We have noticed the children’s interest in telling stories in different areas around the classroom. We have seen them use manipulatives to retell familiar stories or use their imagination to create and extend stories.

We decided to invite the children to think about all the different ways they can ‘tell’ their stories.

How might we use a range of tools, materials and technology to capture and share our stories with others?

As we discussed the different ideas, we noted them down on chart paper.

We can…

  • Junsu “we can use note paper (Post-it notes).”
  • Sea “make a story with paper notes.”
  • Dahyun “we can draw and write on paper.”
  • Sea “use memory to draw and write books.”
  • Isabella “we can build our story with blocks and then share.”
  • Riccardo “we can use stop-motion and tell Lego story. In pk1 B I did it with Jacob.”
  • Suzy “we can use leaves from the garden to tell the story, I used glue to tape them on.”
  • Evan “use wood to make story and then paint it.”
  • Sea “use YouTube to make video.”
  • Dahyun “make story with LEGO and draw the story.”
  • Isabella “use clay to make something and then tell a story.”
  • Suzy “and then paint the clay.”
  • Sea “take a bus to the zoo and take a video.”
  • Jacob “and you can draw a picture.”
  • Suzy “you can take a picture (photographs).”
  • Dahyun “you can use paper cuttings.”

We referred to some of the stories that children have created. We shared Mohammed’s drawing of his first experiences in China, where he talks about his experiences using writing and drawing.

The children were inspired after watching Lego animation stories created by previous K2 students.

We wonder how the storytellers might use some of these ideas to create, write and share their stories during ‘Story Workshop’ time.

 

Story Workshop

The K2 storytellers have continued to use their imagination and life experiences to create interesting stories using manipulatives and ‘loose parts’.

We know that setting aside time to play with ideas and discuss possibilities with others helps young children grow as writers. During our mini lesson, we examined different samples of writing to explore how we might use illustrations and writing to enrich the reader’s experience.

Some of the key ideas shared were that we can:

  • include more details in the drawing
  • colour the pictures
  • ensure that the writing matches the drawings (connection)
  • check that sentences begin with a capital letter and end with punctuation
  • leave spaces between words
  • extend sentences to include more details
  • reread our writing to make sure it makes sense

The young writers agreed that the more details we include, the more it helps the reader create a clearer picture in their mind. 

Writing Workshop – Plan, Write and Share

Leave a comment

We took some time to reflect on our ‘Writing Workshop’. We watched a video of the children’s engagement during this time to help them reflect on what they do as ‘writers’. 

What good writers do…

  • Dahyun “Sound out letters and say the letters.”
  • Isabella “Draw and colour.”
  • Junsu “Write the words.”
  • Sea “Think of ideas to draw.”
  • Suzy “Focus on the writing, looking carefully. We need to think of what we need to draw.”
  • Euno “Write the words and read it, because we read it, we don’t know what we are writing. If we don’t read, we cannot say the words (talk about) and what we are drawing and writing.”
  • Dahyun “Try to think about the letters.”
  • Sea “We think, we use memory. We cannot draw and write if you don’t use memory.”
  • Suzy “Use pointers like arrows.”
  • Evan “Use labels to show things.”

The writers thought about their next steps, making choices about the piece of writing they wanted to continue working on and making a ‘plan’ for writing. They could focus on drawing to add more details or writing words to match their illustrations. 

As they moved to their favourite writing spaces, we noticed how they used many of the different writing strategies and behaviours they had shared in their list of ‘what good writers do’.

During ‘time for sharing’, we highlighted two pieces of writing to share with the class. The writers were encouraged to talk about what they did as ‘writers’.

This is an opportunity for the children to learn from each other, grow their craft and learn different techniques and strategies that make their writing interesting to their readers.

As we move forward, the children will revisit their work to either continue their writing or create new pieces of work during the ‘Writing Workshop’ time.

Writing How-To Books

Leave a comment

‘How-To’ Writing is one of our favourite writing units in kindergarten as the children love getting to be the expert as they teach others. Following on from our previous writing mini lesson, which focused on creating a piece of collaborative text that provides information on ‘how to give a cat a bath’, we created a list of all the things that the children would like to teach others. We began by brainstorming all the things we know how to do.

We collected all the ideas the children shared on a chart paper to create a collection of ideas they can refer to when they make their how-to texts.

Some of their ideas were how to:

  • make cookies
  • brush your teeth
  • dress up
  • eat independently
  • conduct an experiment
  • read a book
  • put on your shoes
  • pack a bag
  • play with the cat
  • grow a plant
  • take a photograph
  • make a video
  • make pizza
  • draw a picture
  • make ice cream
  • catch a cat
  • take a bath
  • make a pie

We noticed that the children had many different interesting ideas about the things they can teach others. After revisiting the collaborative text, we referred to our list of key features of how to books.

The writers were excited to create their how-to texts. They began by drawing and labelling a list of things they would need to complete the tasks. Next, they will tell what to do in sequential steps.

We look forward to sharing these texts with others to help them learn how to complete different tasks successfully.  

‘How-To’ Books

Leave a comment

The children have been exploring how to create instructions as part of their ongoing investigations linked to classroom projects. We decided to read a mentor text to help the children think more deeply about the importance of a list of materials and the sequence of detailed steps when telling others how to complete a task.

We read the story ‘How to Give Your Cat a Bath: in Five Easy Steps by Nicola Winstanley, illustrated by John Martz. In this hilarious and clever “how-to,” a little girl tries to follow a series of steps to bathe her unwilling cat. Although the task seemed simple, the cat makes it challenging to follow the steps. As the steps keep changing, the cat keeps escaping and the mess keeps escalating.

We decided to create our own instructions on ‘how to give a cat a bath’.

We documented the children’s ideas on large chart paper, including illustrations, labels, numbered steps and details. Each suggestion was discussed to ensure the details made sense to a reader.

 

We look forward to seeing how the children apply their learning in new contexts, through their independent and group project work.

Story Arc

Leave a comment

We have been reading and creating stories during ‘Reading and Writing Workshop’ times. We have been using loose parts and our play spaces to create and share stories. 

BUT…what makes a good story?

To explore this idea further, we read the story ‘A Cat and a Dog’, by Claire Masurel. In this story, a cat and a dog live in the same house, but they are not friends.They fight all the time, about everything. Then disaster strikes. Dog’s beloved ball bounces up into a tree and is stuck. Cat’s precious stuffed mouse falls into the pond. Dog can’t climb. Cat can’t swim.

 

The Story Arc

Next, we used a Story Arc to identify and retell the important elements of the story. We documented these ideas and created a class chart that we can refer to when creating our own stories. Together we identified the:

  • Characters(who is in the story)
  • Setting(where the story takes place)
  • Events
    • Beginning
    • Problem
    • Solution
    • End

The children were invited to create their own stories, to include a beginning, middle and end. They will continue to use what they know about letters and sounds to share their stories with others.

Story Workshop

Leave a comment

Play

The children have continued to work on their stories during ‘Story Workshop’ time. During this dedicated literacy session, the children are invited to play in their preferred spaces, independently or collaboratively, to create stories with the different materials and toys available around the campfire.

Some of the children’s favourite spaces for storytelling are the block play areas and the light table with small world toys or loose parts. We have also noticed the children’s interest in writing stories about the different paper crafts they have created. Some have even chosen to create stories around the classroom library reading space.

This dedicated time allows the children to build their stories, discuss their ideas with their friends and make choices about the stories they want to share. Time for discussion allows the children to think deeply about the characters, settings and plots in the story. 

Draw and Write

After having time to play with the materials, the children move to document their ideas using drawings, labels, words and sentences.

They are invited to use the Word Wall, alphabet charts and any other tools they need to help them with their writing. They are encouraged to say the words out loud, listen to the sounds in the word and then write all the sounds they hear as they say the word. They practice this strategy by imagining themselves holding the word in their hands, stretching the word out like a rubber band to say the word as they listen to the sounds.

 

Share

After dedicated time for writing, the children gather to share some of their work. The teachers highlight what they have noticed the children doing with their writing and drawing, using these as opportunities to present new ideas, techniques and strategies to the children.

Sharing and presenting to the class encourages the children to celebrate what they can already do.

As we work on our stories during ‘Story Workshop’ time, we will continue to explore the different ways we can tell and share our stories with others.  

Sight Words and Pattern Books

Leave a comment

Writers in K2 have been using what they know about letters and sounds to write words. They have been using inventive spelling to write labels and messages. We decided to pay attention to high-frequency (sight) words to explore how they can be used to write messages. High-frequency words are words that occur frequently in written material.

We know that writers who are learning to read benefit from books with predictable text. To explore this idea further, we created a sentence ‘I can see a … .’ using sight word cards and objects. 

 

 

As we read the sentence we took note of its features. The sentence:

  • had 5 words.
  • the first letter in the first word was a capital letter
  • ended with punctuation (full stop)
  • had spaces between words
  • letters were sitting on the line, some letters hung low and some were taller.
  • shared an idea or message.

Then, we presented the writers with a new option: a book with spaces for drawing and spaces for writing. They used the sentence starter to create their predictable pattern book, using inventive spelling to write new words to complete the sentence.  

The writers were learning how to:

  • identify the front cover, back cover, and title page of a book
  • follow words from left to right, top to bottom, and page by page
  • recognise that spoken words are represented in written language by specific sequences of letters
  • speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly

Storytelling through  Story Workshop

Leave a comment

What is Story Workshop?

Story Workshop is a classroom structure that is used to support language and literacy. The adults consider the space, environment, story materials, writing tools, books and props that invite storytelling.

Story Workshop is a hands-on approach that allows the children to create, talk about and use drawing and writing to share their stories.

We know that children enjoy creating with a range of materials and loose parts. It’s much easier to start thinking of a storyline when you have physical pieces in front of you. 

As the children manipulate, make, build and design their structures and objects, they begin to create the base of a story. Soon they are ready to add more details, a setting and characters which result in a storytelling experience.

The hands-on experience encourages creativity and imagination. It also helps the children revisit past events that are important to them.

Dedicated quiet times to observe and draw allow the children opportunities to carefully observe and document what they see. 

The adults in the space listen to the children’s ideas, offering suggestions and supporting key literacy skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

We wonder what stories live in these materials and how the children might use them to tell their own stories. 

Introduction to ‘Writing Workshop’

Leave a comment

Noticing the children’s interest in creating stories and making books, we decided to introduce them to ‘Writing Workshop’. Writing Workshop is a dedicated time when we explore, notice and practice different writing behaviours and techniques while developing skills that help us grow as readers and writers.

We began by introducing the children to a mentor text, to help them brainstorm ideas about books. While reading the wordless picture book, the children noticed and discussed many different features of picture books.

We documented these ideas on chart paper, which we will refer to throughout the year.

The first observation the children shared was that the book had ‘NO’ words.

How can we read a book that has no words?  

The children began to tell the story, using clues in the illustrations. They noticed that actions, feelings and stories can be communicated through the illustrations.

Next, the children were invited to go to the new library space, to create their books. We hoped that the children would be inspired by the books around them, drawing ideas from their favourite authors, stories and characters to create their own stories.

  • Jacob “我们来画nis library吧。（let’s draw some pictures of the library.)”
  • George “我们不是已经画过了吗？（We’ve done that before)”
  • Jacob “我们上次是画的画， 这次是做书，不一样。”(last time, we just drew a picture of it, and this time we are going to make a book, so it’s different) 这是一个小故事.” (This is a short story)”
  • Ethan “I am making a haunted house story”.

It is helpful to have an organised system when creating messages or books. Therefore, the children prepared their ‘Writing Workshop’ folder, which will be used to collect their draft and published stories and pieces of writing. The ‘green sticker’ and ‘red sticker’ on the pockets hold their ‘ongoing’ and ‘completed’ pieces of work.

As the year progresses, we will learn more about our favourite authors and illustrators, to explore the techniques and craft moves they use to make their books more inviting, engaging, exciting and fun for their readers.

Creating a First Memory!

Leave a comment

The children were invited to use paper and black line markers to create a memory of their first day in K2.

They documented their ideas using drawings and labels. The children drew pictures of their friends and playtime. Blocks, Lego play and outdoor learning experiences were some of their favourite experiences of the day.

We look forward to observing how they document their learning throughout the year in K2.

Sharing Stories through ‘Writing Workshop’

Leave a comment

We have been using drawing and writing to share stories during ‘Writing Workshop’. We use a checklist to plan, create and improve our writing. 

  • Oliver “This is people are sad because they think NIS school they already played 10 years and they think it’s a bit boring and they want a new school. She wants to go to a new school but she don’t know where is a new school and a new country.”
  • Morning “It is a bunny, it is flying in the sky. And he is going in the tree house.”

  • Eunbyul “People shoot the ball fast and goal. I shoot and goalie is Beomjun. At NIS soccer. It is a Saturday, it is a sunny day.”
  • Oxford “One day, people want to play but no one to play. And the people play outside, he wants to play slide. People is there and feeling is not good.”
  • Eli “My story, this is I and daddy and a monster and we say ‘ah’ and the monster is so loud and other people say ‘ah’ too. The Monster is so loud it roars and the building in NIS is shake.”

  • Motong “This is one day I kick ball in the goal. I playing soccer at NIS with friends in Grade 1 and PreK.”
  • Lydia “I draw about today. Today is raining and have two people. Them to the outside and one is mummy and one is me. We go to outside and play.”

  • Jeongyoon “I am going to my soccer game and my team is waiting. I am playing with Beomjun outside in the playground.”
  • Wyatt “Monday I am grandma got outside play and I see the grass and I climbing the tree and I sit on the carpet and eat the fruits and I see the tadpole.”
  • Liz “A bird, is flying and bird is fall down and died. It is a sunny day.”

  • Beomjun “I am swimming on Tuesday after school. I am swimming with Oxford, Eli and Liz and Oliver and Oxford.”
  • Hana “I am drawing grass.”
  • Yui “A little girl playing football. She feels a little bit tired, then she rests and then plays football again. Then she goes home to change her clothes. Then, she has lunch. And then she goes shopping to buy some tomatoes, milk. Then she goes home. Then she takes a nap (In Mandarin).”

Sharing Information through Non-Fiction Texts

Leave a comment

What more could we learn about birds and nests?

We decided to read some nonfiction books about birds. As we read the books, we noticed pictures, photographs, labels, words and sentences, key features of nonfiction texts.

During ‘Writing Workshop’, the children were invited to create their own nonfiction stories or books.

Some children chose to create books about birds, drawing and writing to share their ideas and information. 

We chose one piece of writing to share with the class, helping the children notice key strategies and features that were included in the story.

 

There was a clear idea of a topic. The pages included words and sentences that talked about the pictures. We know that good writers think about questions readers might have about a topic and then find ways to include this information through drawing and writing.

While writing words and sentences, the children were encouraged to say the word out loud, stretch out the word to hear the sounds and then write all the sounds that they heard.

The children began to show an interest in sharing and reading their stories to their friends and teachers.

They understood that bookmaking is a way to share important messages and information with others and began to look for ways to celebrate their work with the community.

We look forward to exploring all the different opportunities that allow us to share the work we do as readers and writers.

Storytelling Through  Story Workshop

Leave a comment

We have noticed the children building and creating elaborate stories throughout their day in school. Therefore, we decided to introduce the children to Story Workshop.

What is Story Workshop?

Story Workshop is a classroom structure that is used to support language and literacy. The adults consider the space, environment, story materials, writing tools, books and props that invite storytelling.

Story Workshop is a hands-on approach that allows the children to create, talk about and use drawing and writing to share their stories.

We know that children enjoy creating with a range of materials and loose parts. It’s much easier to start thinking of a storyline when you have physical pieces in front of you.  

As the children manipulate, make, build and design their structures and objects, they begin to create the base of a story. Soon they are ready to add more details, a setting and characters which result in a storytelling experience.

The hands-on experience encourages creativity and imagination. It also helps the children revisit past events that are important to them.

Dedicated quiet times to observe and draw allow the children opportunities to carefully observe and document what they see. The adults in the space listen to the children’s ideas, offering suggestions and supporting key literacy skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

We wonder what stories live in these materials and how the children might use them to tell their own stories. 

Watch this space! 

Telling Stories with Pictures and Words

Leave a comment

Over the last few weeks, we have focused on sharing messages and telling stories during ‘Writing Workshop’. We have observed the children building their stamina for writing and telling stories across pages.

In K2, ‘Writing Workshop’ is a dedicated time for Literacy, where we explore books and texts, learning more about the different ways we communicate messages, information, and stories with others. We explore mentor texts, created by authors and illustrators, to look at how they have used tools, strategies, and techniques to share their ideas and stories with their readers.

During ‘Writing Workshop’, we often confer (discuss) with the children, to help them express the ideas they share orally, through details in their drawings. We decided to look at the different techniques we could use to make our stories more interesting. We know that authors and illustrators spend a lot of time thinking about the books they make, planning their ideas and developing their craft over time. We decided to focus on looking closely at how adding more details to drawings helps the story come alive.

We invited the children to think about how they might communicate information about their story through their writing (letters and words).

We modelled a short story, providing details in the picture and thinking about what needed to be included in the drawing to help readers know all about the experience.

While creating drawings for a story, we noticed that the children often draw over their pictures to show what happened over time (sequence).

We decided to use a mentor text to look at how authors and illustrators use the technique ‘Background Perspective’ to spotlight a central image in an illustration or to show a sequence of events. In his book ‘How to Heal a Broken Wing’, we notice how Bob Graham considers where to position his drawings and how to tell his story using a sequence of pictures that show action, time, feelings and movement.

The children were invited to think about how they might use the technique in their own writing and storytelling.

We noticed the children talking more about their pictures and considering the position of elements in their drawings and the colours and words they might use to share their stories with others.

We are learning how to:

  • use mark-marking to convey meaning.
  • create narratives to share real or imagined experiences or events using techniques, details, and event sequences.

Craft Moves – Mo Willems

Leave a comment

Mo Willems is one of our favourite authors. We have read his books over and over again. Some of our favourite stories are: ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the BUS!’

How do authors and illustrators use lines, shapes and patterns in their picture books?

When rereading Mo Willems picture books, we noticed how he used letter shapes, lines and shapes to create his drawings.

The writers also noticed the ‘craft moves’ that the author uses when creating books.

We also discussed how books were made and noticed that books have/can have :

  • a title
  • the authors name
  • the illustrator’s name
  • many pages
  • writing or pictures or both on almost every page

We Invited the children to use these ‘craft moves’ when they create their own stories and books.

During sharing time, we highlighted some of the techniques the children had used in their own writing.

Showing Actions and Feelings

Leave a comment

How might we show the actions and feelings of a character? 

Picture books communicate with both words and with pictures. One key way to enhance illustration is to dramatise the artwork. A good character, first and foremost, must evoke a reaction from the reader. It’s the illustrator’s job to capture that spark, that energy, that grabs the reader’s attention.

To explore this further, we decided to read yet another picture book by Mo Williems, ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!’. As we read the story, the children demonstrated the actions and feelings of the characters in the story.

We began to see how the pigeon shared his disappointment, anger, surprise, joy and thoughtfulness. We also noticed how Pigeon moved to show what he was doing or feeling.

During quiet writing time, the children sit with writing tools to express their ideas and stories through pictures and words.

We used Oxford’s drawing to talk about the character’s feelings and actions. Oxford’s story was about a thief who stole money from a shopping mall. A person close to the mall was surprised by what he observed and showed his emotion through facial expressions. Spiderman was around to save the day, making a plan to catch the thief with the stolen money.

Oxford thought about his drawing and wondered what more he could do to show feelings, emotions and action through his artwork. 

Next, we chose a character from our stories and then drew to show all the different ways a character was feeling.  

The children were invited to share why the character was feeling that way. They were excited to share their drawings, using their imagination to extend their initial thoughts.

We were ready to add our new ideas on the chart paper.

We wonder how the children would use these different craft moves in their own writing and storytelling. 

Writing Workshop: Ideas for Writing

Leave a comment

The children have been writing and creating their own stories during ‘Writing Workshop’. We gathered to brainstorm ideas for writing.

“What do writers like to write about?” 

The children drew their ideas on post-it notes. Then, they discussed their ideas, sharing more information about the different topics or experiences for writing.

Based on the conversation, we decided how we wanted to categorise our ideas for writing.

Writers write about:

Things they know a lot about…

  • Bunnies
  • Birds
  • Lego
  • Crabs
  • Fish

Things that happened (to them)…

  • When I made a sandcastle
  • When I broke my iPad
  • Family
  • When I went to the flower market
  • Playing with blocks

Imaginary stories…

  • An octopus in the house

Things that happen (to someone else)…

  • When a tiger caught the person

We wonder how we might use some of these ideas for writing when we create books and stories during Writing Workshop time.

When creating and writing we:

  • Use our imagination and experience to tell stories.
  • Explore how ideas are conveyed through drawings, labels and symbols.
  • Talk about ideas we have thought about or drawn.
  • Celebrate creativity.
  • Learn from each other.

Illustration Study: Distance Perspective

Leave a comment

The goal of an illustration study is to help the children become more aware of how we can be more intentional and use details in pictures to help us become better storytellers and writers.

We began by introducing the children to the picture book ‘Emperor’s Egg’ written by Martin Jenkins and illustrated by Jane Chapman.

We took time to look through the first pages of the book, to talk about what we noticed about the way the story was presented.

While reading the story, we encouraged the children to think about what was happening using the pictures.

We documented the children’s ideas on chart paper, using marks, symbols and words to take note of the observations.

When discussing the pictures on the first page, Lydia explained that it is hard to see who is standing far away on the ice because the image is so small.

Wyatt agreed and added that the pictures aren’t very clear because it is dark. The illustrator has drawn it this way because they want to show that it is nighttime.

The children continued to share their observations about the image discussing the different elements that share information about time, the weather and the environment.

On the second page, Eli noticed that the author printed words in different sizes. 

We wondered how and why authors make choices about the size and shape of words.  

While listening to the story, we observed how the children made predictions and questioned to learn more about the story. We continued to document the children’s ideas and observations on the

We wonder how the children will use distance perspective when drawing pictures and creating their own stories.

We wonder about the different techniques and decisions authors and illustrators make when creating books for readers.

During time for writing, we will continue to practice using some of these techniques to improve our own pieces of work.

Writing Workshop – What do good writers do?

Leave a comment

What do good writers do?

We gathered to talk about writing.

What are some strategies, tools and behaviours good writers use to share their ideas and stories?

The children looked at the stories and pictures they created during ‘Writing Workshop’, to see if they could identify some of the behaviors and strategies they used. We began to document these ideas on chart paper.

We noticed that good writers:

  • Draw pictures using many different writing tools.
  • Create drawings using shapes and lines.
  • Write words using letters from the alphabet.
  • Write their name to let their readers know who created the piece of writing.
  • Make stories about things they love.

As we continue to create during ‘Writing Workshop’, we will add more ideas to our brainstorm.

Launching ‘Writing Workshop’

Leave a comment

The children were introduced to ‘time for writing’ through ‘Writing Workshop’. This is a dedicated time when we explore, notice and practice different writing behaviours and skills that help us as readers and writers.

The children prepared their Writing Workshop Folder, using labels, words and pictures to share information. They drew a ‘happy face’ on one side to save the ‘completed’ pieces of writing, and a ‘pencil’ on the other to save their ‘work in progress’.

Then, we offered the children paper to start their K2 writing journey. This was an opportunity for the teachers to explore the children’s interests and passions. Listening to the children’s stories helped us know more about their topics and ideas for writing.

During ‘time for sharing’, the children were encouraged to talk about who, where and what their stories were about. This is an opportunity for the children to learn from each other, grow their craft and learn different techniques and strategies that make their stories interesting to their readers.

As we move forward, the children will revisit their work to either continue their writing or create new pieces of work during the ‘Writing Workshop’ time.

Thorough ‘Writing Workshop‘, the children:

  • use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, or to tell a story.
  • with guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

Creating Non-fiction Books

Leave a comment

We have been exploring nature to learn more about change, responsibility and the choices we make. We began with a deep dive into non-fiction texts, reading many different non-fiction books to learn about the features in of these materials. We thought about non-fiction books that we can we make.

Inspired by non-fiction books, Patrick created and shared a book he made to teach us about ‘poisonous snakes’ and Mason a book about ‘jellyfish’.

We looked closely at a non-fiction book about snakes and compared it with the books the children had made.

  • What can we learn about non-fiction books?
  • What do we notice about the information presented in these books?

The children began by deciding on the topics or themes. We put these ideas down on post-it notes and shared them with the class.

We documented our ideas on chart paper.

We can talk about:

  • what animals/plants can do
  • what they eat or need to survive
  • how they catch their prey
  • how they move
  • how they grow
  • how they change
  • what they look like
  • what they like
  • why they behave in a certain way
  • how they play

Over the last two weeks, during Writer’s Workshop, the children have been creating their own non-fiction books, adding pages and information to share with their readers. A non-fiction checklist helped us think about the way we present ideas and important information.  

Non-fiction Texts

Leave a comment
  • What are the key features of non-fiction texts?
  • How are they different to stories?

The children explained that non-fiction books tell you about things. They share true information or facts. They teach us about different things in real life.

We looked at non-fiction books to see how authors and illustrators use pictures and photographs to share information. We noticed how a lot of information can be found by “reading” the photos within nonfiction texts. They noticed the labels, close-ups of pictures and different ways information may be displayed.

While looking through the mentor texts (examples) we brought the children’s attention to the following:

  • The cover of a non-fiction text has a title, pictures or drawings about the topic and the authors and/or illustrators name.

  • There may be a ‘blurb’ at the back of the book that gives you a clue about what the book might be about.

  • Non-fiction books may have a contents page that tells us where each section or chapter begins. The glossary is like a dictionary as it provides an explanation of key words in the text. The index lets you know where to find words.

We began to put down the different features the children noticed about the non-fiction texts.

Some of them include:

  • Photographs
  • Drawings
  • Numbered pages
  • Many pages
  • Writing about the topic
  • New/different information
  • Facts
  • Labels
  • Arrows
  • Captions
  • Headings
  • Close up – Zoom in

When creating non-fiction books we need to:

  • Think of a topic
  • Plan (what we want to include in the book)
  • Think about questions the readers may have.
  • Include pictures and information across pages.

The children were invited to think about a non-fiction book they can make on nature. They used a graphic organiser to help them plan their ideas. We used a KWL Chart to:

  • Share what we KNOW about the topic
  • Reflect on what we WANT to KNOW
  • Share what was LEARNED

We will use a checklist to help us plan and create our non-fiction books.

The children wanted to learn more about the rain, animals, insects plants and more!

Through this process, we will explore a range of non-fiction texts. We will begin to create our own non-fiction texts. We look forward to sharing these books with the community.

Author Study: Mo Willems 

2 comments

Mo Willems is one of our favourite authors. We have read his books over and over again. Some of our favourite stories are: 

‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the BUS!’

How do authors and illustrators use lines, shapes and patterns in their picture books?

 

Notice how Mo Willems uses letter, lines and shapes to create his drawings.

We can explore drawing, creating and designing through our exploration of lines, patterns and shapes. 

We Invited the children to create their own stories using familiar characters or their own imaginative characters. The children may want to add their own details, speech bubbles and thinking clouds to add dialogue and thought.

We read to book again and again and looked closely at the different ‘craft moves‘ the author has used.

We explored how we can use some of these ‘craft moves’ in our own writing. We also discussed how books were made and noticed that books have/can have :

  • a title
  • the authors name
  • the illustrators name
  • many pages
  • writing or pictures or both on almost every page

Literacy through Story Workshop

Leave a comment

Story Workshop is a hands-on approach that that allows children to create, talk about and use drawing and writing to share their stories. The children are invited to use loose parts at different centers in the classroom to develop their story ideas before moving to write their ideas down.

It’s much easier to start thinking of a story line when you have physical pieces in front of you. Children start manipulating them, making shapes, building structures, adding characters and soon they’ve created the base of a story. The hands-on experience encourages creativity and imagination.

The adults in the space listen to the children’s ideas, offering suggestions and supporting key literacy skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Writer’s Workshop

Leave a comment

The K2 writers have continued to create pieces of writing to inform and entertain their readers. We have noticed that their stamina for writing has improved as they sit for longer periods immersed in their books, using pictures and words to tell who, where and what is happening in their stories.

The writers begin by deciding on what pieces of writing to work on during our writing times, choosing a good writing spot and the tools they need to create and make.

They are encouraged to add to their pictures and words across pages. We know that good writers use several strategies to improve their work. Some of them are to:

  • capitalise the first word in a sentence and the word ‘I’
  • say the words slowly, stretch the words out and write letters for each of the sounds heard
  • leave spaces between words
  • write across pages
  • add more details to their pictures and words

Writers in K2 use the alphabet cards, sight words and other tools around them as they write.

Story Workshop

Leave a comment

We Are Writers!

We gathered to brainstorm what makes us writers.

  • What do writers do?
  • How are WE writers?

The children shared their ideas, and we documented their thinking on chart paper.

When we write we can:

  • talk about writing
  • write in different languages
  • tell people ‘how to’ do things
  • make books to tell people about ‘real’ things (what is inside a fish)
  • tell true or imaginary stories
  • make books
  • use
    • finger spaces
    • punctuation
    • capital letters for names and at the beginning of a sentence
    • quotation makes
    • speech bubbles
  • tell about things that happened a long time ago (dinosaurs)
  • use words and pictures
  • use paper, notepads, paper and books
  • write with pens, markers and pencils

 

What is Story Workshop?

The writers were introduced to Story Workshop. Story Workshop is a classroom structure that is used to support language and literacy. The adults consider the space, environment, story materials, writing tools, books and props that invite storytelling.

The arrangements of materials inspire storytelling, conversation, imagination concentration, negotiation and investigation. The ‘play’ with materials helps the writers use writing tools to share their ideas using marks, pictures, symbols, words and sentences. The active engagement encourages the writers to write and create complex stories.

The writers may have individual or group workspaces to help them explore a range of materials. A workspace or placemat helps anchor the writer’s workspace so that they can manage and co create stories alongside or with others. Writers are encouraged to record stories using pencil and paper, which can be collated into books.

Writing tools and materials that support writing were discussed.

Writers in K2 have access to these materials throughout the day to help them explore writing for different purposes.

Book Making: Making choices about the paper.

Leave a comment

We have been reading many different picture books over the last few weeks. We have begun to notice the different ways authors and illustrators create books.  We read the book ‘Andrew Drew and Drew’ by author and illustrator BARNEY SALTZBERG.

This is a story about a little boy who has a lead pencil and white paper. Andrew, the character in the story, loves to ‘doodle’ with a standard pencil. Andrew appears on the pages, using his imagination to draw and create on paper. Some pages are the same width as the cover, others narrower or wider, turning over or folding out to change a drawing’s meaning.

His abstract lines become a kite and then a rocket, or steps that turn into a dinosaur!

The students were invited to explore some of the different techniques Barney Saltzberg used to create his book.

  • What ideas could we use from Barney Saltzberg’s book?
  • How might this inspire our own book creations?
  • What imaginative stories could we create?

Writing Workshop

Leave a comment

We began Writing Workshop with a story by David Shannon titled ‘NO, David!’.

We paid attention to how the author and illustrator used words and details in his pictures to share many different events. We noted how the story is written across many pages. The children laughed at the illustrations and joined in to read the words.

Next, the children were invited to create their own story. They were given a choice of paper and books.

The children got to work, drawing, colouring and writing to create and share their own stories. As they created their books, they talked to each other about the characters, events and settings. The adults listened and discussed the children’s ideas, and made suggestions about possible ‘next steps’.

Then, the children prepared their Writer’s Workshop Folder. They pasted a ‘RED‘ sticker on one side to save the ‘completed’ pieces of writing, and a ‘GREEN’ sticker to save the ‘work in progress’.

The children will revisit their work to either continue their writing or make new pieces of work.

Thorough ‘Writing Workshop‘, the children:

  • use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, or to tell a story.
  • with guidance and support from adults, respond to questions and suggestions from peers and add details to strengthen writing as needed.

Powerful Messages about Waste

Leave a comment

How might we communicate a powerful message?

How might powerful images communicate important information? 

The students were invited to create the own powerful messages. They used their notes from previous research to think about the important information they wanted to share with others. The students were encouraged to reflect on the issue of ‘waste‘, and think about the action they could take as a result of their learning.

The students went through the writing process to create a first draft. Then, they revised and edited their writing in order to publish their final piece of work. Next, a drawing that communicated a powerful message was created. Finally, we used a green screen to produce a video. The students continued to work on speaking confidently, expressing ideas and information in order to inform and engage an audience.

Parts of Speech

Leave a comment

We looked at the parts of speech that help us visualise and build complete sentences with lots of information. The students worked together to craft a sentence. Then, they used coloured tiles to represent the different parts of speech. 

Next, the students worked in groups to practice this skill which can be used when they redraft and edit their writing and when they plan for speaking.

Structures Around the World

Leave a comment

The students have been exploring shapes in structures. We wondered what we already know about these structures. The students worked in groups to share their ideas.

  • What do you already know about these structures?
  • What questions do you have? 

Group A Brainstorm 

What we already know about these structures:

  • These structures are tall.
  • They are all popular structures.
  • These structures are in different countries.
  • Bridges go across the water. They help people go across from one side to the other.
  • The bridges are tall, because if the water comes up then the cars will go under the water, so they need to be tall.
  • They use hard things like metal and brick because they are strong and the people and cars will not drown in the water.
  • The bridge is made out of metal and concrete. Concrete is very hard so the car can go on it.
  • We use iron because it is hard.
  • They might use bricks and metal.
  • Some structures might be made of one material.

Questions we have about these structures:

  • What are these structures (structure 1)?
  • What did they use to make these structures?
  • Where, or what country is the first structure in?
  • How are structures made?
  • What materials were used to make the Eiffel tower?

Group B Brainstorm 

What we already know about these structures:

  • My structure is a bridge. A bridge helps people to cross the river.
  • All these structures are made of different shapes, like sphere, triangle, rectangle, rectangular prism, circle etc.
  • We need to use technology to build these structures. They help our life. We work more easily. A sailboat helps us to go across waters.
  • These structures are located in different places.
  • The spaceship helps us to go to the outer space so we can see things in the outer space.
  • They all look special.
  • They are different in shapes, they are made by different people in different places of the world, and they can look complicated using tricky shapes.
  • Some of them are big and some of them are high.
  • They are all famous, pretty, and unusual structures. People talk to each other about them so more and more people get to know these structures.
  • They have different shapes and different colours to make them more pretty. They do not use too many colours because that would make people dizzy.

Questions we have about these structures:

  • Why do people build these structures?
  • What do people do on the structures?
  • Why are some of the structures big?
  • What do people need structures for?
  • How can the people build a bridge across the river?
  • How do these structures help us?
  • Why do these structures look so difficult? How can they build such difficult structures?

Group C Brainstorm 

What we already know about these structures:

  • Some of the buildings are big and tall.
  • Some of the buildings have spheres.
  • I know they are tall buildings because I saw a tower line the one with the circles (3).
  • These are made out of shapes like cylinders, cones and cubes.
  • I know they are made of different sizes and many people can visit them. I think they are very tall and everyone wants to see it.
  • The building (3) has very funny shapes, this building is in China.
  • All buildings are made out of concrete. Concrete is like cement. Cement is really hard so that the house stands tall. Cement is really heavy.
  • I know it is made out of clay and some are made out of glass because picture 5 is wide white and it looks like it has clay and picture 3m the bottom has 5 cylinders shapes and that is why I think it has a glass.
  • All the different constructions are famous ones from different countries. They are famous because, picture 1 is a landmark from France, picture 2 is from Australia, picture 4 is from the Netherlands.
  • Picture 4, this is used for dumping water. They are used in many countries.
  • Picture 2 is kind of like a house because houses have the roof just like that. And the rest are not houses, they are buildings. The pictures 1,3 and 5 are really tall, but picture 4 is like it has wings on it, it is like a fan that goes round and round.
  • Picture 5 is the Sydney Opera House.

Questions we have about these structures:

  • Why do people make towers?
  • Why are some of these towers tall and some short?
  • Picture 5, how is that tower not falling because it is leaning?
  • Why do they need to be tall? – Why do people like to build tall and big structures?
  • Do people like to build tall towers? – Picture 3, there are little wooden rectangles, have they used glass or is there nothing inside?
  • Who built the towers? Who made the 1st tower?
  • Why are these towers made out of shapes?
  • Do people like towers made out of shapes?
  • How are towers made?
  • Which is the oldest and latest tower?
  • Number 5 is the oldest and number 3 is the latest building.

Next, the students used guiding questions and sentence starters to write about the structures they had chosen to recreate with shapes.  

Form:

Name it! What is your structure? My structure is…

Describe it! It is…

Structure: What materials have been used to create it? Why?

Purpose/Function: What is it used for? How does it work?

Connection: How is it connected to us?

 

How might we use new vocabulary to talk about our own structures? 

The Present

Leave a comment

We watched the beautifully animated story ‘Penguin‘ by Polly Dunbar. This is a story about a silent penguin who has a very special way of expressing himself.  

For the story read by the author Polly Dunbar click HERE!

Writing Task:

Imagine that you rip open a present just like Ben does. Which animal would you like to find inside and why? What adventures would you have?

This writing task encouraged students to:

  • write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences
  • develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach
  • use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others

Informational Reports

Leave a comment

Over the last few weeks, the students have been conducting their research and creating models and books to share important messages about nature, and our role in creating environmental balance. They have been using their knowledge of non fiction literature to create informational reports.

 

Informational Report Checklist

 

 

Writers..

  • write informative texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
  • develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.
  • use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
  • conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
  • gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources

What could you do to create balance in our environment?

Non-Fiction and Informational Texts

Leave a comment

We know that readers of nonfiction books do an extra-brainy, intense kind of thinking. Readers pay attention to details and think, “How can I put together what I am seeing, to grow ‘knowledge’ about this topic?”

As readers, we don’t just grab on to one detail that we notice. We look at all the different parts of the page, and the text, as we try to put what we are learning together in our minds. Instead of ‘glancing’ at the diagrams, we need to look closely at the details. Then, put what we know together to build a deeper understanding.

We can go back to the text to find the facts that are most connected to the idea.

Reading Strategy: We can use Pictures, Illustrations, and Diagrams

Illustrations give clues about the meaning of words and text. Paying attention to the pictures may confirm the meaning of words. Picture books are not the only texts where pictures convey meaning. Readers are exposed to pictures in much of their nonfiction reading. Knowing how to figure out words by using background knowledge, looking at the picture, and inferring its meaning enhances vocabulary.

How might we know if a text is fiction or nonfiction? We discussed and the different Features of Fiction and Nonfiction Texts.

Then, we took a closer look at nonfiction texts to see if we can identify some of the terms related to nonfiction texts.

We read the non-fiction text ‘Kelp Forests, Exploring a Floating Habitat‘ by Jan Burkins and Kim Yaris to help us explore how these texts share information and help us understand topics, concepts and big ideas.

Here are some ways to talk about our thinking:

  • I’m noticing…
  • I’m learning…
  • I’m wondering…

Reading Strategy: Ask questions to engage with the text.

We can engage our minds by asking questions as we read. When reading fiction, we might ask, “What comes next? Why did the character do that?”

When reading nonfiction, we might ask questions about the topic, “How do I know?”

When we ask and answer questions while we read, we know our minds are turned on to a book, this means we are coming to the text with curiosity. It can feel like we are having a conversation with ourselves as we question and inquire, wondering what will come next. We can read on to answer our questions!

Reading Strategy: Use Word Parts to Determine the Meaning of Words

Looking at parts of words helps readers break the word’s meaning apart and supplies them with a strategy to understand new words they encounter. While looking at the distinguishable parts of a word, readers use their back- ground knowledge of the word parts along with their knowledge of the text to infer the meaning of the word.

Reading Strategy: Use Dictionaries, Thesauruses, and Glossaries as Tools

Readers use many strategies to increase their understanding of words and texts they are reading. Although there are many different strategies to use, one of the most widely known strategies is using a dictionary, thesaurus, or glossary as a word learning tool. Readers use this strategy when they need a precise definition of a word or a list of other words that mean the same thing. In order for readers to be successful at using these word learning tools, they must first understand how they work.

Two students create a poster to share the reading strategies they have been using during Guided Reading lessons.  

As researchers, we have been reading books, watching videos and engaging in dialogue to learn more about living things. We have looked for ways to share our own understandings with others. As writers, we have been wondering what techniques we might use to teach our readers about the different things we are learning.

We are learning that writers can include introductions. They help readers know what they will learn about. Informational texts: ​

  • can start with an action​
  • start with a little story to hook and pull the reader in​
  • start with a big idea​
  • start with questions to get the reader to think​

​Writers can include conclusions. They can also leave the reader with a big thought or idea.​

Bringing all these ideas together, the students have been working on creating their own piece of informational text. This would accompany their 3-Dimensional model or audio book projects.

Taking ACTION!

Leave a comment

The students have been reflecting on their ‘powerful word‘ to explore how they can use it in meaningful ways.  

They decided to take action by planning and creating movies, posters and models that share important messages about our ‘powerful words’ and ‘actions’.

 

PROTECT

Action by Grace “My powerful word is protect. I made a poster about protect. This poster is for the people who see another people hurting each other. If the people don’t know how to protect those people then they can look at my poster.”

Plan

Poster

 

Action by Agata “My powerful word is protect. I made a poster to tell people to protect themselves. And when you are in danger maybe somebody will protect you from the danger. So you need to protect yourself from danger or you or someone can get hurt. And protect everyone protect the people that is in danger Protect everybody. And protect the people that are mean to you. After you do that then you are proud and happy of yourself. And you need to protect people everywhere and everyone.”

Plan

Poster

 

Action by Federico “My powerful word is protect. I am going to tell you to watch out for rocks when you are walking down the street. Kind regard’s For the Parents and Students.”

Plan

Poster

 

Yuchan “Protect fish by not throwing hard things like metal and rocks where the fish live, like the sea, pond and river.”

Plan

Poster

Model

 

Action by Ethan and Diego “Our powerful word is protect. We made this poster and a video in three languages because we want G1 and G2 students to know that they should not throw rocks to the big rock.”

Plan – Storyboard

Poster

 

Action by Ella and Hera “Our powerful word is protect. Ms.Delia and Ms.Shemo helped us to take the video. At first we took the video, and then we made a poster. We are going to share our video with pre-K to G1 students. Our message is “Do not fight! Protect your self !”

Plan

Poster

 

FIRM

Seungbin “Hold the monkey bar firmly or you will get hurt and other people can get hurt and your veins will get hurt.”

Plan

Model

Poster

 

HELPFUL

Action by Amber “My powerful word is helpful. I created a poster to share it with pre-k to let them know what it means to be helpful to others. First, I made a plan for my second plan. Then, I made my poster plan to make the drawings. Next, I typed it on a computer. Finally, I printed it. Please, be helpful to others!”

Plan

Poster

 

DANGEROUS

Action by Lawrence “My powerful word is Dangerous, I made a poster for Pre-k ～K2. My message is keep away from Dangerous things.”

Plan

Poster

 

SMART

Seoyeon takes ACTION “My Powerful Word Is SMART. I created a poster to share with pre-k, k1 – Grade 3. My Message is about Why smart is a powerful word and how we can be smart and about when l am smart what are my feelings.”

Plan

Poster

 

FIGHT

Action by Seolah “My powerful word is fight. I made animation. First I made the characters with paper and sticks and then I made the animation with stop motion.”

Plan

Poster

 

Action by Alejandra  “My powerful word is fight. I am going to share my poster with the whole PYP (students). I wrote a letter to the teacher in the Early Years to ask for permission to present my poster. Please do not fight!”

Plan

Poster

 

Gihyeon  “My powerful word is fight. Two sharks are fighting because they want to eat the fish but fighting is not good because when you fight then you can get hurt. If you fight hard then your bones will break.” 

Plan

Poster

Model

 

Action by Yuki “MY powerful word is fight. I made poster to everyone don’t fight.”

Plan

STRONG

Hayoon takes action “My powerful word is strong. I made this animation to show people to be healthy and strong.”

Yuchan, Gihyeon and Seungbin create models and posters to share their powerful words and messages:

– Yuchan “Protect fish by not throwing hard things like metal and rocks where the fish live, like the sea, pond and river.”

– Seungbin “Hold the monkey bar firmly or you will get hurt and other people can get hurt and your veins will get hurt.”

– Gihyeon “My powerful word is fight. Two sharks are fighting because they want to eat the fish but fighting is not good because when you fight then you can get hurt. If you fight hard then your bones will break.”

What are YOUR powerful words and how do you use them? 

Temporal Words

Leave a comment

Temporal words are transitional words that refer to time. They can add meaning and context to writing and can help a story move or flow. Together we decided on what words might describe or show the passing of time or sequence of events. We documented these words on chart paper.

Next, the students worked in groups to look for these words in picture books. They continued to add these words on the chart paper.

Then, they organised different temporal words, deciding when they might occur in a story, at the beginning, middle or end.

Finally, they reflected on their own writing.

– How can we show the passing of time or sequence of events in our own writing?

– What words would help my story move forward?

1 2