Fall Harvest

This week, September comes to a close and we kick-off the month of October. When fall really gets rolling it's time to think about bringing in the harvest. Why not have your little darlings write about it?

If you have anything to harvest at home (garden vegetables, apples, crops, etc.) put your student writers to task on a short essay about harvesting at home.

Perhaps there is no bounty of produce in your back yard. No problem! Have your students write about fall harvest down the road, at the apple orchard, or anywhere else they can find a collection of autumn goodies.

Possible fall harvest essay topics:

• Bringing in the garden produce
• Our loaded apple trees
• A visit to an apple orchard
• In the pumpkin patch
• On the farm, we harvest...

Let the creative juices flow. Any harvest topic will do. The important part is to write, write, write! 

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Journalism

This week, have your little darlings (and your bigger darlings, too) try their hand at newspaper writing.

Journalism is a unique and exciting form of writing. Newspaper articles answer the following six essential questions:

• Who?
• What?
• When?
• Where?
• Why?
• How?

Assign students a topic and have them write an article that answers the six essential questions.

Some possible headlines:

• Family pet gets a bath
• My sister (or, brother) has a job
• Supper is great, mom loves to cook

Any other newsworthy topic around the house will do.

Don't forget to check out the latest unit by Little Darlings Press: Journalism: Newspaper Writing. It's a fun, short unit all about writing newspaper articles. CLICK HERE to check it out on currclick.

Bite Size Writing Assignment: Rhyming Poetry

Assignment for the week of September 16:

Welcome to another week of school and another opportunity to get those creative writing juices flowing. Little Darlings Press recently put out a fun, short writing unit called: A Bite of Writing: Rhyming Poetry (available at currclick).

This week try one of the unit's simple poetry assignments with your students. Details are below.

Writing a rhyming poem through observation:

1. Observe the room you are in.

2. Write down the name of one object and describe it in detail.

3. Write about how the object makes you feel.

4. Write about its purpose/function.

5. Take all the information you have and use it to write a poem that rhymes.

Students do not need to use all the information written down. Just select a few words and phrases to work into a poem. With a rhyming poem sometimes it is useful to take a few of the words and find other words that rhyme with them.

For example:

vase
face
lace
race
chase

Here is a poem about a plant:

Green Plant
Up on the shelf there is a plant
Its leaves are oh so green.
It has one flaw - it's dusty leaves.
I think I'd better clean!

When I wrote the word "green," I thought of some words that rhymed before I began the next sentence. The key is to be creative and have fun!!!

Bite Size Writing Assignment: September Journal Pages

September journal pages are a great way to get students back into the groove of school. With the first days of school behind us, it is easy to lose zeal quickly as familiar days of reading, homework, and studying settle in. Have your student(s) grab a notebook and choose some topics to journal about this month.

Make sure to let your student(s) know that journal pages are personal, expressive, creative, and fun!

September Journal Topics:

• I'm glad to be back in school because...
• My favorite fall sport
• Fall harvest at my house
• Why I love fall weather
• What Patriot Day means to me

Encourage your student(s) to journal about any other topics they can come up with.

Bite Size Writing Assignment: The First Day of School

This week have your student(s) write a paragraph or two about the first day of school. Perhaps the calendar was turned to September 3 on the first day or school began sometime in August. Whenever your student(s) returned to school, encourage a journal page about it.

This assignment is suitable for most grades (very young students may need a bit more help) and can be very short or rather long. Take a look at both versions below:

Very Short

Have your student take out a piece of paper or a journal and a writing tool. Instruct the student(s) to write a paragraph or two about the first day of school. If they need a writing prompt or two, have them choose from the following list:

• Was it hard to get up early?
• Did you get to school on time?
• What was your first subject of the day?
• What was your favorite subject of the day?
• What do you hope to learn about this year?
• Did anything funny happen on the first day of school?
• Did  you get all of your assignments done?

Rather Long

Using the same writing prompts listed above, have your student(s) write a full page for this assignment. After a first draft is complete, read the assignment and make notes regarding any grammatical or spelling errors. Also pay attention to how each sentence flows and if there is a good, strong start to the piece as well as an appropriate closing sentence.

Have your student(s) rewrite the assignment as a final draft.