Help me give my students books about animals that will engage their interest in learning. They will read and write animal poems to perform for each other.
My students come to school eager to learn about the world around them. They love to sit down with a friend to read, and they love to talk! Our school is an urban elementary school with many bilingual students who are learning English. Some of our students have recently arrived in the United States and did not have an opportunity to attend school before. Our school has two special programs that enrich our students' learning. We have a bio-smart focus which provides challenges and explorations in science. We also offer a Spanish and English dual-immersion program, in which students learn in two languages.
Every day I see my students working together, playing together, and engaged in learning about math, reading, writing, and science.
They are a community of learners that cares about each other.
My Project
My first graders are eager to read and learn about animals and are asking for sets of books. The books are about some of their favorite animals such as chimpanzees, chickens, yaks, and toucans. My students are learning about the animals’ appearance, diet, and life cycle. They are also learning how to put their ideas in a series of sentences and short phrases.
My students want to be creative and use the facts they learn about animals and the stories to write scripts and poems in Reader's Theater style.
They may write using repeating lines and descriptive words, action words, and words with onomatopoeia (fun sounds like oo oo oo! cluck! and moo!) to tell about the animals. Students will practice reading and performing for their classmate to retell facts about the animals they are learning about.
Standing in front of their peers and reading aloud their scripts and the poems will help my students grow in confidence. They will become stronger readers and writers. Thank you for helping my students with their learning.
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