While I am giving "SHOUT OUTS", I would like to send all of you over to see a fabulous creation by DeeDee Wills in her TpT store. Check out her April Writing Station. The greatest thing about these packets - well, there are lots of great things. 1st - there are so many different word cards and themes within the month theme. 2nd - there are DIRECTIONS! You know - DIRECTIONS - what we called those things before we called them "I Can" charts. (No offense to anyone who loves calling them "I Can" charts!) They are so great because the kids can see exactly what is expected from them. My kids absolutely LOVE going to the writing station each week. They LOVE that they have choices after they finish their assignment and can do whatever their little hearts desire! 3rd - there are so many things to do! The BIG favorite...making a card! Those kids can write more sentences in those cards than I knew was possible!!! :) I love hearing "Is it my turn to write yet?"
Below is a picture of my Writing Station. It looks really busy, right? Well, it is...sort of! The kids all know what each thing at the station represents so it is an organized busy! The overalls hold Letter-of-the-Week picture cards with words. The large red pocket chart holds DeeDee's Monthly Writing Packet. This is April's packet in action! The top four pages are the DIRECTIONS...I mean "I Can" charts. The bottom holds all the word cards that can be taken out as needed. The apple pocket chart holds our Animal-of-the-Week and five interesting facts about that animal. All the other items hanging around the board are various word lists that go with our reading theme (plants right now), previous-letter-of-the-week lists, HFWs on a ring, previous month's words on a ring, and any other things we cannot live without. My kids LOVE going here and love being able to spell B-I-G words. They want to be successful and having all these resources at their fingertips helps them to be successful. I keep our Reading Flip Chart activity of the week on the front of the metal file organizer on the table. Once the required activity is done - it is FREE CHOICE at this table. All the papers needed for great writing (list paper, story paper, card paper, label-it papers, newsprint paper for my novelists, and colored paper) are kept in this organizer. Then, there is a cup of colored pencils, a basket of crayons, and MAGICAL writing pencils (Ticonderoga triangular grip pencils) that stay at this station.
I would love to see your Classroom Writing Station (Center) or hear how yours is similar or different from mine. Please leave a comment below and share about your Writing Station (Center). :)
Amy, I love your writing center. Mine is pathetic. If you can, would it be possible for you to post some more pictures. I would love to see some more detail. I think I'm going to have to invest in some of those writing centers.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Sharon
dogdaysofkindergarten.blogspot.com
darred13@aol.com
Thank you! I am so glad your class likes the writing station. I like how you put your cards in a pocket chart. I was just talking to one of my teacher friends yesterday and wondered how I would change them next year. I just have them sticky-tacked to a piece of fabric, but I am not in love with it... I may be in-search of the perfect pocket chart.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the shout-out!
Mrs. Wills Kindergarten
Sharon - What kind of pics would you like to see? Deedee's Writing Station materials have saved me a LOT of time! :)
ReplyDeleteDeedee - You are most welcome. I tried putting the words on rings at my other Writing Area, but it wasn't working like I wanted. So...pocket chart was the answer. :)
Oh Amy! I have GOT to come and visit your room! I love this writing center and LOVE how you have displayed Deedee's vocab cards. I need to redo a section of my room and do something like this. I love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Val! :)
ReplyDeleteAmy, if you don't mind, I'm thinking of copying your layout and can't see what's in the corner of the room. I'm going to wait and get the May writing center when Deedee releases it. Yours looks so child friendly.
ReplyDeleteSharon
I just loved it!! =) This is my first year teaching in the USA and reading all your comments makes me feel that I am not alone =) that I have a lot of co workers that are wiling to help each other =)
ReplyDeleteHi Diana. I'll be glad to help in any way possible! :)
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