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Ericas Ed-Ventures

Primary Education Ideas

I Think My Teacher Sleeps in School Class-Made Book

In the beginning of first grade, I like to read a book aloud to the students, discuss the book, and then complete a writing prompt.  Yesterday, I read my students the adorable book, I Think My Teacher Sleeps in School by Leatie Weiss.  Throughout the reading, we made predictions and text to self connections.  After the reading, we discussed the book and where they thought I slept.   I charted their various responses: on the carpet, in the Book Nook, on the bean bag chairs, in the guinea pig cage, in the bathroom, and on top of the shelves.  The students then completed and illustrated a writing prompt which we made into a class book.  In the afternoon, I read them Miss Malarky Doesn’t Live in Room 10 by Judy Finchler.  We made predictions and text to text connections.  Click {here} to download the writing prompt for free.

    

 Here are some more completed writing prompts from the first two weeks of school.  These writing prompts can be found in my Back to School Writing Prompts and Activities Packet from TpT.


The class-made book.


How to Make the Class-Made Books:

First the students complete the writing prompt and illustrate it.  I usually let my students use file folder word walls (click here) and invented spelling.  I write the correct spelling under theirs after they are finished.  As they are working on this, the “Date Stamper” goes around and stamps the date on the bottom or top of the pages.  (See my classroom jobs packet {here}).  Then, I compile the completed writing prompts into a class-made book by placing the pages inside page protectors and then by putting the page protectors in a 1/2 inch view binder.  Each student in my class has a number, so I write their numbers in the bottom right corner of each page.  It makes it easy for me to see who did not finish the prompt.  It also makes it easy for the parents to find their child’s page during Spring Exhibit.  At the end of the year, I send the pages in the books home in the students’ writing folders.  It is easy to sort because the pages are in number order and their student mailboxes are in number order.  I pile the pages into the mailbox and then have the students come and put the pages into their writing folders. Since the pages are date stamped, the parents are able to see growth.  

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Hi, I was wondering if you give the books away at the end of the year. Do you keep the binders and just give the papers or do you give them all away? Just wondering for next year for my room. I do class books but I like the binder idea.

    Thanks, Amy in NC

  3. Thank you for sharing this! I absolutely LOVE this idea! I am a *brand spankin' new* first grade teacher, starting *NEXT* year, and cannot WAIT to implement this in my classroom. I *do* have a slightly unrelated, but kind of relevant, follow up question for you. =) The writing folders that you keep…are those something that YOU choose to do, or are they a school/district sort of thing? Do you make copies of the students' work to put in there? Or do you keep the original until the end of the year? I'm just trying to get ideas on what the best way to go about some things are.

    And, I absotively, posilutely {{heart}} your blog! You are such an inspiration to this new teacher! Thank you for all of the things that you share!

    Sarah
    First Class First Grade
    {{I'm *so* new, that you'll have to forgive the bare blog! hehe But, I'm SUPER excited to get started!!}}

  4. I also make class books and when the books are finished the students take turns bringing them home and the last page of the book is a parent comment page. This a good way for parents to see what other first graders are writing and they can compare handwriting. I try to make enough class books for each student to take a book home at the end of the year. I do like the binder idea and now going to be on the look out for binder sales. I will not give away the binders at the end of the year I will staple them.

  6. Erica,
    Do you have a list of the books you created. I find I create the same books from year to year and would love to branch out. I have tried to ZOOOOOOOM in the glare from the binders makes it difficult to read. I just purchased your BIrthday & Tooth family books-fun stuff. I also have a stuffed classroom pet that we take home Mon-Thurs it literally has been ALL OVER THE WORLD, birthed a baby (child of an OBGYN), and scattered the ashes of a grandmother that died from breast cancer. My students LOVE writing so I cant wait to EXPAND my list. Thank you in advance.

    • Sorry, I don't have a list. I change it up as I go along each year. Many of my seasonal packets on TpT include the class-made books writing prompts and book covers. Go to my store and look up these packets: Back to School Writing Prompts and Activities, 100th Day, LepreCommon Core, Gingerbread, Thanksgiving, Bears!!, and Students Complete Famous Idioms. I know there are more packets including class-made books, but I cannot think of them now.