Date: May 1994

Grade Level(s): Kindergarten, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Subject(s):

• Language Arts/Writing (composition)

OVERVIEW: Students, coming together for an education, need opportunities to develop relationships and understanding of other students. This project covers many language arts concepts and skills at each learner's level of competency. It inspires joy in reading books to a captive audience and pride in work well done. Older students discover the need to write purposefully, descriptively, and clearly for a younger audience.

OBJECTIVE(s): Students will be able to:

1. discuss basics of story writing such as main character, setting, action, problem, and solution.
2. identify from student illustrations notable details and orally describe what can be seen and what they can conclude given the information from the illustration.
3. write lists of descriptions either individually or brainstorming in small groups and then classify listed ideas.
4. write to imitate a particular story structure.
5. present and read aloud a story in front of a mixed group.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:

1. Make arrangements to pair, for example, a first grade class with a 6th grade class. Have older students select and practice a children's book to read aloud individually to a younger student. If time allows have them also share some time together creating with clay or water painting.
2. Each student in the first grade class, over a period of a few weeks, will draw four illustrations to show: a main character and the setting, the main character engaged in an activity, action resulting in a problem, what will happen next to solve the problem.
3. When first grade teacher delivers pictures, he/she needs to demonstrate how varied they are in thought and detail. Encourage older students that they will need to be creative, fantasize, make-up ideas within reason of the illustrations. Choose one picture as an example and model discussion, brainstorming, listing descriptive words and phrases and creative thoughts. Write everything you think of, as you can go back later and eliminate far-fetched ideas before you actually start writing.
4. The writing will take several days. Students may work alone or collaboratively.The final rough draft will need to be edited and then published. Students may choose to print their story, type it, or have it typed. Layout pictures and storyline into pages, prepare a cover and title page, bind.
5. The final activity is the sharing of books with the illustrators. Invite the younger students to the older students' classroom to sit with their partner and listen to all the stories. An "Author" and "Illustrator" chair should be in a visible and audible spot! A reception party or picnic lunch afterwards is a nice way to finish.

The younger students look up to the "big kids" and they feel good to know them and safer to be around them in other settings. The older students are given insights into where they have come from through their educationand life, so far. Teachers learn more about their students and their fellow teachers, which leads to better communication and working together for what is best for the students.

May 1994

These lesson plans are the result of the work of the teachers who have attended the Columbia Education Center's Summer Workshop. CEC is a consortium of teachers from 14 western states dedicated to improving the quality of education in the rural, western United States, particularly the quality of math and science Education. CEC uses Big Sky Telegraph as the hub of their telecommunications network that allows the participating teachers to stay in contact with their trainers and peers that they have met at the Workshops.