Upper Elementary Writing Celebration Ideas

    I LOVE writing celebrations, but ideas for celebrating can be hard to come by in upper elementary. By fourth grade, writing is often rather lengthy, but I want to ensure that my students' work is appreciated and receives feedback from as many peers as possible. Here are a few celebration ideas I tried in my classroom this year:

Sketch It Celebration

    I'll call this one "Sketch It Celebration." This was the finale of our Pourquoi Tales writing unit. All it took was a few long sheets of paper across each table. I first wrote the title of each of my students' stories for them. Then the author was given a chance to decorate the title however they pleased. Once the celebration began, students rotated to available stories, read a bit, and then added to the drawing. They could sketch their favorite scene, write down a line from the story that stood out to them, draw a character based on the text's description, and so much more! By the end, we had some great posters to display AND they all had a great time! 

Celebrate Non-Fiction Writing

      Non-fiction reports like these can take a while for students to read and respond to during a writing celebration. At the conclusion of this unit, my students participated in a gallery walk. To keep things moving, students were instructed to carefully read through a section or two of writing. As students read each other's non-fiction writing, they filled out one of the many boxes seen in the worksheet above (FREEBIE) to record something they learned from the text. I printed this sheet on different brightly colored paper, leaving one next to each students' work. This allowed many children to respond to other's writing while practicing non-fiction reading strategies! It also wasn't a bad quick assessment tool. ;) Bonus!

     
     We published our non-fiction reports using Google Slides which meant that we could use Chromebooks during our gallery walk. In addition to the worksheet provided, students could leave comments right on Google. It was fantastic!

How to Publish on Google Slides:

     To change slide dimensions, click FILE - PAGE SETUP. Next choose custom dimensions 22 x 17 inches. Once this is done, put a vertical line down the center of the page. Students can then design their pages however they choose. Double side the pages when printing and VOILA! you have a non-fiction book made by each student. 


Happy celebrating!

Encouraging Students to Question the World Around Them

     We want our students to be thinkers, problem solvers, engineers, researchers, designers and so much more. That's a tall order for young children, but it certainly possible! Before we can get students to answer questions, however, we need them to start asking meaningful questions. 

     My students tend to need quite a bit of practice developing questions that push their thinking, and often stumble or give in when faced with a problem to which they cannot immediately find a solution. Without a doubt, this is something that teachers need to address sooner rather than later. 

     Introducing the idea of asking Open and Closed Questions gave my students a great start in developing deep, research-worthy questions. Here are the guidelines I gave my students:

STEP 1:

1. Ask as many questions as you can.
2. Do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer the questions.
3. Write down every question exactly as it is asked.
4. Change any statement into a question.​

STEP 2:

• Categorize the questions as closed or open.
• Closed Questions: They can be answered with yes or no or with one word.
• Opened Questions: They require an explanation and cannot be answered with yes or no or one word.

    In groups, students work to develop as many questions about a broad topic as possible. Every question is written on its own post-it note, as this allows us to be able to sort our questions either in groups or as a class later on. We continually return to these questions, revising them to make stronger ones and using some as a starting point for discovery!

   

    My class was able to use this strategy throughout content areas and the kids loved it! As a bonus, they even came to respect each others ideas and creativity a bit more over time. I hope you can give it a try!