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!