Over the past several weeks, I've written about a student learning project called "Writing Fractions Stories for First Graders." This was a project I facilitated for a group of exceptionally bright fifth grade students who needed additional challenge and enrichment. The project incorporated learning targets in both math and writing (and it created learning enrichment for a first grade buddy class when it came time for the student authors to share their finished books).
The project was described over a series of posts. You can find them here:
Creating Picture Books with Kids: Introduction and Initial Research
Creating Picture Books with Kids: Researching Other Authors' Books
Creating Picture Books with Kids: Summarizing Our Research
Creating Picture Books with Kids: Sharing Our Ideas and Writing Our Stories
Creating Picture Books with Kids: Revision (Rubric/Self Check/Adult Check/Peer Check
Creating Picture Books with Kids: Requesting Outside Feedback and Creating the Final Product
Creating Picture Books with Kids: Final Chapter, Author Visits to Little Buddy Classroom
This was an engaging and enriching learning experience for students, and it was fun to facilitate. It's definitely something I'll repeat with other students in the future. If you'd like me to visit your school or community-based program (in person or via Skype) to lead a similar activity with your students, or, if you'd like to lead the project yourself, but have additional questions, please get in touch. I'd also love to hear from you after you've implemented the project to hear about your experiences!
10/2013 Update: I now offer an inservice workshop based on this project. Please contact me if you would like to schedule this workshop at your location, or if you would like to access the PowerPoint slides.