Tuesday, January 8, 2013

January Writing Assignments


I start the new calendar year with the poem “Months of the Year” by Sara Coleridge. 
The rhyming couplets and seasonal imagery makes it an interesting way to launch into a discussion of what happens through the year. After reading and discussing the poem I prompt the kids to tell me the highlights of each month. I write the following categories on the board:
holidays, colors, nature, activities. 
Then on chart paper I list their responses for each month. Using the information gathered the kids write their own “Months of the Year” poem. For each month they write a couplet, but I tell them not to worry about rhyming. I keep this assignment pretty relaxed. Since it’s the first week after winter break, I want the kids to enjoy being back at school, and to perceive the task as a fun activity.

For upper grades: I would encourage 4th and 5th graders to write a metaphor for each month. What are some images that come to mind for a particular month? Focus on one image. Think of something you can compare this image with. Now write your metaphor. Example: April images might be spring flowers, blossoms, new growth, animal babies.
A metaphor might be: April is a paint brush, sweeping cheerful colors across the land.


We honor Martin Luther King, Jr. by thinking about how the world could be a better place. I got this idea from a book I found at a Scholastic Book Fair called WE DREAM OF A WORLD. This book was created by the students of a 5th grade class and entered in a contest held by Scholastic. They won and the prize was publication of the book. In the book each student contributed a page of text and illustrations. A template guided the format for the text. A really easy task to implement. I thought this idea of thinking about problems in our world and what it would take to solve the problems fit perfectly for the week leading up to the MLK holiday.

The template for this activity looks like this:

WE DREAM OF A WORLD ….

Students think about a problem in the world to focus on and complete the topic sentence with how world would be if the problem didn’t exist.

Did you know?

They write a few facts/statistics about the problem

What you can do:

Here they write down what each of us can do to make the problem go away.

The Lesson:

  1. Read the book and show students the pictures.
  2. Discuss the problems mentioned and ask them to think of other problems we have in our world. List their responses on chart paper.
  3. The kids decide on a problem to focus on. For homework they should research facts about the problem and its impact on our lives. They should also think about what we can do about the problem.
  4. In class the next day have a discussion and encourage students to share new information. It’s important to emphasize what we, as individuals can do to solve problems in the world.
  5. Hand out the templates. Guide the kids through the three main prompts.
  6. Students illustrate the idea using symbols and pictures.
When I did this lesson I asked each student to share the problem they chose. Then I asked the class to offer ideas on what we can do about each problem. This was helpful for kids that were having trouble with the assignment. It also got the class more engaged in thinking about world issues and that we are each capable of doing something to make the world a better place. Below is a sample of my students' work.


We dream of a world … where there’s peace in life.
Did you know
That there’s a war going on and the people in the army or in the war can’t visit their family? People die in the war and can never see their family.

What you can do
Stop fighting and figure out your problem
If the other country doesn’t have what you have, or they are poor, give them what they need so you won’t be at war
Get along and share with others

We dream of a world … where there is no bullying.
Did you know that in a year from K – 8 in the United States of America about 570,000 kids get bullied?

What you can do:
Teach bullies how to behave
Ask the kid that got bullied to play with you.

We dream of a world … where everyone has food.
Did you know sometimes people only have one meal a day and don’t have money?

What you can do:
Donate to the homeess shelters
Ask people to volunteer at shelters
Donate sweaters and blankets to homeless people


We dream of a world … where we have a clean planet
Did you know when you throw trash in the ocean that causes pollution? Also we get pollution from factories through smoke and chemical waste. That makes the planet more hot and cold, also known as global warming. It makes animals go extinct.

What you can do:
You can plant trees around your neighborhood
You can recycle around your house, school, or anywhere you are
Clean up after your messes so it won’t go in the ocean.

We dream of a world … where wildlife is appreciated and protected.
Did you know that forests and oceans are being polluted and animals are being harmed?

What you can do:
You can support organizations that protect wildlife and their habitats
Educate people about this issue


We dream of a world … where everybody is healthy.
Did you know people around the world are not healthy and don’t have food to eat, clothes to wear, shoes to walk with, and money to buy stuff?

What you can do:
You can donate food, clothes, shoes, and money to people around the world who are poor.


We dream of a world … where everyone has a home.
Did you know many of the United States homeless live in California because it’s warmer?

What you can do:
You can donate food and money to homeless shelters or give food to the homeless on the street.
You can also give out other things like blankets, toys, and clothes.
You can go on food drives.


We dream of a world … where the world is clean.
Did you know that animals die of litter?

What you can do:
We should stop littering because animals could get choked.


We dream of a world … where everyone has peace.
Did you know that in some countries there are wars? People die because of wars.

What can you do:
We have to solve our problems in peaceful ways.
Be kind and friendly. Tell jokes and be funny.


We dream of a world … where everyone is safe.
Did you know that hundreds of people are unsafe? People may want to hurt them.

What you can do:
Make laws and help people understand how to be safe.
Donate money to charities to teach how to be safe.


We dream of a world … where girls worldwide get treated equally.
Did you know that in some places girls don’t get to go to school, show their face or hair or body, and they can’t speak up or they will get kicked out of the state or get stones thrown at them?

What you can do:
Maybe not in those places but to always include others opinions if they mean no harm and to be inclusive and treat others fairly.


We dream of a world … where everyone has money
Did you know
Many people in the world live off less than a dollar a day?

What you can do:
You can donate toys to homeless shelters and give money to fundraisers like the penny drive.


We dream of a world … where there is a job for everyone.

Did you know
That some people in the world don’t have money because they don’t have jobs?

What you can do:
Donate to charities
Help kids understand how important it is to stay in school.