WritingWriting
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Vocabulary Activities | Spelling | Writing Responses | Creative Writing
1. Wacky Tales – Type in a word
of the kind listed (nouns, adjectives, etc.). When all of the boxes are filled,
click the "Make Story" button to create a really ‘Wacky Tale’! Also
see Wacky Web Tales.
2. Record students brainstorming as many words as they can think of about a topic. Record using Inspiration software, or in a table or a simple list created in a word processing program. Print out in a large font to be used as a vocabulary reference.
3. Write an adjective above the monitor. Kids can find a movie that goes with the word. They should be able to explain why it fits the word. Assemble as a slide show eg: The Spooky Show.
4. Students can create a classroom dictionary based on your current unit study. Set up a table – the 1st column for the word, 2nd for definition, and a 3rd column for an illustration.
5. Use the line tool and shift key to create a tic tac toe board. Save. Write sight words, spelling words, or vocabulary words in each section. Save. Student can select a word, and read it aloud, or add either an s or es, or the opposite word, etc. If correct, player may fill space with paint can in his/her selected color. Kids can save games under their name for you to check later.
6. Create collective classroom slideshows.
Assign each student to pick a compound word. They type the word, illustrate
it. They need to make sure the same word wasn't already used. Then create a
"Compound Word SlideShow."
7. Create an "action word", synonym or antonym classroom SlideShow.
8. "Parts of Speech" SlideShow where each slide depicts examples of a person word, a place word, a thing word, an action word, a descriptive word, etc.
9. Rhyming Words - Put a word on a screen, students add rhyming words.
10.Create a SlideShow of word families/rhyming words.
11. Alliterations! Reinforce
phonemic awareness by assigning each student a sound, for which they create
an alliteration, type, and illustrate.
12.Students practice their sight words with a SlideShow. Teacher creates a SlideShow by putting each word on a separate slide, then creating the show.
Add sound to the SlideShow (read the sight word), delay sound 4 seconds, and students have the chance to answer, before the answer is given. Students chart their progress. With no sound, can be used as an assessment tool.
13. Take digital pictures of kids on the playground, in the lunchroom, in the classroom, in art, music, etc. Students can dictate phrases of things they see in the picture. When you have 7 or 8 phrases, have students re-order them to create a poem. Don’t forget to use the main idea of the picture as the title!
14. Students can create
a slideshow to develop a vocabulary of feelings. Each slide depicts a feeling
and an example of when they experienced it. “I got mad when… But then I…”
15.Kids can create an alphabet code using alphabet stamps and picture stamps. Have them decipher a sentence or create a new sentence.
16.Using the Wacky Paintbrush…
write your spelling words,
practice cursive or manuscript letters,
use as a framed border for your work.
17.Connect
the Dots – For great abc practice
18.For younger students, let them explore, explore, explore letters by stamping, moving, resizing, using wacky paintbrush to paint the ABC's.
19.Use stamps to stamp out
letters in your spelling words. See if you can find a stamp that would go with
the word, e.g. suns to write
20.Kid Pix will read aloud whatever is written before it is permanently pasted into the drawing.
21.The North Star Choose a character, listen to the story, & write a response.
22.In Kid Pix, write the words to a well known song ( a line or two on each slide). Have a small group illustrate each slide. When finished, record the whole class singing the words on each slide.
23.Create a slideshow of
jokes and riddles. Students can write the riddle on one page and the answer
on the next.
24.Enhance the use of descriptive words. Assign students to create a picture with a stamp or import a clip art picture. Then students write a description of the image.
25.Use Kid Pix, Hyperstudio, or PowerPoint to create an ABC book. Each student can illustrate a letter of the alphabet based on a theme of your choice (school, oceans, animals, foods, etc.)
26.ePals
Locate a classroom in another town, state, or country to exchange email between
your class and theirs.
27.Students can create a SlideShow showing step by step how to do something, whether baking a cake, getting dressed, drawing a cat, etc.
28.In KidPix Deluxe, select Goodies. Choose Pick a movie. Paste in KidPix. In Kid Pix 3, select an Animation (running dog icon on top left of screen). Kids can write their name and a sentence for the movie (main idea). Show them how to Save and put into a SlideShow. When everyone has gone through this center, you can easily run through everyone's work by Playing the SlideShow.
29.Write adjectives or action
words describing what you see in the movie.
30. List what you see and how it makes you feel. Arrange these ideas to create a poem about the movie.
31. With a partner, record a dialogue for your movie.
32. Choose 3 or 4 movies and write a story, connecting them in some way.
33. Kidspiration
Templates – Created by Oregon teachers – over 100 template ideas ready for
you to use in Writing, Reading, Science, Social Studies, & Math. You’ll
want to spend some time at this site!
34.One student can start a story by entering text on an AlphaSmart, then pass it to a 2nd student who continues, etc. Or do the same on computers in the lab. Every 10 minutes, students can shift to the next computer to continue a new story.
35.Monster
Exchange Students draw and exchange descriptions of their drawings via email.
36.Use Slideshows to publish student stories. This will take some thought on their part as to how to divide their story into pages. Another great way to show off at Conferences or Curriculum Nights. Print out individual pages for their portfolios (SlideShows don't print)!
37.Acrostics for Children Lots of examples here for children Grade 2+
38.Have kids create a class SlideShow by writing, illustrating, and recording:
My name is______ and I am good at _____. Run slideshow during Fall Conferences.
39.After a vacation, kids can choose a background, draw and write or record what they did. Assemble as a SlideShow.
40.Flat
Stanley Paper dolls (Flat Stanleys) and blank journals are exchanged with
other classes, families, or celebrities. His adventures in the visiting city
are recorded and sent back to you with photographs & souvenirs.
41. Assemble a person to look like you with a stamp set (Toonies). Write facts about you with the typewriter. Write your name with "A" moving alphabet.
42. Ask students to write their name, then pick out stamps to make a collage of things they like or stamps that reflect their individuality.
43.Writing Prompts
Use these whenever the creative juices stop flowing!
