- chart paper
- marker
- family
MA Standards:
Writing/W.PK.MA.1: Dictate words to express a preference or opinion about a topic (e.g., “I would like to go to the fire station to see the truck and meet the firemen.”)
Writing/W.PK.MA.2: Use a combination of dictating and drawing to explain information about a topic.
Head Start Outcomes:
Literacy Knowledge/Early Writing: Recognizes that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes, such as giving information, sharing stories, or giving an opinion.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts 3: Communicate personal experiences or interests.
Draw and Write Together: About My Family
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
Tell children that you are going to help them make a list of some things they like about their family or things they like to do with their family. Write this sentence and read it aloud (do not fill in the blanks for the first read):
I like to <activity> with my <family or family member>.
Now model filling in the sentence for children. Tell children you are going to fill in the sentence first, so when it is their turn, they will know how to fill it in, too. Read the sentence as you fill it in. Say, I like to skate with my brother, Jason. Now write the sentence on the chart paper: Mrs. Porter likes to skate with her brother, Jason.
- Go around the room and ask each child to complete the sentence. Encourage a wide variety of responses.
- Write each child’s response under yours. Set off children’s names from the rest of the sentence by writing each in a different color.
- When all children have had a chance to respond and you have recorded all the responses, read the list together. One at a time, have children come to the list and point to their name as you read their sentence. Read the sentence a second time as children read along.
Hang the list on the “Our Families” wall and return to it throughout the week. You may want to have a few children add to the list each day.