As we learn about the importance of caring for our environment, students have enjoyed listening to and engaging in discussion related to the beloved Dr. Seuss classic, The Lorax. The story has served as a launching point for many conversations as we have talked about natural resources, sources and effects of pollution, and our individual roles in caring for our planet. The book also provided a sound introduction to goods, services, needs, and wants, topics we will further delve into in the coming weeks.
While we have completed many corresponding projects, one major emphasis has been to learn about and follow the steps of the writing process as students were asked to determine how they can help the Earth. We began this process by brainstorming and generating a class list of ideas. Next, as a prewriting exercise, students drew pictures of some of their ideas as they pertained to the story. Afterward, each child wrote a first draft. Then, working in pairs, students shared their writing with classmates as well as the teacher to expand upon their ideas. Editing, was a favorite step as first graders used colored pencils and post-it notes to improve their writing. They learned the appropriate marks to indicate capitalization, punctuation, spelling, inserting, and deleting. Finally, using their very best frist grade handwriting, students wrote their final draft. They especially enjoyed creating their own Lorax to adorn their writing.
Check out the pictures below of students making their own recycled paper and caring for our community by picking up trash in our school neighborhood!
