Let's Write About Reindeer Food

Today, we were in the holiday spirit and made some Reindeer Food. Don't worry, I threw in some academics too. ;)

I put out trays with supplies needed to make this reindeer treat {oatmeal, glitter, spoons, small cups for scooping, and baggies}.

I walked the students through the process of making a bag of food and then we completed a shared writing: "How to Make Reindeer Food." I do shared writing throughout the school year (not all the time, of course), but I love to involve the students in the process and I think it helps struggling writers to feel more successful. I typically use strategies like "think/pair/share" or tasking students with writing ideas on their mini whiteboards as we write. These are easy ways to keep them engaged in the shared process.

Sometimes, I have the students write each sentence that we construct together immediately after I write it, but this experience was a little different. As the students copied the complete paragraph onto their own writing paper, I walked around and stapled a cute little poem to their bag (scroll down).

My apologies for not taking any pictures of our shared writing. Sometimes, the day just gets away from me. But, you can download some FREE writing paper HERE. :)

Or, click the picture: