So many times when my students begin their writing, they want help spelling certain words. I always remind them to not worry about spelling difficult words when they are writing. I don’t want them to shy away from using words that they are unsure about. My main focus during writing is the writing process, not spelling. {I want them to spell taught words correctly.}
I like to write some “common” words on the board that I know my students may need if we are writing to a particular topic. For this reason, I began creating writing prompts with Word Banks.
As I started working on these, I began to realize that I may want to edit these word banks for different students in my classroom. I also may want to change the list of words each school year depending on current situations.
So, the word banks on each of the writing prompts are completely editable to fit your needs.
Each of the 48 prompts also include an editing checklist for my students to check their work.
You can check out the entire packet by clicking on the picture below.
Jodi,
I love your writing ideas. Writing is probably the hardest part of teaching first grade, for me. I think students not being able to organize their thoughts, is most likely the biggest challenge for young writers. Your “Write the Rainbow” activity is an excellent way for students to clearly see the order necessary to write a story. I can’t wait to try it!
I also think your “Word Bank Writing Prompts” are a fantastic way to help students who tend to not be able to move forward once they hit a word they can’t spell. So many of my students stop dead in their tracks and are completely unable or won’t move on, unless they spell a word correctly. I always make a word bank on my board, but early in the year it is difficult for my students to find the word they need amongst the list. I am hoping these prompts help with that situation.
Thanks so much for all the great ideas!
Thank you! I agree with the spelling issue. I try to explain to my students that I’ve been teaching 1st grade for a long time, and I will be able to tell what they are trying to spell. Lol!