M is for Monster...

So October is one of my favorite months of teaching! There are so many topics you can cover: pumpkins, bats, monsters, spiders etc. Last year I used Amy Lemons' and Katie King's Rooted in Reading unit but since I'm teaching all the writing this year I couldn't use every piece of it.  Instead I decided to create my own Monster Narrative unit. I wanted something to begin Personal Narratives that the students would enjoy. I created two different monster activities. The first one I created had the students create their own monster. They had to brainstorm ideas for its' name, hobbies, characteristics, favorites, family, and lifestyle. It was so funny to read what they came up with! I found a monster coloring book at Walmart that had pre-made monsters or outlines that the students could decorate on their own!!   Below are some pictures of the unit: 

The second part of the unit uses the monster the student created. This part of the writing has the student brainstorm something their monster has done like going on vacation, playing in the snow, helping them with math centers, etc. Any small moment the student can write about! It focuses on using transitional words such as First, Next, Then and Last as well as writing a Topic Sentence and a Concluding Sentence. 

My students really enjoyed this unit! They were so anxious for the part of our day when they were able to write about their monster! I teach the High, On Level and Lower students and these activities were perfect because I could add and take away what I wanted the students to include. My higher thinking students added more specific details while my lower level students worked on writing complete sentences! 

 Click the picture above to view this unit in my TPT store!!! I hope your students enjoy it as much as mine did! 

The Week Ahead....

It feels like it's been forever since I've blogged!! I can't believe it's already OCTOBER; my favorite month of the year!! I went to school yesterday and was somewhat discouraged! Last year, I used Amy Lemons and Katie King's Rooted in Reading: October and loved it! This year since teaching all of the writing, grammar and spelling I didn't think I would get to use their unit! I had already copied everything for the upcoming week and about 10 minutes before leaving school, I changed my plan for the week! 
So this week I am going to use their October unit with the story I Need My Monster...  Monday: My students will brainstorm ideas for their monster. Write facts about what their monster eats, where their monster sleeps, who are their monster friends, etc.  Tuesday:  Students will take their facts and create detailed sentences about their monster as their rough draft.  Wednesday: My students will work on going back and adding strong adjectives to make their description of their monster more detailed.  Thursday: Students will create their own monster by drawing or coloring one they have chosen. They will go back and continue to edit and revise their rough draft looking for capital letters, punctuation, etc.  Friday: Students will publish their final copies!   I chose this outline because I just finished teaching common nouns and their unit had the perfect daily lessons for Proper Nouns and I wanted to make sure I incorporated the book during these lessons. My original plan including using Amy and Hope's Write On -- Personal Narrative unit and begin with their Ouch Story but how can you not teach monsters, bats and spiders in October! I'm hoping this weekly plan works! I'll be updated next week with pictures from our Monster Themed Week!! 
What is your weekly plan this week?!   You can check out Amy & Katie's unit here:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Rooted-in-Reading-October-Read-Aloud-Lessons-and-Activities-2116229