Students in Ms. Felt’s first grade class use a Four Square graphic organizer for narrative writing.
Ms. Felt introduced the topic the day before so the students could think of an idea to write about.
Her lesson lasted 30 minutes. Here is a break down:
- 5 minute mini-lesson: Adding Details
Ms. Felt used student’s writing to model adding details and only adding one “and” as details are added.
- 5 minute review
Students place the pieces on the four square graphic organizer
Student models folding paper to create four square
- 20 minutes to write
Students start to write. They write the topic and then start filling in the boxes for first, next, then, finally/last. They can quick sketch first to help them organize their ideas and then write sentences that match their quick sketch.
They finish up with their concluding sentence.
Ms. Felt walked around to conference with students. She would ask questions such as, “What do you do when you proofread? Remember what we’ve been working on?
Most students in the class were able to have their four square graphic organizer completed at the end of the 20 minute writing period. Ms. Felt will pull her students together later in the day to take their writing from the graphic organizer into a more formal piece of writing.
We loved seeing writing happening in a first grade classroom. Her students knew the routines and procedures for using the four square graphic organizer because she has taught it many times and refined her teaching practice as she used it. Her students are doing a great job at narrative writing. Thanks for sharing your writing lesson Ms. Felt’s class!