grade 1 creative writing

CREATIVE WRITING (1), Yaacoub M. Hammoud

1 ©ZAHRAT AL-SAHRA’A INT’L SCHOOL

CREATIVE

WRITING

(1) Compiled By:

YAACOUB MOHAMMAD HAMMOUD

B.A., Diploma

Curriculum Consultant

English Language Coordinator Staff Development Trainer

AdvancED Accreditation Member

Compiled for:

ZAHRAT AL-SAHRA’A INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Accredited by NCA (A Division of AdvancED)

Jeddah, KSA



Acknowledgement

Special thanks to

Dr. Anwar Kawtharani

(Chairman of School of Education and English at Lebanese International University)

for submitting the draft of this book’s standards and benchmarks.

Many thanks too for

all the consulted electronic resources whose granted permission facilitated the

process of compiling this book.

©2010-ZAHRAT AL-SAHRA’A INTERNATIONL SCHOOL

Tel. 00966 2 6671199

Fax 00966 2 6610396

www.zsi.sch.sa

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means

without permission from Zahrat Al-Sahra’a Int’l School.



TABLE OF CONTENTS

- Preliminary Word 4

- Safety Facts 5

- Writing Standards &

Benchmarks

6

1. The Alphabet 8 19. Writing A

Thank-You Note

77

2. Learn The Numbers

in Letters

13 20. Writing A

Birthday Card

79

3. Writing Addresses 27 21. Writing An

Invitation Card

81

4. Writing Dates 29 22. Personal Writing

- Personal Narrative

86

5. Sight Words

Scramble & Search

31 87

6. Human Body Words

Scramble

32 23. Story & Poetry

Writing

- Story

- Poetry

92

7. Words Puzzles 33 93

8. Words Scrambles 37 98

9. Scrambled Sentences 40 24. Subject Writing

- Expository Paragraph

- Description

101

10. Vocabulary

Enhancer

45 101

11. Labeling Pictures 49 105

12. Prepositions 52 25. Research

Writing

- Report

113

13. Action Concept

Words

53 113

14. Time Numeric 54 Journal Writing Topics

Bank

114

15. Insects & Animals

Concept Words

55 Peer & Self-Editing

Checklists

115

16. Capitalization 63 Self-Editing Wheel 116

17. Punctuation 70 Writing General

Rubric

117

18. Editing &

Proofreading

71



PRELIMINARY WORD

CREATIVE WRITING has just started…

It has come to my attention that schools in Saudi Arabia, as well as many others in

Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, do not have locally designed books that teach students the

initials of writing at the primary stages of school years. If existed, however, those books

would be ones compiled by American, British, or Australian associations that do not

necessarily cater for the needs of primary school students in the Arab world.

Hence, I have approached this need with the strategy of compiling, gathering, and refining

this book’s content in accordance with the international standards and benchmarks that

should be mastered by any grade one student by the end of the academic year.

This book is a comprehensive yet brief collection that requires grade one teachers to

expand on any benchmark they believe students need to further the practice on. The

italicized guidelines at the onset of some of this book’s chapters are hints that aim at

triggering teachers’ curiosity as to “why we teach this.” Similarly, the directions before

each practice explain “how we do this.”

The process of compiling this book’s materials, though nerve-racking and exhausting, has

been greatly advantageous to me as it helped me delve into the minute details of curriculum

design.

There is, then, the future plan of taking time to elaborate on this book’s content, refining it

in a way that addresses the emerging needs after it is put to use in the targeted schools.

Again, CREATIVE WRITING in its present form has started… It seeks its perfection

based on your proper implementation and expected feedback.

Have you had any wonders or feedback, feel free to consult me at

[email protected] or 00966543435016 (October to June) or 0096170960977

(July to September).

Many thanks for choosing this book as your children’s ladder to successful academic

writing performance.

Yaacoub M. Hammoud

mailto:[email protected]



WRITING STANDARDS

&

BENCHMARKS (Grade 1)

By the end of the academic year, grade 1 students are expected to:

A. Use basic conventions and basic foundations of printed discourse

A.1. Copy letters

A.2. Write names

A.3. Write and apply the numerals 0-12 in letters and graphic representation

A.4. Label items and illustrations

A.5. Use capital and lowercase letters of appropriate size and spacing

A.6. Punctuate (period, question mark) properly

A.7. Write title in correct place

A.8. Follow left-to-right, top-to-bottom orientation

A.9. Trace letters and gain an increasing control of penmanship, using

appropriate ascending and descending strokes

A.10. Leave space within and between words

B. Develop process-writing skills

B.1. Suggest ideas

B.2. Use brainstorming techniques to cover points that can be written about

B.3. Write first draft of story to reader

B.4. Edit and proofread drafts with peers and individually

B.5. Use checklists to edit writing

B.6. Fill out forms giving personal information (name, date, telephone

number, etc.)

B.7. Fill in the gaps for greeting cards, thank-you notes, and telephone

numbers of friends

B.8. Rewrite sentences in own words

C. Demonstrate and expand writing skills through guided and partially-

guided activities

C.1. Read-aloud for necessary changes based on audience feedback

C.2. Share story with class

C.3. Add missing details to narratives and descriptions

C.4. Identify beginning, middle and end of story

C.5. Arrange scrambled letters into words

C.6. Arrange scrambled words into a sentence or a question



C.7. Write story events in order

C.8. Select appropriate words to complete sentences

D. Communicate using expressive, transactional and creative writing

D.1. Prepare cards and notes for different occasions

D.2. Write and read a narrative, a description, and a report to an audience

D.3. Write biographical and personal data

D.4. Write reflections

D.5. Write acrostic poetry

D.6. Write a brief report



(1) THE ALPHABET It is here where the story of Creative Writing begins…

Have your child draw the letters, starting from the circle mark. Help her/him all

along.



(2) LEARN THE NUMBERS IN LETTERS

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

One 1, two 2, buckle my shoe;

Three 3, four 4, shut the door;

Five 5, six 6, pick up sticks;

Seven 7, eight 8, lay them straight;

Nine 9, ten 10, a big, fat hen;

Eleven 11, twelve 12, dig and delve;



Fill in and color.



(3) WRITING ADDRESSES

When you write addresses, be sure you:

1. Use a capital letter to write the name of a street, town, city, or state.

2. Use a period after an abbreviation in a street name.

3. Use a comma to separate the city and state.

examples:

10 Hamra St.

12 Andalus Dr.

Tahlia, Jeddah 14150

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 44103

Notice the places names in the examples below.

Khalil lives at 7 Obhor South Shore Rd.

Jamal traveled to Juneau, Alaska.

A. Write these places names correctly.

1. 45 kohler blvd …………………………………………………………………..

2. grand island nebraska 68801 …………………………………………………...

3. 643 palm ct ……………………………………………………………………..

4. tallahassee, florida 32316 ………………………………………………………

5. 7 king fahd trail ………………………………………………………………..

6. austin, texas 78710 ……………………………………………………………..

7. 625 ruwaisat main st …………………………………………………………….

8. sacramento, california 94206 …………………………………………………..

9. 1001 elmwood ave ……………………………………………………………..

10. albany, new york 94710 ………………………………………………………..

B. Write these sentences correctly.

1. We will drive to orlando florida.

_____________________________________________________________________

2. David's friend lives at 100 spruce st.

_____________________________________________________________________

3. Papa lives in brooklyn new york.

_____________________________________________________________________



4. At 626 harvard ave, you will find a pet shop.

_____________________________________________________________________

5. Houston texas is the most beautiful city I have ever visited.

_____________________________________________________________________

6. Carla used the computer to find 55 north fork ave.

_____________________________________________________________________

7. There is a long boardwalk in ocean city maryland.

_____________________________________________________________________

8. The art museum is located at 789 hilltop lane.

_____________________________________________________________________

9. Niagara falls new york has beautiful parks.

_____________________________________________________________________

10. The movie studio is at 7800 beverly blvd.

_____________________________________________________________________

11. Have you ever been to salem oregon?

_____________________________________________________________________

12. Dr. Conelly's office is at 73 cranbrook dr.

_____________________________________________________________________

hhH



(4) WRITING DATES

When you write a date, always capitalize the day and month.

You should place a comma between the day and month. You also place a comma

between the date and year.

examples:

Saturday, July 4, 2009

April 1, 2010

A. Re-write the dates using the correct format. Be sure you capitalize the first

letter of each day and month. Insert commas in the correct places.

1. tuesday january 4 2005

_____________________________________________

2. monday june 2 2003

_____________________________________________

3. friday december 2 2011

_____________________________________________

4. wednesday december 31 2012

_____________________________________________

5. saturday may 23 2012

_____________________________________________

6. sunday july 4 2011

_____________________________________________

B. Correct the mistake in each of the dates below.

1. I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday July 31, 2010.

2. My father was born on Monday, January, 9, 1978.

3. We are going to watch fireworks on Saturday, december 31, 2011.



C. Write these dates correctly.

1. wednesday, january 5 2003

_______________________________________________________________

2. monday june 3 2009

_______________________________________________________________

3. friday february 28 2007

_______________________________________________________________

4. thursday july 20 1969

_______________________________________________________________

D. Rewrite the sentences. Be sure the dates are written correctly.

1. I was born on march 22 2003.

2. We will go to Kamal's house on monday may 3rd.

E. Write today's date.

___________________________________________________________________



(5) SIGHT

WORDS SCRAMBLE

SIGHT WORDS SEARCH



(6) HUMAN BODY WORDS

SCRAMBLE

Unscramble the words below:

1. odlbo___________________

2. uklls________________

3. snipe___________________

4. bone________________

5. mcusle_________________

6. iskn________________

7. arhi___________________

8. teteh________________

9. eldshrou_______________

10. tghhi______________



(7) WORDS PUZZLES

WORD PUZZLE # 1

Look at each picture. Write the missing letter in the circle. Find the mystery word.

utterfly

ggplant

nt

abbit

What is the mystery word?

____ ____ ____ ____



WORD PUZZLE # 2 Look at each picture. Write the missing letter in the circle. Find the mystery word.

app e

p a

st r

oot

What is the mystery word? ____ ____ ____ ____




an

p t

g at

og

What is the mystery word? ____ ____ ____ ____




eart

li n

bi d

fi h

whal

What is the mystery word?

____ ____ ____ ____ ____



(8) WORDS SCRAMBLES

WORD SCRAMBLE # 1

Unscramble the words. Write the words on the lines.

ifsh _________________

dcku

_________________

tago _________________

hreso

_________________

ynunb _________________



WORD SCRAMBLE # 2


sahrk

_________________

shif _________________

aelwh _________________

bcar _________________

eninpgu _________________



WORD SCRAMBLE # 3


alpep _________________

cehryr _________________

perga _________________

hapce _________________

lomen _________________



(9) SCRAMBLED SENTENCES

Statements are sentences that tell you information about something. Statements end

with a period (.).

Questions are sentences that ask you something. Questions end with a question mark

(?).

Directions: Unscramble the words to form a question and a statement.

1. my is favorite basketball sport

Question: __Is basketball my favorite sport?_______________

Statement: __Basketball is my favorite sport._______________

2. holiday Christmas favorite is your

Question: _____________________________________________

Statement: _____________________________________________

3. those are ready toasts eat to

Question: _____________________________________________

Statement: _____________________________________________

4. the in yard there rabbit a is

Question: _____________________________________________

Statement: _____________________________________________

5. very the hot is stove

Question: _____________________________________________

Statement: _____________________________________________



SCRAMBLED SENTENCE # 1

Draw the pictures and rewrite the words in the box to make a sentence!

the is .

The in


Draw the picture and rewrite the words in the box to make a sentence!

the I .

go will in





I a . have



. will run The




Draw the pictures and rewrite the words in the box to make a sentence!

will The

. the in go



is The

! out today





will

my . I

pick a mother for



A can't fly . a

like bird



(10) VOCABULARY ENHANCER



(11) LABELING PICTURES

A. Label the pictures, color them, and then, draw two other pictures

on your own; label, and color them too!

_________________



B. Write the names of the objects.

_______________



C. Label the pictures. Then, draw three other pictures on your own; label, and color

them too!



(12) PREPOSITIONS Let’s learn the prepositions!

above

behind

behind

below

below

between

between

in

in

in front of

in front of

into

into

near

near

next to

next to

on

on

out of

out of

over

over

under

under



A. Write the positions of the ball.

(13) ACTION CONCEPT WORDS A. Watch, enjoy, and learn these actions and action verbs.

dance

fly

hide

jump



(14) TIME NUMERIC

A. Write the digital time beneath each clock.

_ _ : _ _

_ _ : _ _

_ _ : _ _

_ _ : _ _

play

ride

run

sing

skip

swim

walk

write



_ _ : _ _

_ _ : _ _

_ _ : _ _

_ _ : _ _

(15) INSECTS & ANIMALS CONCEPT WORDS

A. Color all you see!

a bee

a butterfly

a frog

a ladybug

a lizard

a mouse



a snake

a spider

an ant

FURTHER PRACTICE:

A. Write the proper concept word for each of the pictures.

___________________

___________________

___________________

____________________

____________________

______________________



B. Complete each of the following sentences with words from the exercises above.

1. ____________ quack, ___________ bark, and ___________ neigh.

2. At school, I usually open my __________, take out my pencil, sharpen it with a

__________, and make a straight line with a __________.

3. Two sour fruits are __________ and ___________. Two sweet ones are

__________ and __________.

4. When they are happy, people __________, __________, or even jump!

5. ___________ and ____________ are two flying insects.

C. Guess the words, color the pictures, and get your candies!

be _ _ _ _ _

sit _ _ _ _

stand _ _

take out your

_ _ _ _ _ _

touch your

_ _ _ _

write your

_ _ _ _

_ _ _

_ _ _ _



_ _ _ _ / take

_ _ _ _ at the

board

_ _ _ _ out your

book

_ _ _ _ your

book

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ your

book

_ _ _ _ _ _

D. Look at each picture and label it with the correct body part name. Then, draw a

picture of yourself in the box at the bottom.



This is all of

me:

E. Label the pictures with the appropriate words from the family members'

vocabulary. Then, color the pictures, and finally, draw a picture of your family

members all together.

_______________

_______________

_______________



_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

MY HAPPY FAMILY

F. Label the pictures with the appropriate concept word from clothes vocabulary.

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________



_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

G. Label each picture with the appropriate weather description word.

_______________

_______________

_______________



_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

_______________

REVIEW:

Complete each of the following sentences with words from the exercises above.

1. Be _______________ when your teacher explains. ________________ for teachers

when they walk into classroom.

2. If you heave loads, your ________________ and ________________ would be in

pain.

3. My grand________________ and grand________________ are very tender and

loving.

4. Girls put on ________________. Boys do not.

5. Today’s weather is ________________.



(16) CAPITALIZATION Knowing how and when to capitalize words is a key step that students can learn in grade 1.

Parents can help their children develop this skill at this early stage to avoid future

capitalization disorder.

This chapter’s exercises have sentences that are entirely in lower case. Have the children

decide which words need to be capitalized and ask them why -- is it the first word in a

sentence? A proper name? A day of the week?

Once children have worked through a worksheet, try it again a few weeks later -- see if

they remember the capitalization principles.

We Capitalize Names:

Capitalize every word in a person's name.

Yaacoub Hammoud, Maher Jamal, Bassel Waheed

Capitalize the middle initial in a person's name.

Yaacoub M. Hammoud, Maher A. Jamal, Bassel M. Waheed

I can run faster than Tamer, but he can jump higher.

That is not what Kamal told me to do.

A. Rewrite each sentence correctly.

1. look at sara's new shoes.

2. ibrahim and hasan rode the city bus to the pool.

3. ali and samah rode horses at their grandfather's farm.

4. everyone laughed at samir's joke.



We Capitalize Months:

Capitalize the names of months.

January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September,

October, November, and December

We are going to a movie on April 4.

My family went skiing in January.


1. the third month of the year is march.

2. december is the last month of the year.

3. christmas is always on december 25.

4. bob's birthday is july 14.

5. i was born on june 11.



We Capitalize Events and Places:

Capitalize special events, holidays, and historic events.

Thanksgiving, Halloween, World War II.

Capitalize places and geographic names.

Beirut, Mecca, New York, Interstate 95, Washington, Yellowstone

National Park.

I can hardly wait to go to Disneyland next summer!

The capital of the United States is Washington, D.C.


1. jacob will dress up like a bat for halloween.

2. my brothers and i played at tahlia garden yesterday.

3. ali and his family are going to mecca.

4. the american president lives in the white house.

5. we visited mount rushmore in south dakota.

6. manal wanted a new bike for christmas.

7. we live in jeddah, ksa.

8. when is mother's day?



We Capitalize Days of the Week:

Capitalize the days of the week.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and

Saturday

My mom and dad were married on a Sunday.

Ryan will bring cookies on Friday.


1. my mom is going to bake cookies on sunday.

2. my birthday is next thursday.

3. mom lets us stay up late every friday.

4. mona's uncle is going to visit her on tuesday.

5. joud and hala went shopping on saturday.

6. the first day of school is wednesday.

7. lina and her mother went to the mall on tuesday.

8. i read a book last tuesday.



We Capitalize Holidays:

Capitalize special days and holidays.

Halloween, Labor Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Mother's Day

Mother baked turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.


1. the fireworks were pretty on independence day.

2. mom got flowers for mother's day.

3. grandmother will visit us this easter vacation.

4. is mother’s day in march?

5. when is saudi national day?

6. next monday is labor day.

7. is father's day in june or july?

8. our whole family gets together on thanksgiving.



REVIEW:

A. Circle each letter that should be capitalized.

1. ibrahim went to new york for his vacation.

2. john and susan both love to play football on wednesday.

3. wednesday comes just before the weekend.

4. daniel has to cut the grass every saturday and sunday.

5. last july i visited egypt.

6. samer works at the ford car company.



B. Circle each letter that should be capitalized

1. some students like to study in the mornings.

2. janet and arthur play american soccer every afternoon.

3. alicia goes to the library and studies every day.

4. christmas is in december every year.

5. saturday is the first day of the week in saudi arabia, and friday is the last.

6. i expect it to rain in april.



(17) PUNCTUATION

A. Respond to the following.

B. Rewrite the statements, punctuating properly.

1. Zahrat Al-Sahra’a Int’l School is where I learn

_________________________________________________________________

2. How many years have you been here

_________________________________________________________________

3. Mdme Najah is our school’s director

_________________________________________________________________

4. I like English language

_________________________________________________________________



(18) EDITING & PROOFREADING See how many mistakes we can find in the following paragraph.

(BEFORE EDITING)

Anthony Visits Nick

On sunday, Anthony went over to Nicks house to play basketball. They played a gam of

one-on-one. Anthony made six baskets, bute nick made eight Nick was the winner. After

the game, both boys whent in side to have some snack’s and watch television.

(AFTER EDITING)

Anthony Visits Nick

On Sunday, Anthony went over to Nick's house to play basketball. They played a game of

one-on-one. Anthony made six baskets, but Nick made eight. Nick was the winner. After

the game, both boys went inside to have some snacks and watch television.

Skills:

capitalization

possessive nouns

spelling

compound words



A. Editing: How many mistakes can you find? Rewrite the paragraph correctly.

Ryan’s Weekend

Do you no Ryan did last weekend. He went to the beach with his family. First, Ryan

builded a huge sand castle. Then, he collect seashells and rocks After that, he goed

swimming with his brother. Ryan has a wonderful time at the beach.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Skills:

indenting

homophones (know/no)

missing words

punctuation

irregular verbs

verb tenses

B. Editing: How many mistakes can you find? Correct the mistakes only.

Camping

i went camping with my family. We whent fishing and I caught a big fish. I also whent

Swimming with my brother. We hade a camp fire every night. The camping trip was lots of

fun

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Skills:

capitalizing the word I

spelling

lower case in the middle of a sentence

compound words

punctuation



C. Editing: How many mistakes can you find? Correct the mistakes only.

Candy Shop

Jennifer Megan and Sarah whent to the candy shop. Jennifer bought a small bocks of fudge.

Sarah paid fifty sents for a bag of jellybeans. Megan bought sum Twizzlers. The grls all

walked to the park where they eated their candy.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Skills:

commas in a list

spelling

irregular verbs

punctuation (above title)

D. Editing: How many mistakes can you find? Correct the mistakes only.

Cleaning Up

One day i help my next-door neighbor clean up his backyard we raked and put leaves in

blue bags to recycle tham. then we sawed some branches off of a tree that was leaning

againt the hous After we worked in the yard all afternoon, we sat down on his bak porch

and had lemonade I felt good that day because I helped my neighbor.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Skills:

indenting

capitalize the word I

verb tenses

punctuation

spelling



E. Editing: How many mistakes can you find? Correct the mistakes only.

Fish Tank

I have a really cool fish tank lots of excitin things inside. There is guppies, tetras, and a tiny

shark inside. Also, their are three snail that climb up the glass walls. They eate the green

algae and keep the tank clean A frog named flipper also live in the tank, but he usually hide

under the rocks. It’s fun to watch all the different creatures in mi tank.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Skills:

missing words

spelling

homophones (there, their)

subject-verb agreement

plural nouns

punctuation

capitalizing names

REVIEW:

F. Editing: How many mistakes can you find? Rewrite the paragraph correctly.

Miniature Golf

Phil Matthew, and Andrew played miniature golf. On the first hole, Phil got a hole-in-one!

At another hole, Matthew's Ball went into the water The best golfur of the day was Andrew

who finished with a score of 28. Everyone had a grate time

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………



See how many mistakes we can find in the following paragraph.

(BEFORE PROOFREADING)

Proofreading: How many mistakes can you find?

Hannah’s Halloween Scare

Hannah wanted to scare her liddle brother. First, she put on a green frankenstein mask.

Then, she hided behind the couch and waited for her brother too come home. When he

waked in the door, Hannah jumped out from behind the couch and yelled, Boo! Hannahs

brother didnt jump. He didn’t evan look scared at all. He just smiled and said “Oh, hello

Hannah.”

(AFTER PROOFREADING)

Hannah’s Halloween Scare

Hannah wanted to scare her little brother. First, she put on a green Frankenstein mask.

Then, she hid behind the couch and waited for her brother to come home. When he waked

in the door, Hannah jumped out from behind the couch and yelled, “Boo!” Hannah's

brother didn't jump. He didn’t even look scared at all. He just smiled and said, “Oh, hello

Hannah.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Skills:

spelling

capital letter to begin a name

verb tense

homophones to/too/two

quotation marks

possessive nouns

contractions

comma before quotation



A. Proofreading: how many mistakes can you find? Correct the mistakes only.

Pet Shop

Nick and Jess and Monica went to the pet store. Nick bot a big bag food for his dog. Jess

looked at the turtles and sade, I wish I could take one home! Monica was feeding crackers

to scarlet, a red parrot that talked. Before they left, everybuddy went over to play wiff the

tiny kittens.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Skills:

indenting

capital letters to begin a sentence

commas in a list

spelling

missing words

quotation marks

capital letter at the beginning of a name

unnecessary wording



(19) WRITING A THANK-YOU NOTE When someone gives you a special gift, it is polite to write a thank you note. Sometimes

people write thank you notes in a card, but these notes can also be written on paper.

A. What are the five parts of a thank you note?

1. _________________________________

2. _________________________________

3. _________________________________

4. _________________________________

5. _________________________________

B. Where do you write the date on a thank you note?

_____________________________________

C. What punctuation mark do you use at the end of the greeting? _________________________

D. Give three examples of words you might use in the closing.

1. _________________________________

2. _________________________________

3. _________________________________



E. Read and respond to the prompt afterwards.

Imagine your Aunt Leila gave you a $20 gift card for your birthday. Write a thank

you note to her. Be sure you include the date, greeting, body, closing, and signature.



(20) WRITING A BIRTHDAY CARD



(21) WRITING AN INVITATION CARD



(22) PERSONAL WRITING

Students will write brief narrative compositions that describe and explain familiar objects,

events, and experiences.

The narrative can be fictional or autobiographical which describes an experience. Students

will write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop central ideas.

The composition should have a fully developed story structure that elaborates on plot,

character, and setting.

Their writing should show that they consider the audience and purpose. Students will

progress through the stages of the writing process.

Student writing should demonstrate a command of Standard American English since ZSIS

is an American accredited school. The short writing should be 30 words in length at least.

Narrative Compositions should include:

Content that is well focused.

Main idea that is well developed with supporting details.

A fully developed story structure that elaborates on plot, character, and setting.

A logical story organization throughout.

Use of descriptive words.

Printing should be legible and letters, words, and sentences spaced appropriately.

The beginning of sentences, names of people, and the pronoun I are capitalized correctly.

Periods, exclamation points, and question marks should be used correctly.

Correct subject-verb agreement and contractions. Correct usage of singular and

plural nouns.

Correct spelling of three and four letter, short vowel words and grade-level appropriate

sight words.

Possible Activities to Meet Standard:

Write captions: Students will write descriptions of themselves or something they like or

something they like to do.

Students will write about a time they helped someone complete a task.

Students will write a fictional story about themselves or someone they know.



PERSONAL NARRATIVE:

Student Model (1)

Many details are included in this writing, and a personal tone emerges. The piece has a

clear beginning, middle, and ending.

My Trip to Mexico

One time I went to Mexico. It was a blast! I met people there. I went horseback

riding. I saw a box holding an armadillo. I went to a water fall. I tried to catch a frog with

one leg. I couldn't catch it. It was fun in Mexico.

Student Model (2)

This writing shows the feelings of the writer and is well organized.

A Happy Day

One day baby Josh came home. He was in a yellow blanket. My mom let me hold

him. He was blowing bubbles. He didn’t cry.

On You Own…

A. Writing Situation

Sometimes something really special happens to us that we want to share with someone else.

It might be a birthday celebration, a trip to the park, a funny story, or even a special pet.

(Allow an opportunity for class discussion.)

Directions for Writing

Write about a special experience that you would like to narrate to your friends.

Remember to tell when and where it happened, who was there, and what you did that

made this special.

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B.

C.



D.



E.



F.



(23) STORY & POETRY WRITING - Writing Stories

Grade 1 students often enjoy writing stories. Their stories are usually modeled on

those they have read or heard. They recount personal stories; retell stories they have

read, heard, or viewed; write new endings or new adventures for familiar stories; or

create imagined stories. They often need the support of a frame or outline as they

compose and write.

Early in Grade 1, children often convey most of the meaning in their stories through

pictures. As they develop fluency in writing, an increasing amount of the meaning

comes from their written words. Like most writers, Grade 1 students enjoy sharing

their work and are increasingly interested in the reaction of their classmates and

families, as well as the teacher. They begin to experiment with “story language” and

with the power of descriptive words. With support, they begin to identify strengths in

their stories and find places where they might add ideas to make the story easier to

understand or more interesting.

Grade 1 students may reread their work and make simple corrections. However, they

are not usually expected to make extensive revisions or produce “good” copies.

- Writing Poetry

Poetry is a wonderful way to teach reading and writing especially to the emergent,

early/beginning readers. Through reading and writing poetry your children will be

able to express their feelings, thoughts and imagination about silly to serious topics.



STORY:

Student Model (1)

This model is based on a story submitted by first-grader Ashley. Her story has a main

character with a problem. The problem is solved in an interesting way.

Happy Easter

Many years ago, there was a hen in a farm. The hen was very lonely. Then she laid

some eggs. They were not ordinary eggs. They were colorful. On Easter the chicks hatched.

It was their birthday! The hen was not lonely anymore.

Fill in the following story map with the relevant details from the story you have just

read.



Student Model (2)

In Bowen’s story, he imagines himself as a leaf. He gives lots of details about being blown around by

the wind.

Leaf Person

One morning, I turned into a leaf person. I went outside away from my family. A

wind blew me away—far away. Another heavy, heavy wind blew me everywhere in the

whole world. It never stopped! Then it blew me to outer space. I was floating in space. I

went to Mars, but I saw nothing.

I went back to Earth. I didn’t know where I was, so I went on a rocket, back to space,

to the moon. When I landed there, there was nothing but crust, holes, and craters. Then

there was another special wind. It was special because it blew from land to space. I was

floating in space again!

Fill in the following story map with the relevant details from the story you have

just read.

Continue



A superhero is flying through the air with a birthday cake. Write a creative

story to go along with the picture.

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What did Santa find in his bag? Create a story to explain this unusual picture.

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POETRY:

Student Model

RIDDLE POEM

I look round, small, and red.

I feel smooth, firm, and slick.

I smell sweet and taste tangy.

You can find me on a teacher's desk in the morning.

You can eat me once a day to keep the doctor away.

What am I?

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Now, make your own riddle poem!

RIDDLE

1.) I look _______________ , _______________ , and _________________.

2.) I feel ______________ , _________________, and _______________ .

3.) I smell ____________________________, and taste _____________________ .

4.) You can find me __________________________________.

5.) You can eat me ___________________________________.

6.) What am I?

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(24) SUBJECT WRITING

EXPOSITORY PARAGRAPH:

Student Model (1)

Adam, the first-grade writer of this model, uses his senses to describe his cat—fluffy, soft,

fat. Readers can “see” and “feel” Buzz.

My Favorite Pet

My cat is fluffy. His name is Buzz. He is my favorite cat. Buzz is my favorite pet of

all. I hug him all the time. He is soft, and his cheeks are fat like my brother’s. I feel happy

with my cat.

Now, break down the above paragraph’s sentences and fill the important ones

in the following web.



Student Model (2)

Ryan tells what he learned on a visit to a space center.

How Much I Know About Space

I had just gone to Chobot Space and Science Center. When I got there, I didn’t even

know one planet in our solar system. Soon I learned all nine planets in our solar system. I

learned what the first rocket ship looked like. I learned how to land a rocket ship. I had two

lessons. The lessons were fun. My favorite class was space class.

Now, break down the above paragraph’s sentences and fill the topic and the

important supporting details in the following web.



It’s time for hamburger writing! Brainstorm about the importance of your mother in your life. Use the brainstormed

ideas to write your own paragraph. Be sure your mother reads it when you are done

with it.

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How about flower writing? Brainstorm about the importance of going to school. Use the brainstormed ideas to

write your own paragraph. Be sure your teacher and classmates read or listen to you

as you read your paragraph.

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DESCRIPTION:

Word Bank

smart cute four hot big sweet

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Word Bank

little fast sour sweet cold smiley

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Word Bank

flying colorful dirty three smiling scary

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Word Bank

wet slow circular nice fast happy

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Student Model

This writing has delightful details and a clear voice.

Sweet Spring

Spring is sweet because we can go boat riding and bees come and take honey out of

the flowers. I feel good because it is very, very, very hot outside and I can go on the

swings. The best part of spring is that my family can go to the beach.



(25) RESEARCH WRITING REPORT:

Student Model

First-grader Traci begins and ends her report with a main idea about parrots: they are

pretty, colorful birds.

Parrots

Parrots are colorful. They have different colors like blue, red, black, orange, green,

yellow, and white. Parrots live in cactuses, nests, and underground holes.

Some parrots eat roots, and some eat nectar and seeds. They have different bills.

Macaws (a kind of parrot) crack things open. Other parrots dig up roots and bulbs from the

ground.

There are different kinds of parrots, but they all lay eggs. Parrots are pretty birds.

On You Own…

Ask your teacher to assign you a research topic. Then, receive help from your

computer teacher or your parents to report your findings in the space provided below.

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JOURNAL WRITING TOPICS BANK

A special birthday

I’d like to see . . .

The biggest thing I ever saw

Noisy times and quiet times

I like to make . . .

What if toys could talk?

My shopping list

Don’t litter!

Big pets and small pets

Insects, insects everywhere

I’m happy when . . .

How plants grow

My adventure

Friendly places

My favorite foods

I know a lot about . . .

Picnic fun

Who’s at the zoo?

What will I share?

I rode on a . . .

The parade

I wonder why . . .

What’s under my bed?

What if I were 10 years old?

What makes me laugh?



PEER & SELF-EDITING

CHECKLIST

SELF-EDITING CHECKLIST



SELF-EDITING WHEEL Step 1: Print the editing wheel on sturdy paper (card stock). Laminate, if you want to. Step 2: Attach the back to the front with a brass paper fastener. Step 3: Have students spin the wheel to check their writing.



WRITING GENERAL RUBRIC

Beginning Developing Achieving

Text

Student can copy

sentences. Structure

of independently

written sentences

may be confusing.

Student can write a

simple sentence,

recognizing the

difference between

phrases and a complete

sentence.

Student can

independently write

3-5 sentences using a

main idea and

supporting details.

Illustrations

Illustrations consist

of one object which

may or may not

relate to the text or

be identifiable by the

reader.

Picture relates to the

text and is neatly

colored.

Illustrations support

the main idea of the

text. Illustrations

have some details and

are neatly colored.

Spelling Spelling errors make

text difficult to read.

Functional spelling

throughout does not

affect readability.

Most grade appropriate

words are spelled correctly.

Capitalization Capital letters are used

for names at times, but

may be inappropriately

used at other times..

Capital letters are used in

some of the right places.

Capital letters are used at the

beginning of sentences and

proper nouns with few or no

errors.

Punctuation

Periods and question

marks are missing or

used inappropriately.

Uses periods and

question marks in some

of the right places.

Consistently uses periods

and question marks in the

proper places.

Legibility and

Neatness

Writing is difficult to

read.

*Letters are not in/on

the lines

*Lacks spacing

between words

*Letters are not

neatly written

*Poor letter

formation

*Paper is messy

with smudges and

extra marks

Writing is readable and

neat, although letters may

not be formed correctly

and proper spacing may

be lacking.

Writing is consistently neat

and easy to read.

*Letters are on the line

*Proper spacing

between/among

words

*Letters are formed

correctly

*No smudges or extra

marks

grade 1 creative writing

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