Examples: journals (personal/ content area), letter writing, writing center, word processing, daily news, interactive writing, text innovations, book making

Family Message Journals
Use family message journals as tools for learning, thinking, and self-expression. Students write messages about school activities and recall, think about, and articulate what they have learned; they connect new information to the known; and express their own thoughts and feelings about topics.

Persuasive Writing: What Can Writing in Family Message Journals Do For Students
Composing messages with varied purposes helps children discover the power of writing. When students recognize what writing can do for them, motivation to write increases. This lesson engages children in using writing to their families as a persuasive tool to get what they want and need.

Have Journal...Will Travel: Promoting Family Involvement in Literacy
This project is designed to engage families in shared literacy activities. The students take turns taking home a book bag that includes a stuffed toy, a book, art supplies, a topic to discuss with their families, and a journal to share their thoughts and ideas. Through the experience they build positive memories of literacy activities.

Morning Message
The Morning Message is a shared reading with emphasis placed on concepts of print and phonetic principles. A designated student points to words in the message as it's read, then illustrates a printed copy of the message.
 

Guide to Authors: This website list includes authors' personal websites and websites maintained by fans, scholars, and readers.

Project Based Learning:  K-1 Writing Checklist

The Four Blocks Literacy Model: The Four-Blocks® Framework incorporates on a daily basis four different approaches to teaching children to read - Guided Reading, Self-Selected Reading, Writing, and Working with Words.

Writing Ideas: Several ideas for writing activities for different grade levels. A shoebox autobiography is great for the lower grades.

PBS Kids: Clifford Caregivers: Create your own thank you cards.

Literature Based Lesson Plans and Resources: Lesson plans using your favorite authors and stories

Word Closet: Word Closets give students an additional classroom resource for "researching" the correct spelling of words to use in their daily writing. Word Closets are particularly focused toward concept words, season words, and favorite words that students like to use in their writing but may need help with spelling.
 

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