LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Imaginative Writing

This plan is for Special Needs students, nonreaders with limited writing skills, and reluctant learners.

This lesson was developed for a homebound setting (one-on-one) but could be easily adapted for use in the classroom. This plan addresses emerging writing skills by engaging the student's interest in creating original drawings.

A lesson plan for grades K–1 English Language Arts

By Ann Franklin

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • create original drawings of their choosing.
  • use these drawings as a basis for the story writings.
  • dictate the story to scribe and copy the story in their own hand.
  • learn to write words and form sentences.
  • learn to punctuate their work correctly.
  • name and label their work using peel off file labels.
  • place their labeled work in sheet protectors.
  • place their completed works in a notebook.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

10 months

Materials/resources

The student will need:

  • Paper, plain white and notebook paper
  • Pencils
  • Crayons
  • Colored Pencils
  • File folder peel off labels
  • Plastic sheet protectors
  • Notebook

Technology resources

None

Pre-activities

The student will need basic graphic skills and basic letter recognition.

Activities

  1. Teacher and student will brainstorm ideas of interest to student.
  2. The student will draw and color an original picture.
  3. Teacher and student will discuss possible stories that correspond to the picture.
  4. Student will dictate story to scribe.
  5. Student will select a title for the story.
  6. Student will copy the story.
  7. Teacher will question student to help him watch for correct spelling, capitals, spacing etc.
  8. Student will label the picture and write the title on file folder labels and attach label to picture.
  9. Student will place picture and story into sheet protector (one story and one picture in each sheet protector).
  10. Student will place story into notebook.

Assessment

Assess how well students:

  • copy sentences, observing punctuation and capitalization rules.
  • self correct when prompted by questioning.
  • meet all criteria more consistently over time (see attachments for examples of student growth: pict1 and write1 are from beginning of the year, pict2 and write2 are from midyear, and pict3 and write3 are from the end of the year.)
  • self-correct from simple repetitive practice.

Supplemental information

None

Related websites

N/A

Comments

None

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Grade 1

  • Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
    • Objective 5.03: Write all upper and lower case letters of the alphabet, using correct letter formation.
    • Objective 5.05: Use basic capitalization and punctuation
      • first word in a sentence.
      • proper names.
      • period to end declarative sentence.
      • question mark to end interrogative sentence.

Kindergarten

  • Goal 2: The learner will develop and apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
    • Objective 2.01: Demonstrate sense of story (e.g., beginning, middle, end, characters, details).
  • Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
  • Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
    • Objective 4.06: Write and/or participate in writing behaviors by using authors' models of language.
  • Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
    • Objective 5.01: Develop spelling strategies and skills by:
      • representing spoken language with temporary and/or conventional spelling.
      • writing most letters of the alphabet.
      • analyzing sounds in a word and writing dominant consonant letters.