Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to write a short story using proper sentence structure and punctuation.

Materials and Prep

• Pencil
• Blank paper

No prior knowledge is required for this lesson.

Activities

1. Brainstorming:

   Start by asking the student to think of their favorite animal. Encourage them to describe the animal using adjectives (e.g., furry, playful, big, etc.). Write down their ideas on the board or a piece of paper.

2. Creating a Story:

   Using the brainstormed ideas, help the student create a short story about their favorite animal. Begin by writing a simple sentence on the board, such as "The [animal] is [adjective]." Then, ask the student to come up with the next sentence that adds more detail to the story. Continue this process until a complete story is formed.

3. Writing and Illustrating:

   Provide the student with blank paper and a pencil. Instruct them to write their story, using the sentences created in the previous step. Encourage them to use proper capitalization and punctuation. Once they have finished writing, ask them to illustrate their story by drawing a picture that matches the content.

4. Sharing and Review:

   Have the student read their story aloud to you. Afterward, ask them questions about their story, such as "What was your favorite part?" or "Why did you choose that animal?" Provide positive feedback and praise their efforts.

First Grade Talking Points

• "Today, we are going to learn how to write a story."
• "A story has a beginning, middle, and end."
• "We can use adjectives to describe things in our story."
• "When we write a story, we need to use proper capitalization and punctuation."
• "After we write our story, we can draw a picture to go along with it."