Functional Writing

Good evening everyone! Well, the week has come to an end and we have accomplished so much. The students really worked hard this past week.
We have completed the Theme 1 assessment in Reading which included a narrative writing piece. We have continued our study in story problems, combining and separating in mathematics. Weather is still the focus in science and we are finishing up our study of Dr. Seuss. It is my hope that the Dr. Seuss Author Study page will be posted by Sunday. If not, it will be posted over winter break.
A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Permenter for devoting her day to reading with the students and recording them for our pod casts. I will work very hard this weekend to make sure they are posted.
In the meantime, if you can't tell, I am really excited about this blog. It is SO easy to use. It does not take long at all to post an entry. It is simply a matter of typing in what I want to say and that is all. No hassles with html, rss feeds, and so on and so forth. It is my hope that this blog will serve to get the students interested in story writing. It is also my hope that this blog will keep them interested in what is going on in class as well initiate discussion.
I introduced functional writing in class today. I began by reading a recipe from Emeril's book, There's a Chef in My Soup. As I read the recipe, I engaged in a think aloud by asking myself questions as I read. We then discussed the attributes of his recipe and whether or not it would work. The students noted that his recipe was detailed, sequential, and easy to follow. Included in the recipe were a clear list of ingredients and tools required to cook the peanut butter cookies. I then explained that his recipe was an example of functional writing. Then I posted a list of ingredients on the board for an ice cream sundae. I challenged the students to write a functional piece of writing providing me with instructions on how to make an ice cream sundae. I explained that I will be following their instructions explicitly on Monday when I make the sundaes per each child's instructions. That should be a very interesting experience to say the least.

Well, in honor of the season and the introduction of the functional writing, I have found a video that may be of interest. It is an interview with Robert Sabuda, author of Winter in White (which we will be reading next week). Robert Sabuda creates very detailed and intricate pop-up books that even adults find fascinating. In the video, he explains how develops his books. So, sit back and enjoy.