HI HO LIBRARIO

Children can learn the parts of a book as you sing this song to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell.”

The author writes the book. 

The author writes the book.

Hi ho librario 

The author writes the book.

The illustrator draws the pictures… 

The publisher makes the book… 

The copyright tells the date…

Here are two simple books you can place in your writing center for independent writing.

Little Books
Place four to six pieces of paper on top of each other. Staple the four corners. Cut into fourths, and you’ll have four little books.

Fold and Staple
Fold two sheets of paper in half and staple. How easy is that!!!! (Sometimes I'll place a white sheet on a colored sheet and then fold and staple.)

Story Stick Starters
Everybody gets writer’s block every now and then. These story sticks might be the cure to prompt your students and motivate them to write.

Cut 3” circles out of each color of construction paper. Let the children cut out pictures of people, places, and events from the magazines and newspapers. You will need 5-10 of each. Glue the pictures of people to the orange circles, the pictures of places to the green circles, and the pictures of events to the yellow circles. Tape the circles to jumbo craft sticks and place them in a cup or can.

Invite the children to choose a stick of each color to help them write a story. The orange will be the WHO/the main character. The green stick will be WHERE/the place. The yellow stick will be the WHAT/the plot.

*Use photos of classmates, the teacher, famous people, animals, etc. for the WHO sticks.
*To encourage informative writing, tie in the story sticks to units of study or current events. For example, you could use pictures of Presidents, habitats, or environmental issues.
*Let two children work together to write a story.
*Place the sticks in the writing center for independent work.

Hint! For younger children use the story sticks to encourage oral language. Make sticks with interesting characters or objects and let them choose one or two and create a story using them.

WHAT'S A THINK PAD?

These THINK PADS are easy to make and can be used in multiple ways.

Stack 6 sheets of paper on top of each other. Staple each of the corners as shown. Cut vertically and horizontally in half to make four “think pads.” Make several dozen of these. To begin give one to each child. Keep the others in the writing center. Explain that if they do a lot of thinking and writing they are welcome to get another pad.

Use these pads for some of the activities below:

Notes
Children can use these to take notes as they listen to a book or watch a video. They can draw, write words, or simply scribble. Encourage them by commenting, “You’re taking notes just like the big kids do in high school and college! Isn’t it fun to know how to take notes to help you remember?”

*Great for science or social studies!

What can you find out?
Collect non-fiction books about a topic that you will be studying in your class. Place the books on a table along with think pads, paper, and pencils. Let two children work together and take notes to look in the books and see what they can find out (learn) about the topic. 

Written Response
Older students can use think pads to write the answer to math problems or other questions.

Scavenger Hunt
Use think pads to find different objects in the classroom that relate to reading, math, or science standards. They might go on a scavenger hunt for objects that start with “CH.” How many ovals can they find? Can they make a list of nouns? Can they find objects that a magnet will attract? 

Brainstorm
If children finish their work early they can brainstorm or doodle on their think pads.


Sticky Notes
Children also love sticky notes to write reminders to themselves, notes to friends, etc.
Note! Sometimes physicians or dentists will donate these to your class.