Giveaway Winners, Super Hero Essays, Tribute to my Super Hero

Thank you so much for participating in my Giveaway!!!  It was so much fun to hear from all of you!  You are all so sweet and kind!  Thanks for the fabulous ideas!  I have gained so many new ideas and strategies in just this first month of blogging.  LOVE!  The winners of the Giveaway to two items ( your pick) from my TPT store are:   DRUMROLL PLEASE!!.. 

Congratulations!  Please let me know what two items you would like, and I will e-mail them to you right away.

And now to our Super Hero Writing.........   One of my favorite areas to see students blossom from beginning of 3rd grade to the end is in their writing style and technique.  It's amazing the transformation that they make!  I love to keep a portfolio of their writing from the beginning to the end of the year so that the students can also see how their writing has transformed.  I have to say that these past couple of years, I have been guilty in not having my students write as much as I would like.  I used to do a Writer's Workshop with my students. Each student had their own writing binder with things they were working on, things they needed to revise, and things needed to be published.  I'm hoping to take a good look at my schedule this summer and determine how I can fit more of this into my schedule.  With the implementation of RTI, I found myself cutting things or decreasing the amount of time spent on other areas so that I could fit in our RTI time.  Our school is like most and has had numerous budget cuts to faculty including RTI teachers and reading specialists.... 

One of my favorite writing topics that I have my students write about is their hero.  Of course once I pass out this prompt,students immediately come up with names of sports players, movie stars, and other famous artists.  We then discuss the meaning of a "hero", and I ask them again who are some of the heroes in their life.  The light bulbs  come on.  I LOVE this moment.  Many begin to name coaches, parents, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and loved ones in the military or police force.  The writing process I use with my students takes about one week to get a rough draft from them.  The first day we talk about the prompt and brainstorm.  The next day I model what my essay would look like.  Another day they fill out their graphic organizer.  Then we slowly take two days to develop our 3 paragraphs.  Currently, my students are working on their rough draft of this essay. I have to say I can't wait to have these published and sent home with my kiddos.  They have put so much "heart" into these essays.  They are so touching to read.  I have one student who chose to write about her big sister as her hero.  This sister is only a couple of years older, and it's amazing what words she chooses to write about her sister.  This is why this writing topic is my favorite......  The essays are so touching.

This leads me to share with you my hero.  I always use my Mom as my hero when modeling this essay to my kiddos.    My Mom passed away from colon cancer 3 years ago on March 10, 2009.  She was an AMAZING mother, grandmother, wife, with an amazing faith in God.  I know she's dancing and singing in heaven as I write this. She was my best friend and my Superhero. 

I have posted my Superhero Writing on my TPT store. Please click HERE to go to see this activity on TPT. All the proceeds from this writing activity will be donated to the American Cancer Society in honor of my Mom. 

Have an awesome Thursday!