SKETCHIN' OUT SPOOKY SENTENCES - FREEBIE

Despite all of the Columbus and fire safety chaos this week, we just had to find a little time to slip in some Halloween action.  With this said, I massaged that tighter than tight weekly schedule of ours and managed to find a sliver of time for Sketchin' Out Spooky Sentences.  I have been rollin' with this crazy idea for the past three years now and it's always a real crowd pleaser.  Did I peek your interest?  Well, let me utter a teacher's favorite phrase to help hook ya in just a wee bit more . . . it's free :)

JW Illustrations . . . you are my hero!

The kids totally dig this one because I actually let them draw FIRST . . . say what??  Yup, I bottle up tons of buy-in via the directed draw portion of this assignment up front.  Then, when my babes hit the sentence side of things, they always seem to work extra hard for me.  It's a win-win for sure.  

Here are the "deets" on this . . .  

First, I scour my bookshelves and stock up my writing center with as many Halloween or spooky/strange directed draw books that I can get my hands on. Ed Emberly has zillions of rockin' ones for this (see a few examples below).  You also can print off directed draws from the internet.  

Next, the kids get a worksheet template (grab this below) and use the books to help them draw out a spooky scene.  Once they finish, they write a detailed sentence to go with their sketch. 

CLICK HERE to download this freebie!
NOTE: Just in case you have children who do not celebrate Halloween in your class,
I have included a fall-themed template as well.  Oh yeah . . . Dolling has your back!

Finally, the kidlets color up their masterpieces with colored pencils.  This assignment always makes for a great "author's chair" as well.  **NOTE: this activity usually takes two centers to complete.

Here are a few pictures of my kiddos in action as well as the finished product.  I was so proud of my crew of firsties this year.  They used their spelling strategies and really took pride in their work.  From my highs to my lows, they all were all quite successful with this ditty.  Let's just say I am missing darn near all my buttons as they popped right off yesterday!!  

Alrighty folks, I gotta get my bum in gear - I still have a wet head and I gotta leave in 45 minutes.  Thanks so much for taking the time to visit.  I will be back soon my dear friends . . . very soon.  Oh, and don't forget to check out all of the other awesome freebies on TBA this weekend.  You're sure to find quite a few gems ;).