Arctic Animal Interactive Writing in Kindergarten

Last year my class loved learning about polar bears and the animals that live in the cold, so we did some kindergarten arctic animal interactive writing!

Ice Bear by Nicola Davies

We loved the illustrations in this book.   Nicola Davies is one of my favorite authors.  She combines informational texts along with narrative texts which is like reading two books in one.

Gathering Information

We start by gathering data from our text.

Then we share the pen and work on interactive writing.  This involves:

• How to respond to a prompt
• Writing mechanics
• Concepts about print
• Spelling strategies

Now to make our meaning clear in our pictures and in our words.

This is all done with support!

Then students work on responding independently.  Some students write the same message we did together in our interactive writing lesson.  This is more prevalent when we first introduce interactive writing.  However, as YOU foster the idea that students can be risk takers, you will find students become less dependent on “copying” your shared message.  They will make their response their own.

Interactive writing is just a sliver of our writing day.  Just a sliver…  Through interactive writing, shared writing, writer’s workshop, and content area studies we promote writing and guide students towards proficiency.  It does not happen overnight, but patience and consistency is the key.

Making Connections

Each day, we respond to a prompt from the book.  This provides so many opportunities for students to practice!

All of these lessons can be found in our Guiding Readers unit.  Click HERE to see more.

Ice Bear:  Math and Literacy Centers

We also have math and literacy activities for this book.

Even a few worksheets!

You can see all of these centers and worksheets by clicking HERE.

STEM Activity for Ice Bear

We also have students plan, design, and build a polar bear den!

You can see the lesson plans and printable pages for this activity by clicking HERE.