First Grade Funtastic: Poetry...Oh Lovey

This week our school is having our SPAC night. It's an academic night where every student in the school has art work and projects displayed for their parents to come and look at. Every child has at least two pieces of work displayed. First grade always does poetry projects. For the past few years I have had my kids bring in their LOVEY to school. A Lovey is something they have a special attachment to. It could be something they have had since they were a baby or toddler. It is something they feel a connection to. I send a note home to my parents and have them send them to school (reassuring them that we will only take the item out for a picture). Some parents fear that their child my lose their item...and it would be tramatic...because they can't go without their special blanket or stuffed animal. The first thing we do is take pictures with our Lovey. We then brainstorm adjectives and feelings that we have towards our Lovey. The children then write about their Lovey...why it is special, how long they have had it, when they use it, ect. After writing about it, we edit their writing together. I then have them copy the poem on a big sheet of white paper. I attach lines behind the paper so they have guide lines to write on. When they are finished writing their poem, they trace the words with Sharpie markers. They then pick two colors of chalk and use the sides of it to color their paper. When done, they take a tissue and blend the colors together. I then look at the colors they selected and mat their pictures on paper of the same color and attach to their poem! This project is a lot of work...but SO worth it and parents love it!!!