Fountas & Pinnell Blog

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Firsthand stories from teachers and administrators who have implemented Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™ into their schools and classrooms.

Ask the student to choose a family member to interview about a special time or tradition in their life. The student can then write an essay or draw an illustration.

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Pick a folktale and talk about how the story could be acted out. Have the child act out the folktale, possibly with you as the narrator.

Trace the outline of the child's body on butcher paper, and then cut out the outlines. Provide art supplies for the child to create a self-portrait.

Invite the child to share their experiences trying something new, like camping or traveling to a new place. Then have them share something they learned from the experience.

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Select a topic that the child has read or learned about. Brainstorm a list of four or five questions based on what they already know about the topic.

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Brainstorm a list of things that plants need in order to live. Use the list to plan what you will need in order to grow plants, beginning with seeds.

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Read a variety of poems aloud that include descriptive words that appeal to the senses. Choose a familiar place for the child to create a poem, completing the following: I see ____ . I hear ____ . I smell ____ . I feel ____ .

Have your child keep a gratitude journal. Instruct the child to be as specific as possible about the things for which they are grateful.

Ask the child to choose a meaningful memory and to write the story down. Have the child read aloud the story when it is finished.

Turn an average meal time into a game of restaurant. The child can act as the server by reading out the menu, writing down orders, and serving the meal.

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Have the child safely observe animals or insects and pay special attention to behavior, eating habits, and physical appearance. Have the student take notes and make sketches of their observations.

Teach the child a weather song (sung to the tune of “Clementine”). Substitute words and phrases as needed to fit the weather in your region.

Talk with the child about how to prepare for different kinds of weather. Fold a piece of paper in half and have the child draw a picture of themselves playing in sunny weather on top and rainy weather on the bottom.

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Talk with the child about transportation and the different ways that we move people and objects from one place to another. Build a "river" using tinfoil and slowly pour in water at the top, so the child can explore sending objects down the river.

Explore with the child while looking for words and letters. When the child sees a letter, have them point to it and say the letter out loud. Can you find them all, A to Z?

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*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of Fountas and Pinnell.