Students will think about themselves in a positive light, boosting self-concepts, as they follow an author's model to improve their writing skills. My friend and fellow teacher, Karla Hebert, originally created this lesson. The final display is so powerful, that I would not think of starting my year without it.

I start this lesson with poems from The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald. This book combines black-and-white illustrations with real children's words describing what they love most about their bodies. It makes for a fun, insightful read and never fails to get kids talking and writing about the best part of themselves.

OBJECTIVE

Students will:

1. Students will identify a positive physical feature of themselves.
2. Students will work in pairs to take part in an online writer's workshop.
3. Students will create a descriptive poem about their favorite feature.

MATERIALS

Students will understand the importance of having rules to maintain order at home, at school, in their community, and in their country.

OBJECTIVE

Students will:

1. Create a "working" Classroom Constitution that governs the classroom and supports school rules, policies, and procedures.
2. Develop a maximum of six positively stated rules or Classroom Standards.
3. Help edit and revise the final draft of the Classroom Constitution.

MATERIALS

The All About Me Poster

The students will learn about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The students will brainstorm what is important to them, and then include these things in their own self-portrait.

OBJECTIVE
Students will:

1. Learn how to make a self-portrait
2. Learn about the life of Frida Kahlo

MATERIALS