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23 Writing Alphabet Books

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109
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Write on Track

Writing Alphabet Books

Start-Up Activity

Get students energized for this project by doing a little call and response:

  • Name an animal that starts with A. (Write down one of the responses.)
  • Name an animal that starts with B. (Write down one response.)
  • Name an animal that starts with C. (Continue . . .)

After you finish listing 26 animals (including an X-Ray Fish, or some other goofy animal for X), ask students how many other types of things they could name all through the alphabet. Let them know they will be creating their own alphabet books about a subject that interests them.

Think About It

“When I was having that alphabet soup, I never thought that it would pay off.”

—Vanna White

You are viewing: 23 Writing Alphabet Books

22 Writing Tall Tales
24 How-To Writing

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State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.A

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.B

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.10

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.C

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.D

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.4

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.5

Page 110 from Write on Track

Sample Alphabet Facts

Read through this page aloud, showing how two different students approached two different subjects with their alphabet books. Help students see that an alphabet book is more than just an A-B-C listing of words about a specific subject. It is a chance to explore each word and tell something interesting about it.

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Page 111 from Write on Track

Writing an Alphabet Book

Have your students brainstorm a list of subjects they enjoy, anything from horses to video games to superheroes. Challenge them to write as many areas of interest as they can. Then have them review their lists and select a subject with many examples or parts.

Next, have students list as many parts or examples as they can for their topics. If they come up with a complete list of 26+ items, they can go on to studying their topics. If they cannot, perhaps they should consider a different subject area.

After they complete their research, have students organize their topics in alphabetical order. Then have them write facts about each topic.

Note: If this project is too challenging for some students, have them create an "Easy Alphabet Book" as shown on page 113.

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Page 112 from Write on Track

Revising and Editing

Present the tips for revising, and then have students work by themselves and with partners to improve their work.

Afterward, have students correct any errors in spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. Then have them create a neat final copy. (See page 113 for one suggestion.)

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Page 113 from Write on Track

An Easy Alphabet Book

Use the information on this page if you need to scaffold instruction.

Have students decide on a subject area. Then provide them an ABC chart to fill in with words about their subject areas. After they complete the chart, have students write sentences containing the three words in each row.

Finally, have students write one sentence at the top of each page of their alphabet books, in order, and draw an illustration to go with the words.

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