• Create written texts using a familiar form, e.g., a song.
• Contribute during shared writing activities.
• Publish a class book and share their work with others.

Activity

• Share the traditional song " The Bear Went Over the Mountain " with your first graders. Provide opportunities for them to hear the song on tape, sing along with tape, and sing along following the words printed on chart paper.
• When the children are familiar with the song, work together to create a new version of the song using Little Blue and his friends.

For example:

Little Blue swam in the sea
Little Blue swam in the sea
Little Blue swam in the sea
And what do you think he saw?

He saw Cedric the Starfish floating in the sea
He saw Cedric the Starfish floating in the sea
He saw Cedric the Starfish floating in the sea
And that is what he saw.

• Try adding new verses each day. When you have enough verses (1 verse for each 2 children), have them work in groups of 2 to make a page for a class big book.

• Give each group a sheet of 11 x 17 paper to print the verse on. Illustrations to accompany the text can also be completed. Share the final product with the Kindergarten class.
  
  NOTE: If children are not familiar with all the characters from the "Whale of a Tale" series, the names of familiar sea creatures can be substituted.

Assessment Tips from Old Tom the Turtle

• Observe and note behaviours that indicate childrens' engagement in writing.

• Involve students in self assessment of what they learned through the process of creating a class big book.