Snowman Steps

In Writer's Workshop, we wrote steps for creating a snowman.  The goal was to write the steps using time words such as first, next, then, and last.  Before writing, we told numerous stories using steps.

The kids each chose how to create a snowmen.  Some drew, others built, and one even told how to make a collage snowman.  Step-by-step illustrations accompanied the writing.  Everyone was successful in the work and enjoyed the process.

After they were finished writing, the kids tested their steps on each other.  The author read the steps while a friend drew the picture.  The results were often comical.

 This is the original steps to drawing a snowman.

Here is what the friend drew.  What happened?!  The authors quickly went back and edited their work so that the steps were more accurate. Many retested the changes on friends.

While my initial intention was to just have the kids write steps in order, the idea to test out the steps occurred to me after looking at the work.  By testing out the steps on each other, the kids were able to discover their own mistakes and were eager to make changes.  What a way to learn!  I look forward to repeating this process later in the year.