Writing our Piggie and Elephant Books

In 2nd grade we are huge fans of Piggie and Elephant books!  We use them in our reading to work on reading with expression and understanding character traits.  It's so fun to really pay attention to the similarities and differences between these 2 great friends: Piggie and Gerald.  We have noticed that Gerald is dramatic and at times grumpy, but still very kind.  We've learned that Piggie is optimistic, lighted hearted, and silly.

The students are currently working on writing their own Piggie and Gerald stories.  I love how the students take ownership of this project.  They are free to work at their desks or spread out on the carpet.  Students will make a different choice each day depending on what they're working on at the moment.  Projects like these give the students freedom to play around with their creativity while implementing the basics of constructing a story line that makes sense, and of course, using correct conventions so their message is clear to the reader.

When we are finished with our stories, we will invite the 1st graders in and enjoy a Piggie and Elephant celebration where we share our stories.