My Favorite Birthday Story
- Grades: PreK–K
- Unit Plan:
- Bring in a photograph of their favorite birthday.
- Write or dictate a story about their favorite birthday.
- Lined paper
- Construction paper for mounting the finished story
Set Up and Prepare
- Send a note to parents explaining the activity and telling them to send in a photo (but not a precious one, since it will be pasted down on paper with the child's story). Suggest photocopying a picture.
- Arrange for a few volunteers to help write the dictated stories. If you don't have volunteers, ask for upper grade students.
- Have lined paper ready.
Step 1: Have students share photograph of their favorite birthday. This will give the students who did not bring in a picture another day to do so and motivation.
Step 1: In small groups, have the students write about their favorite birthday.
Step 2: Edit their birthday stories and rewrite.
Step 3: Mount each story on 9" x 12" construction paper.
Step 4: Display stories on a bulletin board with photos under the caption: My Favorite Birthday.
At the activity center have children frost a birthday cupcake and decorate with sprinkles.
Find out the date of your mother or father's birthday. Is it in the same month as yours?
- Were most of the students able to write or dictate a story about their favorite birthday?
- Were students able to bring in a birthday photograph? If not what are some good options? Use a school camera? Student draws the scene on a photo-size piece of paper?
- Observe sequencing and the ability of children to express themselves.
- Note which children were able to write or dictate a story about their favorite birthday. I have had a few children who had to tell me what kind of birthday they "wished" they would have because they had never had the experience.