Teachers & Families
Writing Craft
1. Highlight the different craft used in “And I Thought About You” or better yet - have students notice them through discussion.
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Repetition
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Circularity
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Onomatopoeia
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Similies
2. Then encourage students to use the craft moves in their own writing.
3. Lead discussions about why authors use different writing craft in their pieces.
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Why do students think I used repetition? Why do they think I used circularity?
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How did the writing craft impact their enjoyment or engagement with the text?
4. Always remind students that as writers, they need to think about what they want the
reader to get from their writing.
5. If students want, they can email me with questions at
And I Thought About You Books
1. Students write a story modeled from And I Thought About You.
2. Students can write about a sibling, grandparent, pet, toy, stuffed animal or friend, the choices are limitless.
3. You can click on the paper link to get pre-made pages that say “And I Thought About You” or you can make your own books for students by cutting an 8.5” x 11” piece of paper in half and then stapling the pages together.
4. I'd love you see any poems that you write. Email them to me at rosanne(at)rlkurstedt.com
1. Print out the paper airplane template.
2. Fold on the dotted lines in numerical order.
3. Measure how far and high your airplane flies.
Onomatopoeia Poems
1. Pull out the onomatopeia (sound words) from the story.
2. Have kids discuss what all the words have in common. (They are sound words.)
3. Tell students what sound words are called (Onomatopoeia).
4. Brainstorm a list of other sound words.
5. Create a class Onomatopoeia poem or have students create their own. If often helps if a topic or theme is identified (e.g., summer, animals, or the farm).
6. I'd love you see any poems that you write. Email them to me at rosanne(at)rlkurstedt.com
7. Check out this list of Onomatopoeia words from Kathy Temean’s blog
Family Routines and Traditions
And I Thought About You was inspired by a bed-time routine my older son and I created. After reading books together we would share with each other what we’d done throughout the day. We would always finish with “and I thought about you.”
1. Have students write about their own family routines and traditions – it might be a game night, a special meal they have together, or it could be simply having breakfast every Sunday morning.
2. Make a class book or have students share their pieces with family members during a "Routines and Traditions" celebration.
This page is always under construction.
Email me with lesson ideas, and or family rountines and traditions.
I will include your thoughts on this webpage.