I use the language experience approach for writing about field trips when we return to school. This is done as a whole group activity. I always have the digital camera with me when we go on a field trip. I take a variety of shots trying to include all the children in one picture or another.

Materials:

Macintosh Computer,LTV Pro,digital camera, ClarisWorks/AppleWorks

Procedures:

I take pictures of the children on the field trip. When we get back to school, I download the pictures into the Macintosh. I place the pictures in a ClarisWorks/AppleWorks word processing document.

The children gather around the television monitor. We discuss what is happening in each picture. Once we come to some consensus, I type a short narrative for each picture.

Later in the year, we don't gather around the computer to initially write the story. I print out the pictures without any narration. I give the picture to a small group of students. After they have written some sentences for the picture on their own, I enter the information into the document. We look at the narration as a group. We do some group editing together.

It really makes the children listen to one another. Copies are made of the finished story for each child. I send it home for them to read with their families. It is a great stimulus for the children to tell their parents about what is going on in class.