Hi Lara,
I know exactly what you mean. I can't believe it's January already. I would love to see some examples of the work you and your students did together with retelling. While retelling may appear to be a simplistic task, for young readers it is complex. I'm glad you are laying the foundation in first grade and delving into substantial retellings, as we will pull on these skills next year as we ask the second graders to write responses to their reading.
I am gearing up to head back to school on Monday, but I have been reflecting today on the work we did together this past week with our small group of young writers around the theme of peace. I know you took a lot of photos during our time together...how about posting a few pics of the published pieces to give folks a couple of new ideas for creative poetry publishing?
Frances