Every holiday recount in my classroom used to sound the same:
Get your book out, write your recount, draw a picture.
And I'd watch students tell me about their holidays with so much excitement, only to run out of writing steam after a sentence or two in Foundation. They had SO much to share. They just didn't have the writing capacity to get it all down.
So for our last holiday recount of the year, I wanted something fun and memorable, and I wanted it to turn into a cute display. That's how My Holiday Gallery was born. (Don't worry - I've made it so you can use it anytime... this was product was just born at the later time of year).
This is a simple, flexible template that lets students share more of their holiday without having to write about all of it if that's not their vibe or yours. Students draw their holiday moments into four photo frames, then choose how much writing to add. They can write about one favourite picture, or you can extend them into a longer recount that covers both. This makes differentiation SO much easier as well.
What's included (and why you'll love it)!
- Holiday gallery template with four photo frames for students to draw their holiday moments in
- Printer-friendly no colour version for students to colour in
- Coloured version, so students only need to add their own drawings to the frames
- 4 writing "add-ins" to choose from, so you can match the writing length and needs to your students AND red and blue lined thirds to choose from.
- Sentence starter version of the lines are fully EDITABLE in Powerpoint so you can change the text to your own state font (Australian teachers rejoice)!
- Gallery-only option with no writing space, perfect for early Foundation or preschool-aged students in your room
- Easy to adapt for Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2
How I like to use it:
1. Draw first: students fill their four frames with their favourite holiday moments
2. Choose one picture to write about for students who are still building their writing stamina
OR
Write a longer recount using the gallery as a planning tool for your confident writers
OR
Skip the writing altogether and use the gallery for oral language and sharing
3: Display the finished galleries in your classroom, because they look so good together
Perfect for:
- Foundation students who have lots to say but limited writing capacity
- Early Foundation or preschool-aged students who want to share but struggle with writing. HELLO oral language recount!
- Reluctant writers who feel overwhelmed by a blank page
- Students who love to draw first
- Differentiating one task for a whole range of writers
- Classroom displays
If your students always have so much more to tell you than they can fit in a sentence or two, this one is for you. It gives them space to share everything, and gives you the freedom to decide how much writing goes with it.
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