This is a popular activity in grades K-2.  You can do this on Valentine's Day or on several days leading up to Valentine's Day with small groups.  Students will be able to organize their thoughts and verbalize a paragraph.  This activity is called "My Valentine Surprise."

 

My Valentine Surprise

 

1.  Ask parents to help students find something that they love from home.  It must be small enough that the students can hold it in their hands and small enough to be hidden in a lunch sack or cloth. 
 

 

2.  In the classroom, start by making a large plan for the students to use as their guide when revealing their "Valentine Surprise".  The chart will have a topic sentence written at the top. 

 

You might want to use "I love my ________." as your topic sentence. 

 

The plan will have three 1's and they are:
 (First)    1  when  (when I got it)
  (Next)   1  what   (what it can do)
 (Last)    1  why     (why I love it)

 The plan will have a conclusion at the bottom that says:
 "Clearly, I love my ___________."

 

 

3.   You can also cut out two green, and three yellow hearts that are large enough to stand on. (Use red hearts also if your students are already using "Tell Me Mores" in their writing) Place the hearts on the floor beside each other and in order.   
  

Have each student show their Valentine Surprise and then stand on the first green heart and say: "I love my ______."   

 

Next, they step over to the first yellow heart and say a transitional word and when they got their Valentine Surprise. 

 

They then step over to the next yellow heart and say a transitional word and something it can do; then they  step onto the last yellow heart and say a transitional word and why they love their Valentine Surprise. 

 

Finally, they read the conclusion after stepping on the last green heart.