The students are using a combination of sight words and invented spelling to make sentences for their stories. Then we practice editing for CFP (capitals, finger spaces, punctuation), for whether the text makes sense, and whether the illustrations match what they wrote. There are a ton of skills embedded in those little books they bring home, and each book may take a week or more to complete all of the parts.
At home, use the books and stories your child creates for daily story times, or even as a springboard of ideas to create even more books. Here are some pics of recent writing activities we have done this quarter:
By the way, Nellie Edge was my inspiration for the Poetry Journal literacy program that we do in our class. Stop by her site to learn more, then take a look at the poster below. You and your child could have lots of fun using the techniques below to practice making illustrations.