If we want our children to read more, than we have to start talking about books with them.
When something is talked about, it gains popularity, and eventually grabs our interest as well. Naturally, our curiosity wants to check it out. Think about Silly Bands. Fidget Spinners, squeeze balls, Fortnite, “The Floss”, popular movies, etc. They all gained attention by being talked about, which spiked our children’s interest . This lead them to join the bandwagon. Well, if we want our children to hop on the reading bandwagon, then we need to start building a reading community. The way that we can do that together is by talking about books. Often I find myself asking my own children about what they read and they get annoyed with me. They perceive talking about reading as a chore or something they do for school. What I need to do more of is share with my children what I am reading and my inner voice. Maybe there was a part of a book that I enjoyed, or a funny tale, or a conclusion that I drew, or a connection I made. Maybe a book left me with questions of wonder that I want to pose to another. When our children start to hear us talk about books as we would a TV show, they will start to view reading as a form of entertainment and it won’t be pigeon-holed into something they do for school. One of the reasons I have the students create book reviews on SeeSaw is so they become comfortable talking about their reading. I also know that when we hear our peers talking about a book, we tend to listen more, which leads us to check it out. That is why a site like “Goodreads” is so popular and successful. We all like to be in on the latest and greatest. Reading has been one of the greatest sources of entertainment for centuries. Yes, we have other distractions and forms of entertainment now, but reading can still bring us just as much pleasure. If we want our children to be strong and passionate readers, then we need to show them the wonderment and excitement that a good book can bring. We need to start talking. If you have not done so already, please listen to your child’s book review on SeeSaw and add a comment. Let them know that books are worth talking about.
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On Friday we celebrated International Dot Day! I love this day because it stems from a book with an uplifting and powerful message. The book is The Dot by Peter Reynolds. The book is about a young girl, Vashti, who has a fixed mindset and believes that she cannot draw. She only knows how to make a simple dot. Her teacher frames her dot, hangs it, and gives Vashti the courage to create more. Vashti creates dot masterpieces and eventually passes along the same encouragement to a young boy at the end of the story. The class came up with all the thematic messages that Reynolds teaches us:
Try your best Believe in yourself Take a chance Say, "I Can" Have a growth mindset As Vashti's teacher states in the book, "Just make a mark and see where it takes you." So, that is exactly what we in fourth grade are going to do. We are going to try, we are going to make mistakes, we are going to step out of our comfort zones, and we are going to find success. We will find beauty and joy and excitement and encouragement in making our marks and seeing where they take us. To celebrate International Dot Day, we each colored our own dot and then literally saw where they took us using an app, Quivervision, which makes drawings 3-dimensional. Below our some videos an pics of our excitement about seeing where our dots can take us. I have also included photos from all our fun science experiments on energy, as we are making our mark there too! Each year I read this book and each year I ponder how I want to make my mark for the upcoming year. How can I step outside my comfort zone and take a risk? I love asking my own kiddos how they want to make their mark. It gives me great insight into their inner voice. That being said, if your looking for a good dinner table topic, go around and share ways that you can make your mark independently and together as a family. I hope it allows you to see your child's inner beauty. Click the link below for videos! International Dot Day Videos! Metacog…what? Metacognition, that’s right. Metacognition is thinking about your thinking. It is the ability to listen to your thoughts as you navigate any situation, to reflect, and to plan for the future. metacognition builds self-awareness.
We all want our children to become independent thinkers, active citizens, and to make a positive impact on the world around them. The kindest, most empathetic, most perseverant people are the ones who are the most comfortable with themselves. They are the ones who are able to wonder, reflect, and ask why as naturally as they breathe. They are the ones who were taught metacognitive strategies. Metacognitive strategies involve children pausing, recognizing their thoughts, and asking why. We can help them do this in social and academic situations. For instance, when a child makes a poor choice, ask him/her, “Why did you do this?” and “Next time this same situation arises, what can you do differently?”. If a child displays a fixed mindset and says, “I can’t”, we can ask him/her “Why do you feel this way?” and “Why do you think this one part is challenging for you?” and “What are some strategies you have used in the past?”. We can encourage them to talk positively to themselves: “You can do it!” “Your best is good enough!” “You’ve got this!” Believe it or not, having good metacognition makes you a better reader too! As we read, we often think about the characters, the setting, the author’s words, etc. Active readers recognize their thoughts and hold onto them as they read. They hear their inner voice and talk to themselves. To help practice listening to our inner voices, I introduced think marks to students. Think marks are marks that students make on post its (stickies) to show their thinking as they read. For instance, they might write down LOL on a sticky and attach it to a page in their book if something is funny. They could write down a ? and a question they have about what is going on or about a character, etc. Like any sport, good athletes don't just go through the motions, they always have their head in the game. They are always listening to themselves think about their next strategy and reflecting. Think marking helps students keep their head in the game. It conditions them to hear their thoughts and respond. Life-long readers have metacognition. Below are pics of students using metacognitive strategies in various settings. We are listening to our peers, reflecting, hearing our thoughts and talking to ourselves! Empathy is the act of understanding and being sensitive to another's thoughts, needs, and feelings. I would argue that empathy is the most powerful tool that I can help your child learn.
Humans are complex. We have a range of emotions, thoughts, wants, needs, some negative, some positive. A huge part of early child development is teaching our children to become self-aware and to verbally communicate their own beliefs in an appropriate manner. It is beautiful to witness a child coming into his/her own self. However, at some point, we need to shift the focus and have our children start tuning into the needs of those around them. This is not always so easy to do and quite frankly can sometimes feel unnatural. Today we started our social-emotional curriculum, Second Step. The first lesson is about empathy and I salute this curriculum for recognizing that knowing how to be empathetic is key in any type of problem-solving situation, be it social, academic, or work-related. Throughout the year, the students and I will continue to explore how recognizing another's thoughts and feelings from verbal and nonverbal cues will help us be better communicators. We will practice what can we say or do in certain situations to foster inclusive settings and meaningful conversations. Learning content is important. Learning to be empathetic is a life skill that reaches far beyond the classroom walls. |
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Have fun following our fabulous 4th grade journey! Important Dates
August 22nd- First Day!
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September 2018
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