You were born in the Year of the Reader. People born in the year of the reader are eager page turners. Their love of reading and all things books will bode well for their future success in life. They may seem to be poor listeners, but really they just tend to get lost in the worlds found in books. Readers are creative. Readers are thinkers. If you see a Reader, chances are he or she will be traveling with a book in hand and a to be read stack in his or her bag and a mental list of book recommendations ready to be shared.
In honor of the Year of the Reader, here's a clip from Colby Sharp about ways to celebrate World Read Aloud Day this Wednesday:
Also in honor of the Year of the Reader, did you hear about which books won the Caldecott and Newbery Awards? Pretty exciting that for the first time ever a graphic novel won the Newbery! Jerry Craft's book New Kid won! I met Jerry this summer...such a kind soul...and we have his book autographed for our school that he gave me. I also met Kwame Alexander this summer and heard him speak. His powerful picture book The Undefeated won a Caldecott. I have a copy if you want to check it out. Read about these winners and others here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/books/newbery-new-kid-jerry-craft-caldecott-undefeated-kwame-alexander.html
Check out these links about World Read Aloud Day:
In honor of the Year of the Reader, check out this interesting article about libraries: https://news.gallup.com/poll/284009/library-visits-outpaced-trips-movies-2019.aspx
And another amazing book that was a Newbery Honor is a book I read recently, Other Words from Home. Check out this interview of the author: https://mrschureads.blogspot.com/2020/01/newbery-honor-author-jasmine-warga.html
Cheers to the Year of the Reader!
Currently reading:
I just finished Innovate Inside the Box: Empowering Learners Through UDL and the Innovator's Mindset. What an amazing book that is packed with tons of strategies and ideas that can be implemented in the classroom immediately. When you put two powerhouse educators together and have them co-author a book...amazingness happens!
Events this week:
Monday - School Council Meeting @ 4:00
Tuesday - Fit Club @ 8:00am, CST Meeting @ 8:00 and 8:30, Grade 5 Celebration of Folktale Writing @ 1:45
Wednesday - Staff Meeting @ 8:00, Global School Play Day! World Read Aloud Day! Computer Programming Class @ 3:30 - green pod, Girls Who Code @ 3:30 in the library
Thursday - Fit Club @ 8:00am, S3 Academy Grant Team in Westborough for the day
Friday - Liz out of the building, 100th day of school! K parade at 9:15
Great things I noticed last week:
- I had a wonderful 4th grader serve as Principal for the Day last week. She had a very busy day, but she definitely found time to read in several classrooms, including KD, where after the story was over, they asked if they could hug her.
- We caught 3W doing something unusual in the cafeteria! With the help of a parent volunteer, they were creating their own special planters.
- Global School Play Day is coming! This Wednesday! Caught some students in 2L playing the other day. Some serious lego buildings being created.
- Thanks for a great afternoon of mindfulness and discussion around integrated student support. Loved this image from Wendy O'Leary:
- The tech team spent Thursday afternoon putting together our 2 new Chromebook carts! They will be rolling into pods this week. Both carts have 28 Chromebooks on them!
I get the Marshall Memo each week which is a summary of several different education articles. Thought I would share this great snippet with you:
Increasing Joy in Primary-Grade Math Classes
In this Mathematics Teacher article, teacher educator Amy Noelle Parks (Michigan State University) says that after 30 years as an educator, her criterion for excellence in primary-grade mathematics classrooms is joy. This is not the same thing as fun, says Parks: she’s talking about “flow” – children being so immersed in meaningful classroom activities that they lose track of time. Parks suggests five strategies for maximizing joy and minimizing anxiety and other negative emotions in math classes:
• Create space for play. “Play is a powerful tool for reducing stress and for increasing opportunities for mathematical learning,” she says – as long as the materials are well chosen. Some possibilities: counting collections, wooden or Lego blocks, puzzles, and linear board games.
• Allow children to make choices. Children are empowered and more likely to enjoy classroom activities when they can make decisions on how to spend time, who to spend it with, and which materials to use.
• Offer problems that include exploration, social interaction, and engaging materials. A problem might be a question – If the giant in Jack in the Beanstalk is ten times as tall as a person, how tall is he? – or a counting challenge, or a brain teaser. Enjoyment is increased if students can share their answers with classmates without fear of making a mistake.
• Relax a little about time on task. “The occasional off-task moment will not significantly interfere with children’s ability to learn mathematics,” says Parks. Teachers snapping their fingers and ordering students engaging in chit-chat to get back to work will definitely not contribute to joyful learning.
• Foster caring relationships. “Creating a welcoming environment draws on some classic early childhood teaching practices,” says Parks, “– greeting children with a smile and by name, taking time to get to know each child, and helping children to name and handle their emotions.” Risk-taking and joy are also promoted by including children’s interests, experiences, and home languages and cultures.
In addition to these joy-promoting practices, Parks suggests that teachers make the following choices:
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