How has your class grown this year? What acts of kindness have they done for each other? What have they learned? What do you hope they will remember? Children's books can be great vehicles for exploring these sorts of questions during the last weeks of school.
Here are two great picture books you could use to launch children into remembering and making a timeline of their school year:
"Jaime isn’t lining up in the right place."
"Grayson said a bad word."
"Olivia hit me!"
I know from teaching young children myself how challenging it can be to face a seemingly endless parade of students reporting things to you as you’re trying to teach.
Music teachers, art teachers, physical education teachers, librarians, and other specialists are an integral part of school and play a role, as all staff members do, in teaching children to be responsible, caring learners. But unlike self-contained classroom teachers, specialists see hundreds of students a week, often travel to more than one school, and typically have barely an hour a week to teach each group of children.
My colleague Caltha Crowe has been researching bullying prevention for an upcoming book, and as a result, my antennae are out for news on this topic. So, the other day when I heard the White House held a conference on bullying prevention. I checked out the website. I was most struck by this statement by President Obama:
I was sitting stock-still on the interstate in a rental car I needed to return before catching my flight home. As minutes ticked by the on the dashboard clock, I became increasingly worried. I hadn’t seen my little boy in four days, and if I didn’t make the flight, chances were good that I’d be in Massachusetts for another night. I started thinking about trying to make it over to the shoulder so I could get off at the next exit. Pros for this plan: I would make my flight.
Reflection is a crucial part of learning. Taking time to think about how things are going helps people keep track of their progress, and, if needed, make adjustments and improvements. Teachers can help students develop the habit of reflection by building in opportunities for them to practice this skill throughout the day.
A colleague of mine recently told me a story that reminded me of how powerful and positive an influence teachers can have—not just on their students, but on students’ families as well. She said I could share it with you.
Before I moved to California, I had the pleasure of being part of a children’s book club—a group of adults who gathered together once a month to read and discuss children’s books. Last summer I got back together with those friends and learned about many recent publications, including a new favorite, Duck! Rabbit!, written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.
The other day Jen Audley sent me a link to a blog entry about the first day of school that really got me thinking about the children who come to our classes and how thoughtful we need to be from the moment we meet them.
I love visiting bookstores, especially children’s bookstores, when I’m traveling. This summer, while I was on the road for work, I discovered lots of new books. (Truth be told, I also spent a little more than I should have on books for my toddler at home!) Over the coming weeks, I wanted to share a few I found that you might want to use during the first weeks of school.
