Don’t you love it when students connect reading and writing, or writing and science, or science and math? Or any subjects, for that matter. When the words, “Wait, this is like what we learned in ______!” come out of a student’s mouth, I want to jump up and down for joy. When that same learner explains to a classmate exactly how it connects, even more cause for celebration.
Today was one of those days.
We finally entered back into our normal rhythm, after finishing the PARCC tests last week. To be honest, I was a little apprehensive about how it was going to go. Would it be a seamless transition or would it be a day filled with reminders and practicing expectations? Well, I can’t say that it was a perfect day, but the learning was amazing!
Here are a few snippets from the day:
- We read Owen & Mzee during Reader’s Workshop as we talked about how biography isn’t the only type of narrative nonfiction. As we read about the tortoise and hippopotamus and the unexpected friendship that developed between a reptile and mammal, one of my learners piped up, “Hey, Miss Hansen, this is like science! It’s like the normal life cycle was changed for Owen because he was an orphan.” This led quite nicely into an exploration of reptiles today, I might add.
- During Writer’s Workshop, students started thinking about their cause groups and how writers can make a difference in the world through their writing. As I listened in to the groups’ plans, I heard one writer say to another, “This reminds me of what Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ruby Bridges did. They stood up for what they believed in and made a change!” To put this comment in context, the first part of our current reading unit focused on biographies and this particular student was in a book club that read about Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks. Bridging reading, writing, and history…wow!
Needless to say, today was a good day. A great day, actually. Making connections and re-entering our rhythm. Now for the rest of the week!
growing lifelong learners 