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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Making Connections Through Literature

I think a lot about how to better make connections with my students. I have a very large class--26 Kindergarteners. When I pick them up in the morning, the first thing they want to do is share something with me, especially after a weekend. I usually don't take the time that I should to listen to each of them, we do have morning work to do and reminders to make about folders, etc. I read somewhere the other day, probably a Twitter post, that you should take 2 minutes to have an actual conversation with each student every day. I really, really try to do just that.
 
I also try to incorporate their interests into our lessons and the books I choose for their read-alouds. One thing I like to do every year is to share with them the first books I ever learned to read. My sister and I both started reading at about 2 1/2 years old (I credit Sesame Street for that-my mom says that I would cry if I couldn't watch it the twice a day it was on, even if it was a rerun!). The first book I ever read by myself was:
 
 
I actually found a used copy of it-thank goodness for Amazon and their booksellers!  
 
 
         The 2nd book I ever read by myself was this one. Notice a theme.....
 
And then Jonathan Bloom's Room was one my mom said I liked to read over and over again.
 
It's so funny to share them with my kiddos because they do not think of you as a real person! You have a mom!?! Does she make you lunch?
 
They crack me up. But I want them to know I was once in their shoes and reading books like they are reading. Someday maybe they will even share books we read together with their children!
 

2 comments :

  1. Making connections from our lives to what we're teaching sure does make what we're doing seem all the more real. (I've no idea what book I ever read first.)
    ❀ Tammy
    Forever in First

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  2. I bring my reading journal to school and show them my goodreads page. I remember Go Dogs Go and The Little Engine that Could being read to me over and over and over again. I don't remember what the first book I read on my own was....hmmm going to see if I can figure that out.
    Laurie
    Chickadee Jubilee

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