Hello Monday. Mr. Greg is in need of some MAJOR glitter. Monday definitely kicked my hiney today. OMG! The ‘staches were bonkers. Cutting clothes…rolling on the floor…tomorrow will be better…tomorrow will be better….but seriously, WHERE IS THE GLITTER?!?! Anyone else??
OK…I’ve had my dramatic moment…we can move on.
A couple of weeks ago my friend Jen Jones (she’s my friend because she stayed at my house and rode in my big green Jeep!) visited my school and did a day long PD session. People….one word: GLITTERRIFIC! And if you know me, that is the highest praise Smorgie can bestow on something. But seriously…she was amazing.
Her PD was what all PD sessions should be: USEFUL and RELEVANT. And the best part: we walked away with ideas that can be used TODAY! And those ideas require little if any work on our part. SERIOUSLY.
So there were several take aways for me…like using pictures for close reading in kindergarten. Zooming in on the pictures to discuss WHAT YOU SEE and WHAT YOU THINK YOU SEE! HELLO!!!! Brilliant! (This will be a later blog post!)
But two things Jen discussed are in use in my classroom and I wanted to share those with you.
Think about this: a child gives an opinion or answers a question and what do I say? “WHY?” Well, as Mrs. Jen Jones pointed out, that word has a negative feeling and when you say “WHY?” a child (and adults…hello super sensitive Mr. Greg….I’m very fragile…) almost immediatley THINKS they’re wrong. So how about a simple fix! You ready….mind blowing stuff….seriously, mind blown….
There ya go. Instead of asking WHY, use the word because.
Not only does it take away the negative…but it immediately moves our little scholars into higher level thinking.
Here’s how I’ve implemented this word:
I made a because poster and put it on the stage as a reminder for the ‘staches and myself. (Jen Jones said make a poster. Almost 100% of the classrooms in our school now have a because poster. If she says it, you make it.)
When discussing a story and someone gives an answer, I say “BECAUSE?” and they have to justify their answer. CRITICAL THINKING! And it’s so easy because it’s just a word.
BECAUSE!
I’ve noticed a huge shift in just a couple of weeks of using the word. The ‘staches are more talkative when discussing books and are much more willing to justify their answers and give evidence!
EXAMPLE: today a little girl told me she liked my sweater…BECAUSE it was pink and pink is her favorite. It’s becoming natural to them.
And if it’s natural in speaking…it will become natural in writing.
We also take one morning meeting share time a week and ask a question where they have to use BECAUSE to justify their response.
For example: would you rather eat apples or carrots all day?
They answer in complete sentences and use because.
Isn’t that mind blowing? It definitely blew my little glittery brain.
If you want the because sign, click
HERE for your freebie!
Then she talked about vocabulary. For my ‘staches, this is a huge issue. Our vocabulary is lacking
How about this simple fix:
How simple yet effective. We did this after reading The Halloweiner and pulled out four vocabulary words. I heard them using the words all day long. Especially unusual.
We read the word, define it in kid friendly terms and draw a picture. Eventually they can have their own word journal! But for now it’s a class chart. When full we will laminate and post the chart in the room for reference!
Now you need to go visit Hello Literacy (Jen’s blog) because she is brilliant. BRILLIANT!
She also has amazing fonts and borders!!!!! In fact, it’s her font and borders that I used to create my because sign!
And TRICK OR TREAT! All of my Halloween creations are 20% off this week! Including my Halloween bundle!
Click here to start saving!
