Every morning when I get up, I have this excited that begins to grow inside me. I get to go to work and read!! As a child I loved to listen to stories and look at pictures in books and develop my own stories. Now I get to read with my students everyday.
This year I decided to begin with a unit to teach my students about myths, legends and tales. This multipurpose unit is helping me teach not only characteristics of each genre, but story elements and their connection to theme and author's purpose.
We began this unit by diving into the tumultuous lives of the Greek gods and goddess. I was shocked by how deeply they were engaged with the stories!! As we moved into legends, starting of course with John Henry, my student's excitement increased!! One student that, the first day of school, told me, "I hate reading!" had a special brightness in his eyes as I handed him an Indian legend to read with his group! Other students were thrilled to read ghost stories from across our country. The best part is that my kiddos are actually getting it!!! For the first time in my short teaching career I actually feel confidence in what I am doing with my students. As a new teacher I am always doubting myself, but this year feels different!
Tomorrow marks our move into the world of fairy tales. I am hoping to start it off with a bang by reading "Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood" by Mike Artell. I have literally practiced the Cajun accent and French terminology a dozen times! I'm hoping that reading a short informational text about the Cajun culture will give my students some background knowledge and help them to love this little story as much as I do!
I am so excited to continue through this unit in which my students are going to create a glog based on the story elements of one of their favorite short stories in the unit. Then we are going to read about the legendary "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli, after which they will create their own Digital Story of a myth, legend, or tale that they write!!
I know I have gone on and on, but I can't contain my excitement about is happening daily in my classroom! I just really hope to pass on my love of reading to my students!!!
Your excitement is surely contagious with your students! I'm sure that reading is fun in your room! I'm sure getting middle schoolers to enjoy reading is a task in it's self, but I bet you do a heck of a job!
ReplyDeleteI love the different versions of familiar fairy tales. Have you got the Halloween version of Cinderella. I hadn't seen it till I did my student teaching and it's SO cute.
ReplyDelete@ The TIme Nazi- no I have not seen it! Sounds like fun though! Do you remember the title/author...I would love to share it!
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a great job on your blog, keep it up!!!!
ReplyDeleteI had chills reading your blog...you are AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement! I need it!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen teachers show passion, students notice and they take suite. It is great to see such devotion and passion for the field of Reading you have. When I was in elementary and beginning junior high (7th grade) I hated reading. I had to take special classes in elementary for reading in which the teacher would come to the classroom around reading time and take me and several others out of the classroom to go to “the stupid room” (it felt like this).
ReplyDeleteI do not begrudge the desire those reading teachers had (they truly did desire to help) however, that feeling of “you are too stupid for this reading time in class, so you come with me” mentality really had an effect on my desire to read. It was not until around 8th and 9th grade that I began to fall in love with Social Studies and learning about far away places, people and events – it was this that began to reignite my passion for reading.
Kids need to like what they are reading for them to enjoy reading in general. Some of those kids that say “I hate reading” may not have yet met that subject that will spark their desire to learn – thus igniting their desire to read more into it!
Great work you are doing!
thank you so much
ReplyDeleteI have so many different levels of readers in my classroom and I view that the say way I view reading interests...I just have to work to find something that will hook them....I really feel like that is the most important part of my job.
I also like to find things to make them think. I like to throw new ideas and situations at them too.
I think lots of kids feel the way you did and I just really think we (teachers) need to make reading positive and interesting.