For the choice posting today I want to write about one of our literacy lessons this week. WE were talking about questioning the author and I had decided to find her website to see if we could send a message with our questions (we read a whole group text to model stratgies etc. and this was a book the kids really seemed to enjoy). I found her site and the kids started spouting out questions they had for her. They were so excited. Then they all wanted to look up the websites of their favorite authors so they could ask questions of them. It was wonderful to see the kids so excited about reading and asking such thoughtful questions. I felt really good about the lesson and the kids were enthusiastic as well. We weren't expecting to hear back, but sure enough the next day we had an email from Rosemary Wells's personal account responding to all of our questions. Again, the students were really excited to be connecting to an author.
I just wanted to share this because I really having that whole group experience of connecting around a text and sharing a love of literature. Sometimes the literacy lessons seem kind of dull and I can hear the groans when I call students to the front so it was refreshing to share this experience.
How terrific, Meggie! I can't think of a more memorable literacy experience than writing to a favorite author and having her write back. Yeah for Rosemary Wells! How old is she, anyway? I feel like she's been writing for a long time. I'll check out her website to get an answer to this question.
ReplyDeleteFollowing up on your idea that writing to an author would be a good way to "notice and name" those "author and me" kinds of questions was inspired. We might not be able to engender the kind of student enthusiasm you described EVERY day with our brilliant instructional ideas, but it's rewarding to have these shared moments and to think about why the experience made such an impact on kids. Once we figure out the answer to that question, we can get closer to planning lessons that really resonate, and they don't have to depend on celebrity participation either!