Just a quick post from me tonight. Last week, we read Frog and Toad, one of my personal favorites. I love how the text is simple so first graders can successfully read it. At the same time, the stories are give you a good laugh and kids really enjoy them! After we read The Garden, I asked my reading group what words would describe Toad.
(Don’t be distracted by my poor attempt at drawing. We all have our gifts… or lack their of.)
They came up with silly, coo-coo, and funny. Next I told them that they had to prove it. They then had to reread the story to show examples of Toad being silly, coo-coo, or funny.
I’m finding that with my older students (2nd/3rd), they can retell a story, answer basic questions, and sequence a story. They can dig a little deeper than that, but what is stumping them is having to find the “evidence” in the text to back up their thinking. They are getting confused with how to use the text to back up their answers. That’s a good reminder that in the younger grades (k/1), we need to get them used to doing it so that when it does get much more complex, they will have that skill. I actually LOVE this part of common core. Kids of all ages can do this, but they need practice and modeling and more practice. “The text says this… so that makes me think this….” After we completed the graphic organizer, we practiced using this language to talk about the book and the characters. If you’re looking for an easy lesson for these last few weeks of school, get out your Frog and Toad books and have your students start talking about those characters! 🙂
