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Small Moments

The small moments in our classroom are so important!
They may not be part of our lesson plans or the curriculum guides. They are made up of what students bring to the table.
To ignore them would be to do students a disservice.

When we return to school on Monday after Spring Break, my students will have three days to prepare for student led conferences. A very short turn around time, to be sure! But, at this time of the year, when we've reached a comfortable rhythm of learning in our class, this is doable. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'm not wrong!


But, back to the point of this blog post - honoring the small moments in our classrooms.

A few days ago I asked my students to start thinking about what they might share with parents. One girl said that she was going to share a book she had read at the beginning of the year - When You Reach Me - and compare it to The One and Only Ivan, which she has just finished that day.



My first thought, and I'm not thrilled that this was my first thought, was that When You Reach Me is a F & P Level V while The One and Only Ivan is a F & P Level S. So, of course the first book would be challenging at the beginning of the year, while the second book would not be as challenging at the end of the year. Since we're all about levels at my school, this situation would not be viewed favorably by colleagues.

So, I will take this small moment and go with it.
I will celebrate my student's engagement with books.
We will talk about both books and dig deeper
about what she sees as the fundamental
differences between the two books.
I'll ask her to find another book she has read recently
that is also just right for her.
I will use this moment to investigate deeper.
To better understand my student as a reader.
To celebrate with her.

This small moment could yield big ideas about how my student views herself as a reader.

The small moments in our classroom are so important!
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