"Oh my gosh, Miss Murray! I get it!"
We had been reading The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, and we were pretty close to being done. I'd just posed the question, what do you think possible themes could be?
One of my students, who has been labeled for quite a while as a "low student," has struggle with motivation. Sometimes, he would get really interested in the book. Other times? He would flat out fall asleep. It has been a constant battle all year long.
However, this day, he was really into the action in this particular book. His classmates were throwing out ideas, after we'd reread a portion that spoke of Despereaux's desire to save the Princess Pea.
"What do you get?"
"I get the lesson Despereaux had to learn! See, he was this mouse that was born too little. He was really weird, well, so his family said. His ears are too big ... that cook chopped off his tail ... he was betrayed by everyone. But I get I why he did it! I get why he HAD to save Princess Pea. He had to prove that heroes come in all shapes and sizes!"
"Perseverance!" Someone called out. "Despereaux showed he had perseverance."
My struggling reader piped up. "Yeah. See, he HAD to do this. To prove that he was the best kinda hero, he had to save the Princess Pea. The theme is that heroes come in all shapes and sizes; what makes you a hero is having perseverance and doing what is right."
Some of the most amazing insights have come from my kids who are find reading a struggle. This is how I know that close reading is finally working for my kiddos!
We had been reading The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, and we were pretty close to being done. I'd just posed the question, what do you think possible themes could be?
One of my students, who has been labeled for quite a while as a "low student," has struggle with motivation. Sometimes, he would get really interested in the book. Other times? He would flat out fall asleep. It has been a constant battle all year long.
However, this day, he was really into the action in this particular book. His classmates were throwing out ideas, after we'd reread a portion that spoke of Despereaux's desire to save the Princess Pea.
"What do you get?"
"I get the lesson Despereaux had to learn! See, he was this mouse that was born too little. He was really weird, well, so his family said. His ears are too big ... that cook chopped off his tail ... he was betrayed by everyone. But I get I why he did it! I get why he HAD to save Princess Pea. He had to prove that heroes come in all shapes and sizes!"
"Perseverance!" Someone called out. "Despereaux showed he had perseverance."
My struggling reader piped up. "Yeah. See, he HAD to do this. To prove that he was the best kinda hero, he had to save the Princess Pea. The theme is that heroes come in all shapes and sizes; what makes you a hero is having perseverance and doing what is right."
Some of the most amazing insights have come from my kids who are find reading a struggle. This is how I know that close reading is finally working for my kiddos!
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