Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Love it!!

I am currently reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo...AMAZING! My class loves the book so much that today they requested we read it again...We have one chapter to go! Thanks, btw, to Hillary for suggesting this book!

My favorite line has been and I'm paraphrasing it - He gave you up so you can be completely healed. It made me think of my relationship with Christ and how He gave His everything so I could be healed...

We've been able to infer, predict, and just have conversations as readers through this book. I'm going to follow up this book with The Velveteen Rabbit since it has a similar message.

Today, as I was reading, one of my students gasped and three kids started waving their hands. You ask why? Because yesterday he had asked a question and today his question had been answered and he and three other kids realized it. They are becoming thinkers and talkers...finally! Most of it seems to happen when we are collective as a group, but I'm excited still!

Anyone have any other great books they'd like to recommend as read alouds? I'm also going to read Gooney, the Fabulous since we are going to start synthesizing and have been practicing writing summaries this week. Each chapter is kind of a fable and we'll be able to infer a lesson through the fable as well.

2 comments:

Christi.Overman said...

My kids LOVE Kate DeCamillo, particularly "The Tale of Despereau" (which is now a movie). I read it to them in the very beginning of the year and they STILL refer to it all the time!

Mrs. Johnson said...

I am reading The Tale of Despereaux, as well. I am really enjoying it. I am not all the way through but I love this quote: "Reader, you must know that an interesting fate (sometimes involving rats, sometimes not) awaits almost everyone, mouse or man who does not conform." I love that this book stresses that it is okay to be different in a world where so many influence us that we must conform. In fact, choosing to be different and do things differently can be good.