Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Great question...slice of life

Today in reading workshop, I modeled a graph so readers could graph the type of thinking they had been writing during the past two days of our workshop. I am excited to look through these graphs because I am also asking them to examine their thinking and set a reading goal. As I passed out the papers to the readers and dismissed them into their areas, I asked one of the students in my room who has an IEP (but is higher-functioning) to try it. This student stays in our room longer than the other students and had been present for the thinking and writing, whereas the others had not.

As I asked this student to try it, one of my boys turned to me and said, "Miss Cathy, why does * do it and the others don't?"

"Hmmm...that's a really good question," I said. As I was thinking, how do I explain different levels of disabilities? My response? Classic..."I'm not sure how to answer you on that one...is it okay if I don't give you an answer?"

"Yep," he said and off he went to work.

My students are perceptive and smart and very wise...I love their thinking and the fact that they are not ashamed to ask any question. They feel safe...which means I am accomplishing what I set out to do.

1 comment:

Tracey said...

It sounds like you're on the way to creating a classroom where all the students feel like their instruction is individualized.