Ordinary

On Wednesday we did a close read of the initial chapter of "Wonder". We wrote down our thoughts on the board and this showed some questions and ideas that helped us form a response to the text. Ms Montilla read the first few chapters to the class. 

The chapter was entitled, "ordinary" and immediately, it drew students to the story, including looking at the cover page and how it attracted and affected our thoughts.

Endings

Our final read-aloud in Third Grade was entitled,"No Talking" by Andrew Clements. BOPDs enjoyed listening to a story about fifth graders who were called, 'The Unshushables' by their teachers because they were a noisy group. A student named Dave was inspired by his research about Mahatma Gandhi and decided not try not talking in school. He liked the idea so much that he started a contest between the boys and girls in fifth grade. Everyone got involved and soon the teachers took notice as well.

The class connected to the story, most especially the relationship between the boys and girls. They were all excited when Ms Montilla announced that the last chapter was entitled, "Winners", anticipating and predicting who would win the contest.
This discussion led them to ask about endings in stories and why it seemed that most authors like to put happy endings. They inquired further and wondered what other kinds of endings stories could have. BOPDs are uncovering complexities in writing stories.

Communication Styles

Our current read aloud is a non-fiction book entitled, "Improving Your Communication". One section talks about communication styles. Ms Montilla read this to the class before they paired up for Reading Workshop. She asked students to be mindful of their styles and to reflect on how it affects their interactions. Reflecting about our communication styles throughout the day has raised awareness about the way we interact.

The Butterfly Lion

A student suggested this book as our next read aloud because, "it's also about kindness". We are excited to start another journey into a story that brings our class together and makes us think about our class precept, 'we help each other'.

Julian's Chapter

This week we  met Julian again. The story, "Auggie and Me" begins with a chapter on Julian Albans, the boy who called Auggie a 'freak'. Before we read the first few pages, we wrote down what we predict Julian has to say in this chapter. We paused at the point right before Julian was going to meet Auggie for the first time and thought about what disposition would guide him at that pivotal moment. BOPDs imagined Julian to be one of them and to whom they could explain what it means to be caring.