Sharing...so important, yet so forgotten in our day-to-day routine. I've put sharing in my lesson plans, but incidentally I've gone longer in one area and I rush to catch up. Especially in these first few weeks, I'm so unsure of myself, my class, and my routines. This year, I've designated the last 20 minutes of our day as...THE WOW FACTOR.
The WOW FACTOR is time for kids to share part of their lives, their passions, and their celebrations with our community. It's a time to invite guests in to share their passions, their reading practice, and their ways of communication. It's our time to share. I know that it will never be forgotten, skipped over, or missed because it's written on our daily schedule. My treasures are now asking if it's their WOW FACTOR or do I have something planned. It's our time to cherish together.
We've had my partner and friend, Lisa, share her reading practice by using her lunch as an analogy. Her apple is her teaching books. Their healthy and help her grow. The vegetables are the online and internet reading and her chocolate is the books she reads for pleasure. My treasures understood what she was saying and used her ideas in reader's cafe the next day. Questions like: "I'm looking for a candy book, Mrs. Archer. Do you have any ideas?" or "It's time I look for a vegetable or protein book today." They understood her ideas.
Our Phys. Ed teacher, Sharon, came in and shared her running passion. She showed us how she keeps her running practice on a site, called Logarun. Her conversation about online running logs will be our "mentor text" when we move into online reading logs using a wiki.
Our new guidance counselor, Leslie, shared her reading practice. She didn't think she read much until I asked her to share with us. She realized on her own that she does do a lot of reading.
I plan to share flip video clips, student work, and they have come up with their own ideas to share. I didn't have a plan when I set out declaring a time called "THE WOW FACTOR" but it's evolving into something greater than I could imagine. That one change has revolutionized our daily routine. It's the Tipping Point. That one thing that makes all the difference.
That sounds like a fabulous way to end each and every day. And the common language and community it builds is probably fabulous too. Your students are lucky you're choosing to slow down and spend some quality time together.
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