Today was my first day back after the NCTE conference and my bout with the flu, so there was a great need to check in with everyone, find their status, and review our classroom expectations. I also needed to "talk" with my treasures to find out what's been going on in their lives. During read aloud, I began by asking questions about what they found out during my absence in the book FOUND by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I was surprised by their response.
"Mrs. Archer, we don't remember. Our guest teachers didn't read with expression, so we don't remember. And we didn't chart what we found out after every chapter." Plus, many left early to begin traveling to their holiday destinations. So, we talked a little about what should we do. We can't go on when we don't understand what's happening.
They decided we should go back and begin reading Ch.4, where all the confusion began. And that is what we did. This time, we made sure to jot our findings on our anchor chart(which I still need even though I have a smart board. But that is another topic for another day.)
As I drove home and reflected on the day, I'm going to use this "moment" as an opportunity to drive home the importance of rereading and how good readers use this strategy to help them remember what has been happening. I think I'll use my own practice. I've been reading the sequel Sent, but I've been out of it for two weeks, that I need to go back to beginning because I've forgotten so much. Our treasures identify with us when we use our own strategies and findings as teaching points during our workshops. Plus, I like the fact that I will be accountable to my treasures. I'll let you know how it goes. Happy Reading!
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