Teaching, Talking, Thinking, Learning

We teachers have begun our year with a focus on discourse, or talk in the classroom!  Talk is our children's first building block to literacy, an important stepping stone to reading and writing, and so we have been charged with two tasks:

1. Provide more opportunities for our children to talk in school, but not just any talk.  Our goal is to give students opportunities that require them to talk about their thinking and make connections between stories, school curriculum, and their own feelings and lives.
2. Spread the word about the importance of talk to parents and community members.  In this age of technology, television, internet, video games, it is more important than EVER to set limits on screen time and make talking and reading with our children a priority.  

Here at school this week our class got together with Ms. Calkins' fourth graders and listened to the story, Hey,Little Ant.  The story is thought provoking, and raises many questions!  Here are just a few!  The kids had such a great time with the activity and had such great thinking, that I thought "Hey, why not share the questions and story with families?!" 

• When is it ok to say "no" if someone else is telling you to do something?
• IN what ways may you show respect for something even if you don't like it?
• If someone wants you to do something, does that make it ok to do?
• Can you think of anything you have the power to do, but shouldn't?
• Are ants and other small animals important?

Here is Hey, Little Ant for you to listen to if you don't have the book at home.  After you watch, ask each other the questions above.  Please remember that these questions do not have black and white, right and wrong answers.  The most important part of the answer is not the answer itself, but their explanation (because...)  You might get to know your child in a new way! 

Hope you enjoy the activity!  Please comment below and let me know how it goes!  

(you can also send me a message through REMIND, or email me at amy.boyden@gmrsd.org