I Am Still Really Smart!

Don't you savor those moments when you see a former student at the grocery store, all grown up and on her way to college? Or one of those boys from your kindergarten class on the soccer field, now longer, leaner, and missing two front teeth.

I had one of those moments recently when I visited the school where I taught kindergarten last year. I was rushing to the office to drop off papers, dodging a line of first graders trouping off to the gym. Maleesha jumped out of the line, and ran up to give me a crushing hug. She smiled up at me and said, "Mrs. Moser, I am SIX now! And I am still really smart!"

I bet you have at least one Maleesha in your class -- so eager and energetic, yet so far behind on every measure of literacy learning. Without many books or models of readers and writers in her home, we traveled quite a road together in kindergarten. How delighted I was to hear those words from her - "I am 6, and I am still really smart!"

You are the one who has the power to tell your own Maleesha the truth -- she (or he) is really smart, and will only get smarter if she just believes it. I look down the lists of standards, skills, and minutia we're expected to teach every day. It takes a Maleesha to pull me away from the papers I'm delivering to the office and back to the most important work you and I do -- we help students believe in themselves, and show them in tangible ways every day how much they are learning, and how smart they are. Who is your Maleesha this year? Have you told her how smart she is today? Have you helped him take pride this week in a new skill mastered?

FAQ

Q: Can Parents do Daily 5 at home?

A: Has a similar thought ever crossed your mind? Here is an idea:

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Getting Ideas for Your Writing (Website)

Neil Gaiman, the author of Coraline, The Graveyard Book and many more, addresses the all important question...Where do you get ideas for your books? He used to respond:

"From the Idea-of-the-Month Club," or "From a little ideas shop in Bognor Regis," or "From a dusty old book full of ideas in my basement." But now, when talking to children he honestly says...

http://www.thedailycafe.com/public/779.cfm

Registration Information for 2010 Workshops

Registrations for our 2010 workshops are filling fast, so we wanted to make sure you look at your calendars and see if we will be in a city close to you. We would love to spend the day with you.

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New This Week For Members

Interested in becoming a member of The Daily Cafe? Click here for more information.

Parent Pipeline - Back Up and Reread (Download)

After introducing your students to the reading strategy "Check for Understanding", use the strategy "Back Up and Reread" to aid them in understanding what may have been missed the first time. Once you have introduced this strategy, follow up by sending home the Parent Pipeline so parents are able to assist with this strategy at home.

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A Writing Conference - To the Point

Watching this video makes conferring look easy. Danielle meets with Chloe on the floor as she is busy working on her writing. Danielle uses her conferring notebook to remind Chloe of her goal and jots down the progress she sees Chloe making. All of this happens in one minute...

http://www.thedailycafe.com/members/733.cfm

Alternative Look at Storage - Social Groups

We all deal with storage issues regarding math manipulatives, writing journals, math books, etc. Joan stores materials students will need in a way that helps build a sense of community.

http://www.thedailycafe.com/members/783.cfm

Until next week,

Gail and Joan