Chapter 7 "Introducing Booklets" and One Week since surgery

Hello Friends!
Well it has been one week since my surgery and I am feeling great! The past week has been full of ups and downs, but for the most part, I can say that things seem to be progressing as they should and hopefully when I visit my doctor on Thursday, they will be able to remove the splint and get me on the road to recovery. I had a little setback last week when I went to have the dressing removed. My foot started to spasm and between the spasms and the new stitches, there was no way that I could try a boot; so they put me in a splint for a few more days and I am happy that those days were extended! It gave my body more time to work on healing!

Okay.... on to "Talking, Drawing, Writing" Chapter 7

One of my favorite parts of teaching kids to write is their creation of books! They get so excited about making them and that makes me excited about reading their books! I truly enjoy how the authors in this book write so simply about the discussions and conferences they have with their students. I can imagine the scenario because it is so similar to what I encounter in my own classroom.

They suggest that booklets be 5 pages long. A first page, a last page, and 3 middle pages. I found it interesting that the authors feel that a 3 page booklet is too short because it encourages children to think that stories have a beginning, middle, and end. This, of course, is what we teach, and "although this is true, we want children to see that middle if much fuller than either of the ends and needs to be filled out." I think this is such a cool way to think about writing books! They also give great ideas for organizing the booklets and introducing them to large and small groups.

I have struggled a bit through the years with whether to allow my students to staple their own books together. I worry about little fingers getting stapled because that actually happened to one of my students when I was student teaching! That was a long time ago and I still remember it so it was pretty scary! The authors feel that allowing children to use the stapler is fine as long as the rules are laid down early.

The writers use colorful covers for their students to use on their booklets. They give their students choices for colors and also have two kinds of paper available - blank and lined. They allow students to make their own choices as to whether they prefer blank or lined paper. As I was thinking about this, I know that when my students receive completely blank paper, they have a tendency to draw and write all over their paper and when creating their cover page, do not always have a feel for where the title should go. So I am going to offer a generic cover page for my students to use - at least at the beginning. It has a box for the title and "By line" for the author's name, and the middle for a picture. I think this will give my students a feel for placement. I also am going to offer both a blank and lined paper offer with boundary marks so they (again) will get a feel for how to place pictures and lines in a book. I created this VERY simple cover and lined and blank paper options. I was thinking that I would copy the cover in various colors with variations as to the inside. As the children get used to writing in books, I am pondering allowing them to use the stapler! I am sure that you all have your own paper types, but if want a copy of what I plan to try this year, click the image!





Until next time! Don't forget to click the book study image above to read more reviews of this wonderful book!

Blessings,

Cindy

3 comments

  1. Hi Cindy,
    My Kinder students get so excited when I teach them to use the stapler. Like everything else, it is a lesson to be learned and we talk about using it safely, just like any other tool in our classroom. This doesn't happen right away, though. Usually after the winter break or so, I start them off stapling a folded half book that has a couple of lines drawn where the staple should go so they can align it and although the very first time they use it it takes forever because I do stand there with every single student to ensure they're not holding the book down in such a way that their fingers could get stapled, they do feel proud that they can do it. Give it a try. ;) Thanks for your freebies!
    lorena.

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    1. Hi Lorena!
      Thank you for the encouraging words to try the stapler! I think that I will try it this year.... I still have visions of that little one years ago with the staple in her finger.... It still sends shivers through me! So, I definitely will be doing as you when introducing the skill. Work with each of them one at a time to make sure that they are doing it correctly! I like the idea about the line for the staple! Thanks for that idea!!

      Thank you so much for your comment and ideas!

      Blessings,
      Cindy

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