Starting the Global Read Aloud

Today we started reading Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. After seeing the cover, most assumed that the book would be about a fish or involve fish somehow.  After hearing a chapter and a half, the students soon realized that the book is about Melody, a ten year old girl.  They learned that Melody has never spoken and cannot walk or feed herself.  

This wonderful book is about a brilliant girl who has cerebral palsy. She longs to be able to use all the words she has piled up inside her.  The book is told from Melody's point of view so the reader gets to hear all of her thoughts and frustrations.  Please visit here to view a post from my book blog to learn more about the book and the Global Read Aloud. 

Since this is the Global Read Aloud, many children from around our country and the world are hearing the same story. We will be connecting via Kidblog with a class in Michigan and hopefully other classes.  You can help support this project by asking your child about the book each night, discussing their feelings and helping them make predictions.  The schedule for the read aloud is 6 weeks. 

We are looking forward to hearing a great story of empathy and compassion and making valuable connections. 

Celebrating Dot Day

The whole school celebrated International Dot Day on Friday.  This book is all about being creative and "making your mark". Throughout the week students heard the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds and created their own dot marks.  

On Friday students and staff wore their polka-dots and participated in "dotty" activities. For our activity we made "reverse dots" where students wrote about themselves around a white dot.  They came out beautifully. 

Here is a video of the book.