Yay...I have officially started the blog! I have NO resolutions to share this year. I mostly just want to start sharing my passion for teaching and my love for my daughters with the world. I read a scripture this morning that said and I quote. "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." (Proverbs 16:9) As I began to think about that scripture I questioned what it meant to me. I pondered how it applied to my life and I tried to recall a time when this may have been something I've experienced. Then it dawned on me.....Is this what my students do when they read? Have I thoroughly taught them to question what they read, to ponder how it applies, and to make connections to their own lives? 

As educators we often times lack the ability to model our thinking aloud to our students. This is a very critical piece missing from reading instruction. Sometimes, we just need to revert back to being a child and question how we learned. Jot down things you think of when you read. Try making connections that students can relate to. Many students have limited experiences in the real world and may struggle with this aspect of connecting, but we can give them opportunities to share their thinking aloud and help guide them towards meaningful connections. 

I can recall reading aloud to my students and I reached a part of the story where it was a beach scene. I looked at the picture and I stopped and said, "Wow, can you believe I have never been to a beach before?" I waited for my students reactions. They began raising their hands and saying they had never gone either. We made that connection together and it lead to further discussion of if I could go to the beach what would I do, say, think, or feel. The students began discussing among themselves, and as I walked around monitoring and listening I charted some responses on paper. We shared a short mini lesson about text-to world/text-to self connections and then further extended it to character responses to events that take place. 

While I knew it was meaningful learning taking place, the kids just thought they had free time to talk with friends. They were so immersed in the conversations; they did not see what we were doing as work/learning. The act of modeling our thinking aloud requires a teacher to be introspective and then take that internal thinking and make it visible and audible. It is an art form that is respected in the acting world. We are just like actors/actresses as we perform for our students on the center stage. We are modeling how they should be thinking while reading, pondering while learning, and applying their new learning to what they do and experience in the real world! 

Teach your heart out,
💓Tiniest Teacher