Today was such a wonderful day, I just have to tell you about it. Really, it was nothing special. Just same old lessons and assignments, but today I wasn't the only one working hard; my students did such a great job at working diligently on these fractured fairytales we are creating.
Let me tell you briefly about the assignment. My kids are taking a fairytale and making a major change to the story (like changing the setting, point of view, character roles, etc) to make new stories. We have spent the last few days looking at a ton of models and now today we talked about sensory detail and how to make your story come alive. After all this work and preparation, it was nice to have them finally start drafting their stories. I gave them a little bit of time to talk with a friend and do some last-minute brainstorming and tweeking before having them quietly work on their stories. And the great thing is, they ALL worked hard today. Yup, even my kids who hate writing. Yup, even that ridiculous 7th and 8th period, talkative class. Yes-sir-ee, I was a happy gal.
So it didn't even bug me when I had kids in my class until 4 (remember, school gets out at 2:40) desperately trying to get missing/late work or redo tests before the end of term. I was actually impressed with some of their diligence today (although I am hoping that they learn their lesson this term and cease the procrastinating game).
Ok, but now it just hit me...I am exhausted....nap time at 7:40. Sounds good to me.
Only time will tell if they learned a lesson in procrastination this week. If you see them in your class next term on the last day until 5, you'll know they are still works in progress. However, it does sound like there will be some high quality writing to share in a few days at that publishing party.
ReplyDeleteI hope when you finish this unit you'll have a chance to go back and think about what elements went particularly well and which you might tweak next time. I know you do this kind of reflection daily, but sometimes at the end of a unit it can be useful as well. This is when you have the big picture in your mind and you can see where you should have slowed down, which things were right on, or areas where you might have been able to cut. I'm excited this seems to have been another successful unit!
Enjoy your nap!