Sharing Stories

One of the most valuable moments of my day is when my students and I share stories. Sharing pieces of ourselves really helps us know one another, connect and understand each other. These moments in my classroom are also key for linking oral telling with ideas that kids can get onto paper.

This week to help model how writers find stories, I shared moments in my life that I thought they might connect with. I shared a story about the huge grasshopper that jumped onto my window screen while I was doing the dishes, when my son Joey fell off his bike on

our way back from a soccer game and the swarm of kids who meet at our house nightly to catch grasshoppers and crickets.

Today, I captured some moments after my Saturday exercise class that I will share with them next week. I walked into to find my nephew, Brody on the kitchen counter in his bumbo (never had bumbos when my kids were little...how cool is this sitting device). When I saw him I couldn't stop smiling.

First he looked hysterical all propped up in this weird but clever green mold and second because I love babies (especially my nephew Brody and niece Vivian who are too cute for words). As he sat in the bumbo, he smiled at me, spit up a bit and then my son put a sock on his head and we all laughed. Then he lovingly took off the sock and gave him a kiss.

I immediately thought of taking pictures of these moments so that I can share these with my students and of course my family. I know the visuals will help my first graders see

my story and hopefully help them catch stories they want to tell. And, I also think by showing them the blog post, I will introduce them to the notion of the blogging and explain that they will soon have opportunities to share their stories in the same way!