Groovy Educator

Today I read Hooway for Wodney Wat  by Helen Lester to my first grade class.  It is about a rat who has a hard time pronouncing the /r/ sound.  I love reading this story because there are so many topics to discuss. Character development: Wodney evolves from a shy rat into a leader by the end of the story.  The other rats who bullied and teased Wodney come to appreciate him.  More importantly, Wodney has found his own voice. Bullying: Various forms of bullying are represented in the story.  Did the other rats realize that by teasing Wodney, they were bullying him?  Camilla Capybara is another character in the story that represents the traditional bully.  In the end was she bullied?   Hero/Villan: Wodney was deemed a hero at the end.  Did that make Camilla a villan?  What are the traits of a hero?  What are the traits of a villan?  Speech Impediments: Wodney could not pronounce the /r/ sound. ...

Every year I begin the year by reading Hellen Keller's biography to my students.  Her story is about overcoming adversity.  It was not her fault that she lost her abilities to both see and hear.  It was not her fault that she could not talk.  This book is a springboard for teaching tolerance.  Over the next month the class and I have several deep discussions about how it is important treat others the way we want to be treated.  We talk about how we do not know what other life experiences have shaped the other person.  We discuss how our experiences change us and how to reach out to others.  We learn to stand up for other people and how to handle bullies.  We also learn that there are NO EXCUSES why we cannot learn.  If Hellen Keller can learn to talk without being able to hear and learn to read without being able to see, there is absolutely no excuse why you cannot learn to read.  We discuss how everyone learns at his or her own pa...