Lori Sabo
October 31, 2014
Issue #328
The guy who was going to install our new carpet was two hours late. No phone call. No e-mail. Just late.
I hadn't met him yet. When he finally arrived, I opened the door and saw a, tough-looking, tall man with a shaved head and a tattoo on each arm. My first impression wasn't very good, but it didn't last very long. He was quite apologetic, explaining that a mission to find a Hello Kitty backpack for his five-year-old daughter, who had lost hers the day before, had detained him. It had taken longer than he'd thought it would, because he'd had to keep sending photos of potential possibilities home before he found a replacement she would accept.
The saying You can't judge a book by it's cover never felt more relevant. I ended up loving the burly installer, and even asked my husband to take a photo of the two of us when the job was complete.
It occurred to me that a lesson on first impressions and second chances might be one we need to teach our students about good-fit books—especially when I consider that three of my all-time favorite books do not have covers that would have ever induced me to pick them up and devour the cherished contents.
So perhaps we should browse our book tubs for treasures that are steadily ignored and undiscovered because of their covers. We can do book talks, private recommendations, and have students share books with one another that are worth a second-impression chance.
What undiscovered treasures are in your tubs? Want to share great books with less-than-stellar covers that kids should know about? Pop into the Discussion Board and share. Then we can all benefit from second impressions.
News from The Daily CAFE
Math Response Journals
Regularly writing in a journal can help students monitor their understanding of mathematical concepts.
Word Work—Who and How Long?*
Two frequently asked questions about Word Work are answered in this article.
A Road Map to Guide Goal Setting and Instruction with Students*
Figuring out which next steps we need to teach students can leave us feeling a bit flummoxed. Here are some tried-and-true tools to support you.
Website Highlight
Book Looks are brief looks at titles that may be on your shelves already (or books you might want to consider on your next book-buying splurge). They provide a short synopsis of the book and suggest a few potential strengths for strategy instruction. They are organized in alphabetical order so you can navigate easily.
Lit Lessons provide all of that and a bit more, including a downloadable lesson. Find these pages by hovering over the CAFE tab on our website, then go down to Resources.
 b-Resilient
Roller Coaster of Life |
 Conferring with CCPensieve
Growing Subject Tabs |
Professional Development Opportunities
The 2015 Workshop schedule is available. At each location, the first day will focus on Daily 5 and Math Daily 3. Day two covers all things CAFE. Sign up early to reserve your spot.
2015 Daily 5 and CAFE Live Workshops
Location |
Date |
|
Chicago, IL |
April 18, 19 |
|
Charlotte, NC |
June 6, 7 |
|
Tacoma, WA |
June 25, 26 |
|
Minneapolis, MN |
August 29, 30 |
|
Fort Worth, TX |
September 19, 20 |
|
Las Vegas, NV |
November 14, 15 |