I See You

June 5, 2015
Issue #359

Our 15-month-old grandson is learning new words every day. He put his first sentence together when playing the I See You game with my husband at the dinner table. I couldn't help but smile (and record the event) when I witnessed the joy and delight they experienced each time their eyes met.  

In a blog post titled "Sorry Confusion," Seth Godin writes, “I see you is what we crave.” He says that many of us have forgotten what it means to be human, and how much it means when we authentically care for each other.

This "authentic seeing" is deeply important to our students, and it comes when we build relationships. In last week's tip, Joan and Allison shared a wonderful article by the National Education Association that suggests four ways we can build good relationships with our students. 

I’d like to add two more. We need to train ourselves to be present. When in a one-on-one conference with a student, we don’t want to let thoughts about our next focus lesson creep in. It’s when we are truly present that the message “I see you and understand you” will be fully conveyed.

Lastly, we need to know students so well, and know children’s literature so well, that we can successfully match students with texts they will like/love. In Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers, Steven Layne (2009) writes about the power of handing a child a book we purchased or selected with them in mind.

It’s often said that the three most important words people need to hear are “I love you.” I would never argue with that. But I’ll tell you the four most important words that I think kids—our own and our students—need to hear. They are “I thought of you.” Those words, supported with tangible evidence, can work miracles in the life of a disengaged reader (p.15).

So as the school year draws to a close, and we are inundated with the end-of-year demands that have the potential to rob our joy, let’s infuse that joy and delight back into our lives with the message "I see you—I really see you." 

 

News from The Daily CAFE

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"Do you have students keep a book log or reading log for homework or in the classroom?"

We have revised our thinking about this once widely used practice.

 

 

Use Previous Year's Data to Set Initial Goals*

Using data from the spring helps us move seamlessly forward with instruction in the fall.
 

 

Using the Math Daily 3 Structure with Your Curriculum*

Math Daily 3 is a structure that can work with any curriculum. See what we mean.

 

"I Can" Bookmarks

Help students remember the key factors of important strategies for building vocabulary with these easily reproduced bookmarks.

1  Use Prior Knowledge and Context to Predict and Confirm Meaning*

2  Use Pictures, Illustrations and Diagrams*

 

Setting New Goals

Dream and imagine the impossible, and then set goals to make it happen.

 

Professional Development Opportunities

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2015 Live Workshops We love meeting teachers at our workshops. At each location, the first day will focus on Daily 5 and Math Daily 3. Day two is a new CAFE Intensive.  Location Dates Tacoma, WA Hotel Murano June 25, 26 (Full both days) Orange County, CA Hyatt Regency Orange County August 3, 4 (Full both days) Minneapolis, MN Radisson Blu Mall of America August 29 (Full), August 30 Fort Worth, TX Hilton Fort Worth September 19, 20   Las Vegas, NV Tropicana Las Vegas November 14, 15

2015 Online Seminars Prefer short bursts of information combined with independent learning? Each session offers separate seminars on Daily 5, CAFE and Math Daily 3. July 7–August 1 August 2–August 29 September 6–October 3 October 4–October 31 Learn more about Daily 5 and CAFE workshops, online seminars, and online graduate courses. Up & Running with the Daily 5 Our new how-to video, shot in third-grade and fifth-grade classrooms, is available through subscription for online streaming or as a DVD at Stenhouse Publishers.