A "Good Fit" Book
A "good fit" book is one that is at just the right reading level for the reader; one that a student wants to read independently and can comprehend. I found a read-a-loud book last week that was just right for an unexpected teachable moment with my primary class.
I can't remember exactly why I first chose the book five months ago, but there it sat buried in a pile on my desk at school. Because of the three months away from the classroom, I had totally forgotten it was even there.
After telling the third installment of my baby bird story (as in previous posts), I realized that I needed to follow up on the death and dying theme. As I prepared my lesson plans for the next day, I wondered where to go next. I moved some things to be tidied up and found the book "Good-bye Vivi". This surprising find turned out to be an amazing perfect fit.
In the picture book, Grandma and her pet bird move in with a family with young children. One day the bird takes sick and dies of old age. They bury it and Grandma processes her loss and loneliness by telling the children stories of life with Vivi. As Grandma weakens and takes to her bed, the inevitable happens. The children awake one morning to find her looking peaceful in sleep but not breathing or moving.
After Grandma's funeral, the children discover pictures and stories that Grandma had written down for them. This picture book becomes a special way to remember and say good-bye to Grandma.
This story was a perfect vehicle for making connections with the baby bird story and for the children to share their own stories and connections with death. Now at the end of this past week, I suddenly found what preparation this was for real life with a new application.
With the sudden death of the mom of two students at our school, I remembered our classroom discussions. Now I could pull the book and share it with other teachers. I was amazed to think what preparation my bird story was to our sudden real life experience. If I wouldn't have pulled it before my accident, I probably would not have found such a perfect book right when I needed it.
I can't remember exactly why I first chose the book five months ago, but there it sat buried in a pile on my desk at school. Because of the three months away from the classroom, I had totally forgotten it was even there.
After telling the third installment of my baby bird story (as in previous posts), I realized that I needed to follow up on the death and dying theme. As I prepared my lesson plans for the next day, I wondered where to go next. I moved some things to be tidied up and found the book "Good-bye Vivi". This surprising find turned out to be an amazing perfect fit.
In the picture book, Grandma and her pet bird move in with a family with young children. One day the bird takes sick and dies of old age. They bury it and Grandma processes her loss and loneliness by telling the children stories of life with Vivi. As Grandma weakens and takes to her bed, the inevitable happens. The children awake one morning to find her looking peaceful in sleep but not breathing or moving.
After Grandma's funeral, the children discover pictures and stories that Grandma had written down for them. This picture book becomes a special way to remember and say good-bye to Grandma.
This story was a perfect vehicle for making connections with the baby bird story and for the children to share their own stories and connections with death. Now at the end of this past week, I suddenly found what preparation this was for real life with a new application.
With the sudden death of the mom of two students at our school, I remembered our classroom discussions. Now I could pull the book and share it with other teachers. I was amazed to think what preparation my bird story was to our sudden real life experience. If I wouldn't have pulled it before my accident, I probably would not have found such a perfect book right when I needed it.
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