Finding courage to be a community and a few great observations along the way...

This week's conversation with my students centers around a character trait that I hope my students will bring to our learning community and their learning experiences: Courage. 

To frame our conversation, I read The Adventures of Beekle, The Unimaginary Friend, written and illustrated by Dan Santat and published by Little Brown.

Just as Beekle finds the courage to do the unimaginable, so, too, will they (I hope!).

Here are the ways 4th and 5th graders have hope to be courageous learners this year:

A few great observations my students made over the course of the day:

Some of my students shared that they thought the book was a reminder that friendships can come from unexpected places because Beekle was envisioning a friend that was a boy, but found a perfect friend in a young girl.

A few students spoke of the fact that Beekle had not waited for his friend to find him and how it was important to be brave, reach out, and not wait passively.  

Many students noticed the young girl below the tree and the piece of paper traveling across the setting sun, and up to Beekle. They liked the idea of stories connecting them and us. 

A word from me: 

Beekle is so cute that one needs to leave space while reading for the "awwws." Not a terrible thing mind you...