Planting Seeds of Kindness

We started school on Tuesday and already I know that we are going to have a great year. 

How do I know? 

The students have shown me. They have shown me in the seeds of kindness that they have been planting.

It's always difficult to choose the first read aloud of the year. There are too many great choices. The book I choose has to tie into building our community of learners. This year my library themes that will guide all of our learning are:

Be Kind and Let's Grow.

There are a few books that I could have chosen to support the kindness theme. Last year I read Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson. This year, Kadir Nelson's If You Plant a Seed fit perfectly with our growing theme.

This beautiful book is a gem. Kindergarten through grade five have reacted with the same appreciation for the story and art. Sparingly written, Nelson relies on his gorgeous art to convey the message and carry the story forward. One student asked if the images of the vegetables were photographs of real ones and the spread with the birds looking at the reader made each class gasp with pleasure.

After reading the story, we discussed what kindness looks like and what it sounds like - both our actions and the words that come out of our mouths. Students in grades three through five planted individual seeds (see above), while students in grades kindergarten through second planted seeds of kindness by drawing on large pieces of paper.

It looks like it is going to be a great year. Don't you agree?