Hopes and Dreams week finished up with the first and second graders. We read This is Sadie, written by Sara O'Leary and illustrated by Julie Morstad, to get our conversation started. This is Sadie is a fabulous read aloud no matter the time, but it fit well with my message to the students. Also, I just love Sadie!
Prior to reading together, the students participated in a think-pair-share about the differences between hopes and dreams. They then shared their ideas with the whole group. It was interesting to hear them work through the distinction. Ultimately, all four classes came to some consensus around hopes being something you wanted and you could achieve or have happen whereas a dream was a harder thing and maybe something that would take longer or possibly never happen. I then explained that I thought the hopes were actionable things that both they and I could work towards this year.
With this understanding, we read. As I said, it is a fun read aloud, with plenty of humor and opportunities for interactivity. After reading the story, I returned to these three pages and said that my hope was to create a library program where they could make, and do, and be. A place that
...would look like Sophie's bedroom and where they would exercise their wonderful imaginations and make and do...
...and that like Sadie they would make friends with each other and in books.
Because Sophie loves books, the students shared their hopes and dreams in books. Second graders made individual little books of their hopes and dreams and first graders made two big books. The first graders' work follows the second graders.
