Where Are You Aiming Your Lesson?

"Unlike amateur bowlers who aim down the middle with the hope of somehow creating an angle that knocks down all 10 pins, professional bowlers do not aim for the headpin.  They do not aim for the middle.  They aim for the outside pins, the ones that are the hardest to reach.  The reason that professional bowlers throw their balls at a curve is so they can knock down the outside pins, then the inside pins, ultimately creating a domino effect.  Simply, in order to knock down the most pins, professional bowlers aim for the pins that are the hardest to get."

Shelley Moore

Teacher, Author, Speaker

"One Without The Other"

? Elementary School, Edmonton, Canada

 This summer, I am going after some paper qualifications to back up my knowledge and understanding for the years of experience that I have had.  Honestly, sometimes these courses are an exercise in busy work because the aim is at the younger teacher who has less experience in the field.  I always say that if I learn one thing, then the course was valuable.  Such was the case this morning.  Our professor introduced us to a video that was not attached to an assignment.  We watched Shelley Moore talk about her bowling and I was fascinated.  It was a change maker for me.  I have always spent a great deal of energy and time working with the children who might be considered "outside pins."  It has really worked too but it is a whole lot of work.  Shelley's video today helped me to see how I teach differently.  Instead of aiming for the middle and then planning separately for my outside pins, I realize that if I plan my lesson to aim at the outside pins, I will get them all.  That sounds like a whole lot less work - different work, but less.  At my age and stage, having just gotten married to my soul mate, working more efficiently so that I can enjoy other aspects of my life too has become very important to me.  I haven't done in depth study of Shelley's techniques yet but I am going to do.  Her work just went on my very long summer reading list.  This entry is likely to be edited a few times as I do more research into her research.  I am forever grateful to the wise people like Shelley who give us a different way of thinking about things!

Terrain (Level of Difficulty):  💖💖

Kit List:

• notebook/computer
• pens, markers, crayons
• timetable
• video below

The Map:

So, here I am on December 28, after a long and difficult Fall.  The best laid plans of the summer are often put aside when the needs of the children take over.  Ideas, concepts and teaching skills that match the needs of the students rise to the surface.  Others, sit in the back of my mind until the day they are needed if they ever are. 

Not every great idea works for every teacher!  Good teachers are not good because they use all of the latest and greatest.  Good teachers, no - great teachers are great because they understand that there are a variety of superb strategies that don't have any use if the students don't connect with them.  We talk about children growing their backpacks of knowledge.  Great teachers have crates, boxes, files, and whole rooms filled with different strategies that work for different kiddos.  Great teachers are always in search of strategies because no matter how many years we teach and how many children we work with, there will always be at least one student who needs a different strategy for learning.  

It wasn't until I came back to edit this entry that I realized that the concept of "aim" had floated to the top like long vines of lake weed that almost strangled me until I dealt with it.  There were a variety of voices all speaking the same message with different words.  I was almost at my wits end when my favourite special education teacher took time out of her day off to speak to the methodology that matched this concept of aim.  I got it.  Despite her suggestion (with a smile because she knew) that I take the night off, I took out a whole stack of scrap paper and started writing and charting and planning until I had an idea about what my next steps were.

Before you aim, you have to look at the pins.  These are the questions that I asked myself.

-How many pins are you looking at in total.

-How old are they?

-How do the pins identify with regards to gender.

-How many ELL pins do you teach?

-Are there any students with identified special learning needs?

-Are there any pins with sensory, behaviour, social, or emotional needs?

-What is the average reading level?

-What are the average skills abilities in writing?

-Where are your pins with their numeration skills?

-Do the pins have good expression skills (printing, typing, speaking)?

-What energy levels are there?

-Are the students working together as a community?

With the answers to those questions in mind, I started with the timetable.  

Aim:  Low (i) and High (ii)

    i. language skills are generally extremely low and needed across all subject areas, this has to be a priority  

    ii. there are children reading at grade level who will need to learn word decoding for new vocabulary.  

   i. basic numeration skills will also be necessary.  

   ii. problem solving strategies are missing

    i. pencil grip, printing and colouring skills are generally not mastered

    ii.  comprehension of the concept of quality of work is mostly not understood and an introduction to learning extensions will move the higher students along

-continue my PBL (problem based learning) units to keep interest and enthusiasm up while integrating all of my other subject areas.

-teach in small 10-15 minute chunks with transitions and changes between each learning chunk

You can see my timetable linked in the materials.  Since I basically have 2 blocks of 100 minutes, I decided to put the focus of literacy and numeracy in those blocks.  Most of my Morning Meeting has a math focus so it seemed more natural to put the math first (which may be contrary to many old folks like me who remember when the first 100 minutes of a primary student's day was religiously kept for language).  The other reason for putting it there was to ensure that I got a whole 100 minutes for language.  After attendance, announcements, online assemblies...  that first block gets short changed a fair amount.  I had decided that language was the priority so I wanted that block to be sacred.  I added the Minds Up program on Mondays to help the children with some self regulation.  And, I am well known for "Free Friday Fun" where I take out a different set of board games, cooperative games, card games... on Fridays and we play.  It's one of my favourite parts of the week and of course I kept it.  

Basically, I had 3 goals!  That seemed pretty manageable.  To make it even more manageable, I removed all paper/pencil activities except for the phonics worksheet each morning.  I armed myself with:

-class set of whiteboards

-many whiteboard markers of varying widths (one to simulate the size of a pencil)

-class set of fabric work gloves for erasing whiteboards

-class set of clear plastic folders with printing paper inside (two lines split by a dotted line)

-200's charts

-individual plastic bags with letter squares

-making words desktop organizers

-pencil crayons in cups (organized by colour)

-class set of 10-sided dice

-my phone for photographing work samples, audio recording conversations, videotaping kids at work (parents had given permission for my use only)

-large lined yellow sticky note pad for keeping detailed notes

-my watch timer and phone timer

-a wireless doorbell

These were the supplies that I would need everyday.  I didn't give them to the children to store since that would add another layer of complexity.  I kept them in two bins that were easily accessible.  

The Task:

I broke down each part of my new day into the skills that the students would be required to know in order to be successful.  Since almost everything in my day was no longer than 15 minutes, the children would need to be efficient.  Before I began the art of teaching the curriculum, I went back and methodically taught the skills necessary to do the activity.  Here is an example.

Morning Phonics Activity

                Skills required:  get books, open to the page for the day, figure out the instructions, use pencil crayons from tray, colour properly, complete the activity well, work with a peer when needed, extend learning

1.  To start, I put the students' books on their desks before they arrived and opened them to the correct page.  As they got used to this over the next few days, I closed the books and had the children find the page (there weren't many in the book to make it easier).  Finally, after two weeks, I put the books in a bin as they entered the classroom.  I know you're thinking that 2 weeks wouldn't be enough for some but I am going to get to that with my aim at both ends.

2.  I enlarged the worksheets to 11X17" on the photocopier and demonstrated where I could find the instructions and what to do if I couldn't read them.  We talked about how the worksheet gave us clues.  There were only 2 different types of worksheets.  On one, they had to colour the picture that matched the initial sound in the box.  On the other, they had to circle the letter of the initial sound.  I knew that all of my students knew their initial sounds so the focus was not on the curriculum.  I gave them a whole class rule which we use for everything now.  If the sheet does not require colouring, two things must be coloured well on it.  Why?  I wanted them to slow down and consider the quality of what they were handing in.  I also wanted them to practice colouring.

3.  I taught the children to colour in one direction after tracing the shape that they are colouring.  

Now, before I go on, many of you who are younger are going to think that I am just reverting back to old school teaching.  You might suggest that my focus is on the wrong thing.  You might say that I shouldn't put my focus here because it isn't in the curriculum.  I'll take all of that!  What you can't argue is the subjective perception of quality!  There are few in this world who would look at a ratty paper bag, ripped and filthy and pick that for their lunch over a shiny Paw Patrol lunch box even though the contents might be exactly the same.  Teaching children to present their learning in ways that are appealing makes their jobs really a whole lot easier.  

I held them to that standard.  I made extra copies of each worksheet.  Now this next part, you need to do with a lot of finesse and understanding.  When a child handed me their work, if they hadn't followed the rules for colouring, I gave them a new sheet.  I didn't say anything.  I didn't berate.  I suggested they go back and remember what the rules for the activity were.  I didn't do it with every student either.  This, I think, is something I can't teach.  You need to know who and when you can do this and if you make a mistake, you'd better be awfully quick to the apology.  I had 2 little ones who tested me at first.  They both did the same sheet 3 times.  When I gave them the third sheet, I lightly tapped my pile of extras so they knew I was in it for the long haul.  They are two of my most diligent workers now!  Their work is stunning, complete and often they are extending their own learning.

4.  To go with this, I gave them pencil crayons.  I said many times, "The great thing about pencil crayons is that you can erase a mistake."  No one ever asks me to use markers anymore and if you teach primary, you know what a miracle this is!  We'll talk about markers in the new year.  

5.  What is always a tricky concept is knowing when you are done.  What does "done" mean?  How do I know if I have everything.  Remember that when you are aiming, you are aiming at both sides of the bowling lane.  This is where the "high" students are brought in.  Since the activity is easier for them, they can check a peer's work and they can talk about how to make the work better.  The skills of this conversation need to be carefully taught.  I use standard lines at first and I heard many of my students using them with each other.  For example, "I really like the way you coloured the clown's hair orange!  I wonder if you thought about how many pictures we have to colour on this page."  

Important Note:  Your "high" students aren't high in everything!  A good balanced day includes times where every single student in your class has an opportunity to be the "high" kid!

6.  Finally, there is the concept of "extending your own learning."  In Ontario, we assess a B+ to a student who is meeting the provincial standard.  A's are only given to students who demonstrate understanding or skill beyond the provincial standard.  So, I teach the children how to do that.  This was the perfect place since I knew that all of my students knew their initial sounds.  We discussed and brainstormed ways that the children could show me that they knew more about sounds than what was required.  This gave everyone an opportunity to earn an A on the activity.  It also set up each of my students to excel when they are on the high side of the bowling lane.  

Breaking the day down, and teaching each of the skills for each of the 10-15 minute blocks this way didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would.  We'd already built community and believe it or not the children were very enthusiastic about this new direction.  I am going to chalk that up to them finding success, knowing how to achieve more success, and feeling comfortable with the expectations.  I started in the middle of October and by the first of November, I was full tilt back into teaching the curriculum and the learning rate became out of this world!  My class reading average jumped from PM Level 5 to PM level 14 in reading alone in just 2 months!  Believe me when I tell you that not one of my lessons is one of those spectacular lessons that I worked so hard with to have props and costumes and magic...  These were simple 10 minute activities.  For example, one of my students' most favourite word wall games is to see how many times they can write the hardest word wall word in one minute.  Yep!  I was disgusted too!  To think of the time, I had spent planning and prepping and buying materials for fantastic lessons when I can get the whole class in loud cheers just by taking out a one minute sandtimer and pointing to the word wall while all the children have their whiteboards.  (I'll detail the other games, lessons, and activities that I use in math and language in a later entry).  

Here is the key and the place where I cycle back to the aim!  I am confidently professionally bowling in my classroom now.  The 10 minute activities give the children who are on the outside section of the lane and struggling a chance for direct and specific instruction.  The repetition of lessons and activities keeps the focus on the new skill or concept instead of on the instruction.  The children on the other side of the lane who are finding the concept or skill easy are not bored.  The movement of the day is fast.  They have learned to extend their learning and help others constructively.  I have to laugh now when I hear a student say, "I'm teaching fishing, Mrs. Moffatt." -but that's a story for another day.  Everyone - literally everyone - is learning and growing and happy!   One of the children who was having a great deal of difficulty before the switch was overheard by his mother telling his 3 year old sister that she had to get Mrs. Moffatt as a teacher because she makes everything about learning fun (remember the 1 minute sandtimer?).  It's disgusting!  But, I'll take bowling in a league like that everyday and twice on Sundays!

Tip #11:  KISST

If you didn't hear it, let me repeat it again!  Keep It Simple Smart Teacher!  If it isn't manageable, it won't work.  That's the biggest lesson that I learned this Fall and it took a long time for me to learn it.  It doesn't have to be complex.  Everyone wants to feel successful.  Teach people in ways that brings this to light instead of tears it down.  If the students aren't responding, what you are doing isn't working!  That is your job!  Pull up your adult pant strap and find another strategy!  It's doesn't have to be magic or complicated or fancy!  Just do it!

Tip #12:  Is This Really My Job?

Yes, this really is your job.  It isn't the student's job to teach themselves.  It is absolutely yours!  Teaching is not talk at, lecturing, assigning and marking.  Teaching is learning, developing, adapting, modifying, being creative and finding strategies that work.  Don't give up!  Even on the last day of school, I still think about strategies that I might have tried to make things easier for kiddos to understand!  Teaching is an art and a science but it is without a colour wheel or a table of chemical elements.  Sometimes, it is all about blood, sweat and tears.  I had much of that this Fall.  Every drop of that is worth it to see my students where they are now!  Getting here is the passion that drives me past the days I wonder if I've got what it takes.  And yes, 31 years in, there are still days like that!

Adventure Recipe: Find Your Soul Colleagues

This may not be as intuitive as you think!  Finding a group of people who may or may not know each other from a variety of different backgrounds, experiences, and years of experience is really important.  I'm quite blessed to have my parents who were both teachers advise me.  I also have a whole group of other people whose wise words I remember because they are no longer here or whose phone numbers I can call when I'm struggling.  Not all of them are teachers.  Sometimes, our soul colleagues have a different point of view.  This is probably the largest group of people that I surround myself with and most of us would never socialize but we have a keen respect for each other.  Their voices range from the progressive educators to the old school, one room teaching style educators.  They are passionate about what they do and they are successful.  Even though some of us would kill each other if we had to work together, we can stand back from each other and see which parts of each other's styles might work for us and why they work for them.  

In October, this year, I was falling apart.  Neither myself nor the students were having the fun or the learning that we wanted to have!  I was exhausted, frustrated, and even questioned if I had waited one year too long before I retired.  I was also not alone.  My classroom door was sometimes a revolving door of other teachers in exactly the same place.  This post Covid return to a school building with all of the Covid protocols still in place was exhausting and hard for everyone!  It was a Tuesday.  I won't forget that because for whatever magical reason, Tuesdays are our hardest days together with this class.  I broke down in tears.  I thought that I had tried every strategy I had.  It wasn't working and dealing with yet another social breakdown at recess put me over the edge.  I was so sad for these kiddos and myself.  My special education teacher works 4 days/week but she is one of my soul colleagues!  I called her, apologized, gave her an out in case she was in the middle of something on her day off, and begged her for help.  She hit the nail on the head!  Sometimes, it is the special education teacher's voice that will speak to you better than any other.  They know your students.  They know you.  They've seen you in action.  This is absolutely true of my soul colleague.  Even though I couldn't see her smile when she told me to take the night off, knowing full well that I wouldn't, I knew it was there!  She untangled me from all that lake weed that was threatening to strangle me, translated the information into useable chunks, and gave me a virtual hug when I needed it!  

If you don't have your set of soul colleagues, you know what your first job is once you've finished reading this post!  Go find them!!!!!!

  

 

Magic Story: Jake O'Shawnasey (Stephen Cosgrove)

 

"Believe in yourself.  You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you can imagine."

Roy T. Bennett

Author, Accountant, Chairman of the Ohio Republican Party

St. Louis School, Ohio, U.S.A.

When I was a young girl, I took to reading.  Even though I reversed letters, scrambled letters in words, and had some general difficulties due to a learning difference (Dyslexia), I loved stories and was captivated by language.  My brother, on the other hand, fell out of love with reading in a heck of hurry when he started school.  He disliked intensely reading aloud to others and found that reading aloud was difficult.  Much to his dismay and the frustration of my parents who were reticent to drill and kill my brother in phonics at home, his teachers sent home copious worksheets and homework practice and drills to help him become a reader.  My parents, both phenomenal teachers, bought my brother books of all kinds, read to him about things that interested him and immersed him in games about language.  It wasn't until we went on a summer trip to Eastern Canada that my parents figured it out.  We were each given a book of our choice to read along the way with the promise to read a little each day.  My brother chose a book, that my parents were concerned was too difficult for his reading level, about whales.  On one of the first few days of our trip, my brother closed the book and announced that he had finished it.  My parents were skeptical so they started a conversation about what my brother had read.  They asked him general and specific questions with increasing complexity.  He answered them all confidently, right down to the nitty gritty details.  It was then that my parents understood that my brother was actually an excellent reader - just not aloud.  Throughout his young life, they continued to get him books and help him choose books that he would love.  Some of his favourites were the Choose Your Own Adventure novels and the books by Stephen Cosgrove.  I have kept his whole collection of Stephen Cosgrove books because I loved sharing them together with him.  I am also happy to tell you that my brother continues to be an avid reader today although I have never heard him read aloud.  

Terrain (Level of Difficulty):💖

Kit List:

• "Jake O'Shawnasey" by: Stephen Cosgrove  in the Magic Story bag
•  Magic Story Bag
•  feathers (perferably green) in the Magic Story bag
•  some construction paper/bristol board of a variety of colours (9"X12")
• markers, crayons, pencil crayons...
• magazines, glue, scissors
• ribbons or string

The Map:

                                                     

 This is a Magic Story that I have been doing for 37 years!  It is a favourite of mine and often a favourite of the kiddos I have shared it with!  It is light and funny.  It has a good adventure and a fabulous ending.  

I do this story with the children early in September (the beginning of the year for me).  The ultimate message from the story is that you can do many things if you believe in yourself.  I like the message for early in the year because I work a lot on productive struggle with my grade 2 kiddos.  I think that the building of confidence is an essential first step to learning to build skills for productive struggle.

It is important to note that I never ever tell children that wanting to or believing in yourself will allow them to do anything they want to do.  I use the example that in my life, I have loved to run.  I have done a lot of running and I dreamed of winning some big races.  However, my genetics have me in a shorter, middle sized frame with large breasts which are not conducive to being a champion runner.  I have a trophy from grade 4 when I beat Catherine Bond (who later became a representative of Canada's olympic team in decathalon) which is just a funny reminder of my very short successful running career.  Sometimes, our skills and gifts don't lend themselves to something that we'd like to do.  It doesn't mean we shouldn't try but it does mean we need to have realistic expectations and focus our attention in areas where we can excel and be successful.  This conversation is also a nice segue to why working in a team is so important.  We have all have different gifts and talents.

The gift for the children from this book is a green feather.  I tell the children that Jake is giving them a feather to remind them to believe in themselves.  Because this is often one of the first fiction stories where the main character gives them the gift, I explain how when I go to the Magic Backyard, I get instructions from the character.  There are always a whole lot of questions, challenges and ideas about the Magic Backyard.  Get ready to sell it!  

There isn't much to this lesson and sometimes it is okay to just enjoy the story for the sake if the story but it is a nice story to match with an activity I was shown many moons ago.  The children make paper kites.  I use just the 9"X12" construction paper or bristol board.  The children put their names on it and decorate it with pictures that they draw or cut and paste of their favourite things.  If you can hang them from the ceiling, do that!  It is so attractive!  We can't due to fire safety regulations so I hang them on a bulletin board.  I attach a coloured ribbon or string to the bottom of the kite.  While the kites are nice and I like to let the children choose their favourite colours, it is the tail of the kite that I think is more important with this story.  I have a pocket of slips of paper where the children can access them .  At first, I ask the children to write 3 things that they are really confident about or things they like about themselves.  I tape those to the ribbon.  As the year progresses, they can add more slips of paper to their tails and they can add slips of paper to the tails of the other children's kites or mine.  At the end of the year, the children have a memory kite to bring home.  The children really like it and the tails can get really long!  When that happens I drape the tail or take some of the slips and glue them to the back of the kite.  

Tip #7:  No Green Feathers:  In the past few years, I have had a great deal of difficulty finding green feathers.  I have used other colours of feathers and more natural ones.  In these cases, I explain to the children that Jake is not losing as many feathers anymore so he went around the Cliffs of County Cort to find feathers for the children.

Adventure Recipe:  Looking for a quick organization of the lesson?  Check out this resource to help you plan your Magic Story time.

• Magic Story Plan 

                       

Magic Story: The Best Part of Me (Wendy Ewald)

"We should embrace what makes us different, our different styles, 

our creativity."

Chantelle Brown Young

Canadian model, Vitiligo

                     Home School (to escape bullies), Mississauga, Canada  

 One year, I was transferred to a new school and began teaching grade 6.  It was early on in my career and I was getting bounced all over the place due to surpluses and redundancies.  My first day with this group was a real eye opener!  They were children who demonstrated zero confidence or appreciation for the great kids that they actually were.  About 20 minutes into the first day, a student burst into the portable and was met with a chorus of giggles and taunts and teasing.  I was horrified!  Standing before me was a young boy, small in stature.  He had old, torn clothes, no backpack, and he was obviously in need of some personal care.  He had a mouth full of teeth that protruded and when I smiled at him and he smiled back, I noted what a sweet young man he was!  His smile lit up his face even when I know how hard he was holding back his tears.  I worked really hard at trying to pull that group together and help my little friend fit it.  In fact, I taught them for 3 years.  I was so thrilled when he found a little group of boys that he felt comfortable with and I used to happily remark how they played together and teased each other in much more supportive and comfortable ways.  Once I said to him, "You are a great person and I really like having you in my class."  His response was quiet and sullen.  "There is nothing great about me!"  It was at that moment that I realized that my best efforts with him were not going to improve his academics if I didn't help him see that he was capable, powerful,and awesome.  In fact, I realized what I had always known but rarely purposefully and reflectively planned about.  If a person doesn't feel adequate... better yet, worthwhile, there is little chance that any of the learning that occurs will have much effect.  

Terrain (Level of Difficulty):💖💖💖

Kit List:

• "The Best Part of Me" by: Wendy Ewald  in the Magic Story bag
•  Magic Story Bag
•  photo album with sticky pages (not slots)  in the Magic Story bag
•  student use camera or phone  in the Magic Story bag
•  blackline masters for students to complete (free)  in the Magic Story bag
• pencils, crayons, markers...

The Map:

                                                     

 

I have a scheduled time each week for Magic Story but in the first month of school, I like to have a Magic Story everyday.  This builds the enthusiasm, magic and excitement for Magic Stories to come.  It also helps take that community building that we all do at the beginning of the year to the next level - from "Oh no!  More school work!" to "Wow! This is school work?"

Before I begin, I think it is important that you know the basic background of the story that I tell.  The Magic Backyard, for me, is a place where all the characters of all the stories of all the world live.  Each time I go there, one of the characters will fill my bag with their story and a little gift for the children to help them remember the story.  This was how I started and as you will see with each new blog post, it has turned into a whole way of thinking and doing in my classrooms.  In fact, each year, my students decide whether they would like to be an official Magic Backyard class and fulfill the responsibilities of it.  More about that another time.  

I always hang my Magic Story bag where the kids can see it and where they don't have ready access to it.  It is a good time to explain to children about personal property and respect for it.  I use my Magic Backyard to back me up instead of making it another lecture.  For example, I go over the history of the Magic Bag and how I received it when I was very young and only I hold the key to the Magic Backyard.  All the characters of all the stories of all the world have entrusted me with this bag and this key and it is really important that I keep both safe.  In addition, I would feel sad if the characters in the Magic Backyard felt that they couldn't trust my kiddos and decided that stories would not be offered this year.  "I know this is the same with your special things too," I tell them.  "We all need to be very careful to respect the trust and special-ness of each of our personal items."  It is important in these first few days with your Magic Story bag to be able to sell it.  My story has grown over time and often based on the questions of the children.  (Remember what you build on your story though because if you stay at the school, future siblings will test you!)

This is probably a good time to talk about older students and how they respond!  My father taught high school from before I was born.  We have always talked about how people of all ages enjoy magic and fun.  He had stickers and stamps for his students and when I went to the same high school, I used to hear all of my friends rave about which ones they got.  I've taught, now, all of the grades from kindergarten to 8 in regular classes and special environments.  I have never forgone my Magic Story bag or my story.  My grade eights tested me a whole lot less than the grade 1 students that I taught this year, in fact.  Of course, you want to change the direction a little but my grade 8 students cheered as loudly as my primary students when the bag came out and we all sat down to enjoy a story together.  It's about how you sell it.  

Note:  I posted my first blog to FB last week and both a former school custodian and a former grade 7/8 student commented that they remember the Magic Backyard and really loved it.  I worked with both of them more than 15 years ago.  

When, it's story time, I gather the students around me.  We don't sit in chairs and desks for stories.  It's a great time to come to the carpet, go outside, or go to another cozy place in the school to read our story.  I take out only the book to start and I read to the students.  I have learned the power of allowing children to interject when they think of something that they feel or connect to...  It's shared reading in the best way.  There are no comprehension questions or boring activities to go with the story.  I read, sometimes they help, and we all enjoy the words and their collected messages.  

After the story, I always like to ask a leading question if the children didn't get there on their own.  For this one, I always say, "It's too bad there aren't more pages because I have some great ideas about the best part of me.  What is the best part of you?"  This sparks all kinds of discussion and I often give children an opportunity to freely talk to each other about their ideas.  Then I will say without calling for their attention specifically beforehand, "Hmmmm!  I wonder what the children from this book sent us as a gift."  I can usually count on immediate attention back to the bag.  That's when I take out the photo album and let the children think about and discuss what they think we should do with it.  Then we take out the camera which is usually a big hit.  Finally, I take out the blackline masters.  Other than cries for "How do you spell...?" I can often hear happy students talking about what they are writing and working together to take pictures of each other.  It's one of those magical and powerful parts of my day that help me to go home feeling good about what was accomplished!

Tip#2:  Your Story Time:  I am getting pretty good at thinking on my feet with regards to my Magic Backyard and Story Bag.  At the beginning, though, I spent some time thinking about what I wanted to share and how I would answer questions.  When you begin, you may not have all the answers to their questions and you may not know your direction yet.  That is absolutely okay!  Many times, when challenged, I have answered with, "that is a question to be answered later" or "I will have to check to see if that's something that the characters are willing to share now."  Sell it and usually you will get some begging but I have had little problem putting the children off until I figure it out.  

It wasn't until I had been teaching the Magic Backyard for more than 20 years that I found myself, again, having to scramble for an answer to a question that I had never been asked and wasn't prepared for.  I was teaching in a small class of children who had varying and sometimes very limiting learning differences (in Ontario, they are called students with developmental delays but I hate that term).  One of my little ones with all kinds of excitement asked me, "Where is your key?  Can we see it?"  Oh no!  I didn't have a key on my ring and no one had every asked me that.  I used my line, "I'll have to check to see if that is something that I am allowed to share first."  That night I went scrambling out to find an old, antique skeleton key which I put on my ring for our next Magic Story.

Tip #3:  Read and Repeat:  The Magic Stories have become some of the best loved stories with my kiddos.  While I don't leave those books out for children to look through on their own, we do refer to them in other lessons frequently, reread them...  Here are some things to think about to help keep a record and enjoy the stories throughout the year.

• Create a bulletin board where you can keep track of the stories that you have shared with an interactive portion where the children can mark their favourites or write what they liked about a story.
• Reread or repeat a story when the message could stand a quick review or rethinking of strategies.  I do "The Best Part of Me" three times throughout the year and keep all of their responses in the book.  It's a great record of how writing has improved but also about how they have grown and changed.  You will note 3 different templates in the files for different stages of writing.  I tend to use the first one in September, the second one in January, and the the third one in June with primary students.
• Keep your own treasure box of the gifts that are received in a place where the children can see that you think they are special too and can remember them.

Adventure Recipe:  Looking for a quick organization of the lesson?  Check out this resource to help you plan your Magic Story time.

• Magic Story Plan