While my initial plan was to expose them to as many Matt
Phelan books as possible, I didn’t want to seem as if I were pushing book
sales. Granted, I was excited
to share my enthusiasm for Matt Phelan’s books and illustrations, but something seemed missing. I needed a better plan.
To begin, I created a Google Presentation about Matt and his
life. After a number of lessons on creating
a PowerPoint in Google Docs this year, the students were immediately drawn to
my presentation. They were given the
opportunity to not only view my work and content, but to offer suggestions. Fortunately,
this initial step provided the catalyst to my next step.
Now that I had them excited about Matt and his work, I wanted
to explore questioning. As a former
reading specialist and classroom teacher, it seemed natural to provide a lesson
on thick v. thin questioning. I began by
modeling, and then we brainstormed a list of questions. The next step was pivotal. How do we ask a visiting author questions
that show us at our best?
Each grade (K-4) had the chance to practice asking questions. While this may seem like
over-preparation, it is an important life skill, and it was a lot of fun! The students learned how to introduce themselves,
and then ask questions that couldn't be answered with a yes or no response. They learned to lower their hands while the
author responded and to be polite and patient listeners. We worked really hard on our listening skills
so we wouldn’t waste precious time asking questions that were already
asked. The younger student concentrated
on forming their question in their mouths so they would be ready if
selected.
During Matt’s presentation, the students were focused,
attentive and showed their best “Myers Manners.” This catch phrase became our
signal to present ourselves in our best way.
When Matt asked for questions, even the Kindergarten students remembered
to introduce themselves, lower their hands while he responded and ask deep,
rich questions that showed they connected to his work. Matt was very impressed.
Overall, each grade exceeded expectations, and most
importantly, learned how to present themselves respectfully and politely in a
public forum.
By the way, the books sold out and the excitement for
reading grew even more.
It was a memorable day.
