Sleepover, 2015

One of the things I love the most about our annual First Grade Sleepover is the way that family's get involved in the event.  This year our theme is "...lions and tiger and bears. Oh my!" to go with our Wizard of Oz school theme.  One of the things that families are asked to do with their child is to make a lion, tiger or bear - stuffed animal for Sleepover.  The directions are emphatic that you don't have to sew and that the idea is simply to have fun with your child.  The week before they are due, we make stuffed animals/pillows with the children that come from the large mobile home community.  These children are mostly second language students and so we incorporate making the animals/ pillows during the day that we tutor after school in their community.  Parents are invited in to help stuff and make the creations but we supply all the "stuff."   The picture on the right below with the big bear show the pillows that the students made together after school at the MARC. 

A parent in the classroom volunteered to make four extra pillows, just in case another student showed up without one, and of course, they did, but for the parents that are actually able to work with their children to make something special, this becomes  a wonderful shared experience.  The pillows and animals come in the week before the event to they can be displayed in the lobby on the evening of Parent's Night.

On Parent's Night students come with their family to make a keepsake pillowcase.  Each student sends in a pillowcase (and we ask that parents that are able, to please send in an extra), so that we make sure to have a pillowcase for every student that shows up.  We had over 100 children show up with their families to make pillowcases!   The first grade teachers have plenty of stamps set out with acrylic paint so each child can work with his family to make a pillowcase.  As they leave, the students are given a little bag of Teddy Grahams.

It's just such a nice tradition!  Teachers who now have grown children talk about still having the pillowcase that their child made in first grade.

The actual day of Sleepover began with a parade filled with first graders in pajamas, dark halls, flashlights and glow-in-the-dark bracelets.  The students ended in the Dinning Room watching and meeting the Wizard of OZ characters while they ate breakfast and the Principal (in her red sock puppet pajamas... with footies!) lead a dance party where first grade teachers danced on the stage and students danced to all the popular kid songs.  

Then it's off to Center about literature run by the Resource Team.  The music teacher reads a children book about a party under the moon that includes singing and dancing, of course.

Coach provides an active outside game that included a read aloud!

Art read the popular Paddington Bear that ended with a painting art project.

And Mrs, KK, our Media Specialist ended our day with a shadow puppet show of one of our favorite books, Ira Sleeps Over complete with popcorn and dancing with a disco ball!

What an amazing day!

The Night Before Pow Wow

It is the night before Pow Wow and I can't sleep.  Wonder if there are little Native Americans under their covers, just like me,  wide-eyed thinking about all we have done this week and about the big event tomorrow?  We had a wonderful family night on Tuesday where families in each tribe made Native dwellings.  We made longhouses for our Mighty Iroquois tribe, but others made tepees and wigwams and igloos and chickees.   Our families then had an opportunity to go through the hallways and hear presentations about the tribes from fifth graders who completed projects for their fifth grade Social Studies.  Our longhouses sit in the hallway under the gingerbread cut-outs that the families decorated in Native dress.  The knotted ropes hang in our classroom as a reminder of the stories that families told to their children last week as homework to emphasize the oral tradition of storytelling, so much a part of the Native tradition.  We have loved the books and videos we have seen about legends and tales - the Creation story of the Sky Woman, the tale of how rabbit got its tail and how rabbit outsmarted bear in a race.  We learned why the Iroquois make their dolls with no faces.  We learned about the whale who landed on the mountain and how that story was turned into a totem pole - another way some tribes told stories.  So many great stories... 

Are we ready for tomorrow?  The children beaded the shakers this morning (out last costume project), we had our last practice with the entire Kindergarten (over 200 little Natives!), the costumes pieces so lovingly prepared by parents and teachers are in Ziploc bags at each child's seat labeled with each child's Native American name, the special decorated brown paper bags were sent home today for bag lunches tomorrow, we know our songs and dances, and this afternoon as I left school, the mighty teepee was ready to go up around the flag pole. 

The tepee came from the imagination of Media Specialist KK Cherney and the creativity of longtime Creek volunteer JB Boyd and Karen Willet and the help of countless others.  When it is erected it will seat an entire class of 36 with their parents and is one of the most endearing parts of our day.  Our live performance of six individual tribes is presented first thing in the morning but the day is filled with exciting centers to give the children experiences to help them understand the Native culture.  For our class, the visit to the tepee and the talking stick of Peaceful Waters (known as Miss KK) will be the perfect end to our day!

I feel so fortunate to work at a school where the entire faculty comes together to make possible such an impressive event for our children.  The Resource teachers will teach Native songs tomorrow, will host a tasting center, will  let the children paint with natural dyes, will tell stories and will have the children make Native medallions from clay.  The kinder teachers will provide their lunch - such a small payment for such a large contribution.  The Principal and Assistant Principal will be dressed as Native Chiefs and will host our live presentation. I mean - Wow!  No wonder I can't sleep!

Lions and Tigers and Homework... Oh my!

One of the skills that students are expected to master early in kindergarten is the ability to isolate the first sound in their name and then think of other words that start with the same sound.  To practice this skill, we asked parents to help their child find pictures that start with the same first sound that starts their child's name for homework.  We were so impressed with the work of our families that we highlighted it on our first bulletin board which goes up right before Open House!

Jai is one of several students from the Portside Community that takes advantage of free tutoring at the MARC.  Jai, who is a second language learner, completed his homework with Mrs. Ruark using pictures he identified and searched for on the Internet.  His /j/ words that start with the same beginning sound as his name are jump, juice, juggle, jaguar, and jungle.

One of a kindergarten teacher's challenges with a project like this is students whose names start with a vowel that is neither long or short.  Parents seem to help their child find pictures of words that start with the first letter of the child's name instead of the sound.  No so with Austin's family.  They helped him find pictures that start with the same /aw/ sound that starts his name and even provided an answer key on the back!  Austin found August, autograph, Autumn and auto racing!  Very impressive!

Sanela is another of our second language learners and her homework is sent to her family in Spanish.  Even with the challenge of a second language her family helped her find pictures that start with the same beginning sound as her name.  Her mom even wrote sol under sun in Spanish.  She found both pictures and words with the /s/ sound..

This first homework is a family project with the children finding pictures of things that start with the same sound that is in their name!

World traveler Finn said Mommy helped him find pictures that start with the /f/ sound, but he cut them all out.  He found pictures of face, fun, family, football man, fork, fish, France, fries, Florida, feet, fingers, feet and flex!  He said all of these words start with the same sound that begins his name!

I have no idea how many of our children have learned the /sh/ sound because it starts Shane's name! I have overheard many children say, "I know it is sh because that's the sound that starts Shane's name!"  Shane found Chevrolet, shoes, shirt and shampoo.

Fifth Grade Tutors

All year we have had fifth graders come in on Friday mornings to read with our children.  I don't know if the fifth graders enjoy it as much as our kids, but our kids "whoop and holler" as the fifth graders walk in.  A few weeks ago we decided to ask the fifth graders to read the comprehension passage with their first grade friends that the first graders have been practicing at home all week before they were tested on the passage.  For a few of the children, it's the only "extra" read they get because their parents don't do it at home, but for ALL of them it's a time when they try very hard because they want to impress their older friend.  Then the fifth graders make up questions they can ask the younger students, testing the younger children's comprehension.

 

As I watching them today, I was impressed with how hard the first graders were working and how hard the fifth graders were trying to think up questions that would be first grade worthy.  Then I started thinking about how many of my first graders had asked for writing conferences this week and how it never seemed like I could catch up.  Then I realized that I was looking at the answer.  The first graders could read their writing each Friday to their older partner!  Not only would it be good practice for the fifth graders to listen and ask the writer questions to help him revise, but it would give the first graders an audience for their work!  Why haven't I ever thought of this before!  Duh!  Can't wait for next week!

 

 

 

 

Blend Project

After doing the Words Their Way assessment, we discovered that most of our students needed additional work on blends so we wrote a two week home project to assure that our students got some extra home practice working with blends.  Families were to look for four pictures for each of 16 blends.  They could use magazines or could google clip art.  To my surprise, all but one student completed the project (we did complete three of the projects at the MARC - our off-campus tutoring center - with second language students) and they were quite well done.  Some of the parents did complain about the work but when we gave the blends assessment, every single student scored 80% correct or above!  Rarely do we do a home project that is such an academic success.  We would certainly do this again!

Million Word Pay Off

Each nine weeks we ask our students to be responsible for reading 25-30 books with the goal of reading a million words each year.  In Kindergarten we log the books during class and also begin to teach the parents and students to begin the lifelong habit of reading each day by requiring them to log at least one book each day that they read at home.  If 90% of the students in the entire school meet the goal, the Principal does something outrageous or fun with the students.  She has been slimed, kissed a pig, treated the kids to Bingo and even invited them to a carnival.  This year she was taped to a wall and read for two hours.  She says she would do anything to get kids to read.  I guess this is her way of walking the talk!

Barnyard Book Bingo

This year the Principal planned a series of treats for children that meet their Readers-to-Leaders goals each nine weeks. The first grade Readers-to-Leaders goal for the first nine weeks was to read 25 books; the second nine weeks to add another 30 books; the third nine weeks to add another 30 books and then even another 30 books for the fourth nine weeks. The final goal is to read a million wrods this year. The goal is cumulative so for this second nine weeks the children had to have read 55 books to meet their goal.

First grade teachers at our school have decided to interpret this goal in different ways. Some teachers have the children record one book every day that they read at school during the Readers' Workshop. In our class we have decided to require the children to read the books to meet the goal at home. While we have time every single day for the children to read independently, it is also important to us that they develop the habit of reading at home every night. It is a part of their nightly homework and is a habit that will be required of them for their entire career at Chets Creek.

Meeting their goal is a big job for a first grader. First of all they have to remember to change out their book every morning, selecting a "just right" book from their book bin to take home. Then they have to remember to remind mom or dad that they have to read. We consider this the child's responsibility. It's not enough to just read. Then they have to pull out their login sheet and write the date, the name of the book (once the child starts chapter books, about 15 minutes of reading a night counts as "a book" which is usually several short chapters) and the level of the book. On Fridays they have to remember to turn in their log and get a new sheet for the new week. However, we have learned that first graders CAN complete this task and if their parents offer a little support, the children have no trouble at all! Last nine week we were so disappointed when only 11 of our children met their goal. We realized that many of them did not understand our expectation and neither did their families. It was a new routine for our families. We have worked hard this nine weeks and today 18 of our 29 children met their goal and enjoyed the Principal's Barnyard Book Bingo! We expect even more children to make their goal this next nine weeks as they realize the pay-off... and even more the last nine weeks! We think we are teaching children a lifetime habit.

Today was fun with a Dining Room full of first graders excited that they had made their nine weeks' reading goal. Our Principal called the barnyard animals as the children marked their Bingo cards. Every child had the opportunity to yell "Bingo!" and to get a prize along with a special pencil. Most of all, the children just had lots and lots of fun! They can't wait until the next nine weeks when the Principal promises to KISS A PIG!

And how about the children that didn't get to participate? They were in the room.... reading, but more than that, several of them have asked to take home two and three books a night so they can catch up! Our goal is that every child in our class understands that they will become better readers if they read! Will let you know how it goes...

Super Slime Slip-off!

What will a Principal do to motivate her students to read? Our Principal Susan Phillips agreed to be slimed if 90% of the students met their first nine weeks goal. In our first grade classroom that meant that students were required to read and log in 25 books that they read at home. Each night the students take a book-in-the bag home. The book is chosen from the 12 books that each child has in his/her "book buddy." These are the same books that they read during independent reading time at school and change out each week. In the bag is also a sheet to log the book each night, Monday through Thursday. It is the student's responsibility to log the book - not the parent's. Each student who read and logged the 25 books met his Readers-to-Leaders goal. We could have assured that every student met the goal by having the students read and log the books during class time but decided on this more difficult goal because we didn't want to take the time away from reading during Readers' Workshop to log the book and we thought it was important that even our youngest children begin to develop the routine of reading every night. While I am NOT an advocate of homework for first graders, I am a real advocate for children reading at home every single night!

However, having said that, we were very disappointed that we didn't have 90% of our class who met their first nine weeks goal. Of course, that doesn't change our resolve to get our children to read at home! We are so fortunate that our Principal is willing to put herself out there to motivate our children so that we are able to use the event to remind our students how important we think reading really is! Next nine weeks the children have an opportunity to make up the first nine weeks goal and meet the second nine weeks goal of 30 books (plus the 25 they read the first nine weeks). If they meet the goal they will be on their way to reading a million words during the year and will be invited to Book Bonanza Bingo with the Principal! We are expecting every single child to meet their goal!!!

The Assessment Period

This is our second week in school. We are busy assessing our first graders. In my classroom we have just finished giving the DRA2 so that we have a reading level for each child. The children chose books today for their individual reading bins - 6 that are "just right" books, 2 that are challenge bocks and 2 that are "easy cheesy" and will begin Monday taking one of the books home to read each night for homework. Tomorrow we will begin the state's F.A.I.R. testing that is on-line and will also begin some of our "home grown" assessment that includes additional testing in fluency, phonics and vocabulary. We have also completed our "home grown" Math Diagnostic which took several days of Math time. All this assessment will help us work with children exactly where they are so that we don't loose valuable instructional time.

As a school we are doing the same kind of assessment. Our Leadership Team has met each week and today our Curriculum Leadership Council (picture to the left) met for the first time this year, which includes a teacher representing each grade level in each academic discipline. We discussed roles and responsibilities and reviewed data from last year. We discussed the work to be done as we decide on our goals for our School Improvement Plan. It's a year full of hope and excitement. Looks like a good crop this year!

The Homework Question

I have long wondered if homework is really worth the time. As a Special Education teacher I have had too many conferences with parents who have talked (some cried) about getting their children to do their homework. They would describe power struggles that took hours each night to complete an assignment that the teacher probably expected to take 15 minutes. Parents talked about tears and frustrations - time that took away from playing outside or family activities. I am often the one who fields questions and concerns from primary parents about homework. Parents don't call who love the homework - only those that feel like it's a poor use of their child's time or who feel like it interferes with family time.

While we have "grade level homework" (all teachers give the same homework) in Kindergarten and First Grade to try to keep down the competition of parents comparing teachers, we have tried to differentiate by giving children choices and offering "challenge" activities. To take family life into consideration we give the week's homework on Monday and take it up on Friday with no homework on the weekends. We think we stay within the county's guidelines of no more than 30 minutes a night for homework. However, no matter what we do, it seems to me that the students that don't really need the practice actually turn in the homework every Friday and those that might really benefit from it, never turn it in!

Recently I have been reading Alfie Kohn's The Homework Myth and Cathy Vatterott's Rethinking Homework. It seems to me that we have bought into the idea that homework means rigor, that more homework means more learning, and that homework teaches discipline. The research simply does not support these ideas. In reading the research, it looks to me like to make it effective, homework needs to be differentiated for each student. It needs to be checked and discussed and used as an assessment of how well students understand, and we need to take into consideration the children and families in our classrooms.

As I think about all this, I have tried to decide what our children are doing that really makes a difference. To me, it's reading every day. I know that the more our children read, the better readers they will become. I know that their vocabularies will improve and I know that the more they do it, the easier it is. In thinking about and discussing all of this our new grade level of first grade teachers is considering only having students read as their homework. We believe that there will be some push back from parents who really believe that their children NEED homework so we are thinking about offering homework options on-line that a student might complete for extra credit.
 

We don't want the reading to get boring so we know we will need to provide interesting ways for the children to respond to what they read or different ways for them to record their reading. We know we will have to make completing homework rewarding and exciting, like talking about it in class. We might even try a "Homework King and Queen" each week, like the Mall-ards or let those that remember to turn in their homework choose their spot during Readers' Workshop, like Haley Alvarado recently did.

We are just in the "thinking" stage, so... what do you think?

Homework - What Do They Really Think?

I posted about how much I hate homework a couple of weeks ago and stirred up lots of conversation at my school, so I decided to actually write a survey to go home with K-1 parents to see what they thought about homework. Do they appreciate the structure and training that homework provides or would they rather wait a few years and have the kids spend time playing in these early years? I wanted the survey to be open ended so parents would feel free to share some of their thoughts and creative ideas for improvement.

Chets Creek Parent Survey
About Homework in Grade _____

We have been having some discussions about homework and are interested in how parents feel about homework at Chets Creek. Please fill in this form and return it to your teacher or to Julie at the front desk. Thank you for your time as we refine our homework practice.

About how much time did your child spend on homework each week? ___________

Did your child do a little homework each night, complete it in a couple of nights or complete it all on a single night? ______________________________________________________________

What was your child’s favorite homework activity? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was your child’s least favorite homework activity? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are your favorite homework activities? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are your least favorite activities? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you could change one thing about the homework at Chets Creek, what would it be? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Other comments about homework may be written on the back.

I have posted the results and my analysis of the Kindergarten survey on the Kindergarten wiki and the results and my analysis of the first grade survey on the first grade wiki.

Using the data, this was my analysis of the parents' response to the first grade level homework.

What did I learn from the 2009 Kindergarten Homework Survey?
To me, first grade is about beginning to teach children independence in homework. In kindergarten it was about sharing with the parent what and how their child is doing in class but as we get to first grade, we are moving to having the child do more of the work independently.

What I do see in this survey is that we have some teacher mavericks in first grade who have added and changed the grade level homework significantly! Grade level homework is a non-negotiable, although adding additional homework is generally accepted. For instance, several parents talked about the teacher moving from letting the children complete the homework however they wanted during the week to assigning specific homework every night. That takes away much of the choice that children and families need and that has been so successful for us in the past. I would caution teachers from doing this.

Another parent talks about being required to read two extra books every night in addition to the homework. I am sure that this is an at-risk child who needs the extra reading, but the parent should be offered the choice of having the extra books sent home “in addition to” or “instead of” some of the grade level homework. Nothing is gained if the parent is fighting the help!

It concerns me that any child or parent would think their nightly book-in-a-bag is “baby-ish” or boring or that a child wouldn’t have a choice in what he reads each night so... that brings two questions to mind – Is the teacher changing out the books often enough so that the reading continues to be challenging and engaging? What are the rituals and routines in the classroom that a child doesn’t have a choice in the book he brings home to read at night?

Parents are mostly satisfied with the first grade homework and wouldn’t change a thing! Hoorah! Some work a little each night and others complete thehomework all in a single night using whichever method works best for their family. Parents seem to appreciate that flexibility. However, these are some things to think about:

• The homework is written to take about 30 minutes a night or 2 hours a week. Maybe a note on the homework after the first month should state that if it is taking longer than 3 hours in a single week to complete, the parents need to contact the teacher! Any family that is working 5-7 hours a week on homework certainly needs some intervention!
  
• Math homework is popular! Woo hoo! Most of the parents who identified math as a least favorite activity for them or their child said Math just wasn’t their favorite subject or their child struggled in math.


• There seem to be some parents who want more homework and some who want less homework and even the parent that wants us to differentiate for each and every child! However, in all of those comments I wonder if we cannot build in more choices so that parents that want more work or more challenging or creative homework can choose those activities, and parents who believe that homework really interferes with their quality family time can choose simpler, quicker options that work for them. As long as the learning is similar, the time shouldn’t matter.


• A few surveys mention children liking technology or wanting more computer options, so maybe technology can be one of the choices that we try to add. It also meets the criteria of fun and motivating!. We realize, of course, that all of our families do not have technology in their home, but many parents have expertise and would love sharing with their child. For instance, sending in the game points for a computer Math game that is highlighted might substitute for the math homework for the week if both require subtraction skills or writing the directions for how to play a computer phonics game might be a choice instead of a similar writing assignment.
  
  
• In the area of choice I also wonder if those parents and children who hate activities with glue because they are so messy, could simply be given the option in the directions of writing the words instead of gluing. Both assume the same learning.


• I like the idea of Extended Day completing homework for working parents, which I actually thought was being done in first grade. Maybe completing homework in Extended Day could be one “choice” (children reading book-in-a-bag to a partner) and maybe a math activity/sheet. The regular homework could be sent home for those families that want to do extra but the Extended Day option could also be used and could complete the homework requirement for the week.


• How about Monday to Monday homework? That gives parents, that want the option, the ability to do it over the weekend, which a number of parents requested. It could still be written with “4 days of homework with the weekends off” in mind, but just give that extra option for families that want to take advantage.


• I wonder if we have made the best use of Science in homework. Maybe Science experiments or hands-on Science activities could be added as a choice.


• After the mid-term when comprehension passages are added, maybe the child could choose to read the comprehension passage OR the book-in-a-bag, but would not HAVE to do both. Maybe it is too much to do both and maybe the comprehension passages really are boring for those children that “get it” the first time. Maybe we could put a criteria such as, “If the child reads the passage within ___ minutes or with less than ___ mistakes”, then they can choose another option. Or I really like the idea of giving the child the option of having the parent read to them occasionally instead of doing book-in-the-bag. I love the idea that a parent would read a chapter book, for instance – think of the model for the child to listen to fluent reading and the vocabulary possibilities – or the parent sharing a favorite book from their own childhood. I think these would be easy options to add.

All in all, I learned a lot from this survey. It tells me that we are going in the right direction and that parents generally think first grade homework meets their needs and expectations. They also offered some interesting ideas for us to discuss and consider!

About Homework...

In reading this post recently from the New York Times, I could really align with the writer. I am not a believer in lots of homework for early learners. I have read the mountain of research that shows "homework confers no benefit — enhancing neither retention nor study habits — until middle school." While I do believe that the right kind of homework can be a good way to share with parents what their child is learning, I would much rather children had time to play - especially time for creative play. In a society that values qualities for their workforce like versatility, creativity, vision — and playfulness — I worry when we try to structure a young child's life at home toward additional academics. I can't tell you how many times I have had a conference with a parent of an at-risk child and the parent tells terrifying stories about spending hours and hours on homework at night (homework that was designed to take 30 minutes or less!) with a tearful child and stressed out parent. Homework time becomes a power struggle and a battle ground and nobody wins!

If we have to have homework for our youngest learners, I prefer homework that is project-based, if the parent is going to participate, with lots of choices for how the project can be completed. I want homework that becomes quality time for the parent and child. I am not interested in the kind of project where the parent takes over to present a designer finished project. I am tired of hearing parents say, "I got an A on that project!" As teachers, I wish we valued "a child definitely had his hands on this project" more! Earlier in the year, I remember a class assignment where some of the classes decided to try an open-ended project after an author study. The children had to present a book of their choice, but they could choose the type of grouping (individually, small groups) and the way that they presented (for example - a poster, Readers' Theatre, a puppet show). I remember being amazed at the creativity and the way that the groups functioned together. The end products were not professional, but the learning that came out of the project was amazing! That's more of what I would like to happen at home - where the goal is the learning, sharing and quality time together.

My favorite reading homework is simply about listening to your child read and reading to your child - and reading something that is delicious! My kind of homework would be cuddling together in bed and reading a book about a favorite subject or a story that you loved when you were a child -discussing it and playing the parts, practicing voices and generally having fun with the assignment - not half listening to a book while you cook or drive to practice in the car - an assignment that has no interest to you or your child. My kind of homework would be playing a game - perhaps a board or even a video game together - and then discussing the best strategy that you used - or watching a television program or cartoon together and discussing what connections you made to your own life or perhaps to a book you have read - or stopping by to watch someone decorate a cake while you're grocery shopping and then going home and writing Grandma a letter all about it - or helping to cook dinner and then writing the recipe down to send to the family or collecting for a family cookbook.

I HATE homework that requires the parent to reteach or to try to figure out what the child should know because the child seems not to have a clue! Even with this philosophy, I have trouble in my own school really influencing the homework trends. It seems that when we move in a direction of choice and "less is more," then the very next year less choice is given and more is added! Even with grade level homework which tries to minimize work at home, teachers feel a need to add some more of their own.

I know teachers are often pressured by parents, especially of academically gifted children, to give more homework, so the change would have to be for both teachers and parents. You don't HAVE to give homework in EVERY subject to be a good teacher! For instance, I would like to do away with spelling tests and spelling homework because the research says that memorizing a list of spelling words will not generalize and that the child will not spell those words correctly in their writing, but when we've tried to do away with spelling, teachers often say that it's one of the things that parents feel comfortable with and know how to do with their child.

I certainly don't have all the answers about homework but I'd love to hear what you think. Maybe we'll do a survey and see what our parents think...

Knots on a Counting Rope

As we enter our integrated Pow Wow unit, we want families to become involved from the very beginning. This week's Kindergarten Homework is another family project based on the book, Knots on a Counting Rope. This touching story is about a young blind boy who enjoys hearing his grandfather tell stories. Each kindergartner is given his own "counting rope" to take home. Family members are encouraged to share stories about the child's young life, about their own life and to share family stories that are passed down through the generations. Each time they tell a story, the family ties a knot in the rope. Youngsters can also tie a knot when they read a book to a family member or when a family member reads a book to them. The point is to encourage families to spend time together, just as the First Americans once did. Children will bring their knotted ropes to school next week and will share the stories of their lives. Sounds like we might have some great new topics for Writers' Workshop...