Blossoming

As I was thinking about my kids during the last week of school it was hard to think of them as anything but almost 2nd grade readers, writers, and mathematicians.  The truth is that's not the way they came to me back in August.  It's so hard to remember who they used to be and easy to take for granted how much they really do grow in nine months.  Fortunately, there's a little something I do with my kids that helps me remember how much they've blossomed.  (I didn't invent this idea, and I found it so many years ago on the internet that I've no idea who to give credit to.)

Asking kids to copy something from the board is basically against my religion, but I make an exception twice a year.  During the first week of school while they're still fresh out of kindergarten, I have the kids copy a poem.  Even though it's very teacher directed (I write a letter - they write the letter), it's not the easiest thing to pull off.  It takes a lot of energy, enthusiasm, cheerleading, and breaks all provided by me.  After we've all recovered, we also draw and color self-portraits.  This is very teacher directed as well.

Now fast-forward to the last week of school.  We do the whole thing over again, although it's pretty much painless at this point.  I glue the August version of the poem and self-portrait to the back of the May version and send them home to parents.  The difference between the two is night and day.  The growth in both their artistic and handwriting abilities is a reminder to parents, the kids, and myself of how much these little people have blossomed in the past nine months.  Of course there's a whole lot more to first grade than art and handwriting.  The ways they grow as readers, writers, and mathematicians are amazing, but this little exercise sure makes for a nice visual for us all.  See for yourself.

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(Click on the words for your own copy if you're interested in trying this out too.)

First grade is a challenging grade, but what a reward to see how much they learn from beginning to end.  I think I might deserve a summer vacation.