The air is turning cooler, and the leaves are changing color. Satsumas are ripening on our satsuma tree. They are so heavy the branches are dragging on the ground. And when I take Charlie out at six in the morning, it’s dark, very dark, and the sun doesn’t rise until we are almost home. All these signs should have made me realize that the first nine weeks of school is ending.
Each grading period, I ask my students to revisit all the books they have read and select one to present to their classmates. This is a fun activity for them. I also want to make it a learning activity, so we talk about elements to include: title, author, genre, tone, characters, setting, plot…
Madison was excited about her book trailer. Animoto was her choice and she carefully selected pictures, music, and background. When I looked at her finished product, I noticed that she had identified the genre of the Warrior Cat series as realistic fiction. This gave me pause. Maybe she just didn’t have a clear understanding of genres.
I started a private discussion with Madison that I’m afraid made her cry. I was confused about her tears. She just kept repeating, “It’s the point of view of the cats.”
I finally realized that to her the story was very real. By then a few other classmates had joined into the conversation. Jacob recalled that they had learned about lucid dreams. He said, “It’s like that lucid dream when you feel like you are really doing all those things.”
Ding! The Aha bell rang. I told Madison that it was OK that she feels like the story is real. The author writes as if everything is real, like a lucid dream.
The next thing I knew, Madison had created a new genre, the lucid book. At this point she excitedly went back to her video and changed the genre to lucid. I did not correct her this time. Some things are best left to the imagination of children.
To see Madison’s Animoto book trailer, click here.
I love that she thought it was realistic fiction. It is hard work convincing third graders that any book with talking animals must be some form of fantasy, because as Madison so rightly notices they can seem so very real. good for you for letting it slide.
I love this new genre Madison is working on. One of my student’s narratives is a dream and he was trying to explain how difficult it was to understand when he was thinking and when he was talking. Because aren’t all dreams thinking? It’s fun to go along on these journeys.
Madison is on to something good – love how fearlessly inventive kids can be.
Love that, Margaret. You have kids thinking deeply about literature–always a great thing:>)
Not everyone disbelieves true magic, so perhaps Madison will be the one who proves it. In any case, how nice that you had a trusting conversation and it ended with a prior connection and a new term. Wonderful!
This is a great reflection activity! I love that word ‘lucid.” It makes a great reading genre, too!
I love Madison all the more for feeling this way. If we all had some more empathy, the world would turn more smoothly, eh?
Hooray for a student-initiated new micro-genre!! I LOVE it!
My newest micro-genre is “Stray Dog Books.” I went from Full of Beans to Liberty and remembered Wish…and, of course, Because of Winn Dixie.