3H's and an F

A few weeks ago I shared an entry about a third grade teacher who was looking for a way to stretch her student's thinking. I pointed her to the lesson I had learned while attending a Reading Wellness workshop by Burkins & Yaris.

Today it was my turn! The class that began the 20-book challenge last week came to the library again today for a lesson. Today, we read Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell~ and enjoyed the story of Jane and her stuffed monkey, Jubilee. We read about what she loved to do, where she loved to be, and how she spent her time. At the end, the students discovered this book was really all about Jane Goodall!

Enter the 3Hs and the F. 

The students and I completed the HHHF graphic organizer together about the book- then it was their turn. Off they went to the tables and paired up. Now, anyone walking into the library might have wondered what was going on. It could just appear that students were reading- and not doing much else. But here's what they were doing: 

Reading together. Talking together. Thinking through things together. Completing the HHHF together. Responding to a test together. Note the key word: together. They were collaborating.

Teacher response: 

I was really impressed with the accessibility of the lesson. One of my students 

who has trouble expressing himself was able to begin to empathize with the main

character and identify his own passions. 

Fast forward to this afternoon. A fifth grade class joins me this time. We start off the same way- sharing the book, completing HHHF chart, and moving on into pairs to read and collaborate. As our time together was ending, I asked the kids a few quick questions:

Me: Did any of you have a person who overcame a difficulty in their life? 

Several of the students shared about their person. 

Me: How many of you had a person whose success in life was directly related to their HHHF? 

Every student responded with a raised hand.

Me: Next time we are together we're going to apply the HHHF to you. Who knows what you're going to do in the future? 

This pair of girls learned the Sonia Sotomayor loved
Nancy Drew novels when she was young. It fostered
her desire to be a detective~ later changing to law focus.
Both: careers that involve righting wrongs- justice. 

I'm looking forward to revisiting this HHHF with the fifth graders. We're going to follow the lead of Burkins and Yaris and help our students find a variety of texts based on their own HHHF. Who knows what they will learn about themselves, about the world around them, and about what their future may hold? 

Thank you so much for this great lesson Kim Yaris and Jan Burkins!