Part of literacy instruction includes teaching children to formulate questions about the topic being read. So what happens when you read a book about the moon, during shared reading, to first graders?
The students were intrigued by the concept of gravity. So the class tested the pull of gravity when their wad of paper dropped to the floor. They also felt how the force of gravity pulled them down to the carpet after jumping into the air.
They wanted to know how the craters were formed on the moon's surface. While standing on chairs, students experienced how craters were formed by dropping marbles and golf balls into containers of sand. Their experience prompted the class to locate different craters on the map of the moon.
Then when they found out that the moon doesn't make its own light. They wanted to learn about the word reflect. So students tested several objects and learned about the reflection of light.
When the day was done, someone went home and wrote about her knowledge.
Where will our reading take us next week?