Fourth Graders Learn to Build Theories!

In a recent training day with my fourth grade teachers, I shared my learning from Teachers College Reading Institute about developing theories from stop and jots in Readers' Workshop.  I have been
excited to see all the students walking around the building with books they are reading filled with sticky notes sticking out around all the corners of the pages.  I even saw a student from our school sitting at her brother's soccer practice diligently reading, then stopping and jotting on extra sticky notes she was carrying around!  (You better believe I sent a photo text to her teacher to brag!)

My fourth grade son was working on his reading at home and we had a conversation that went like this:
Me:  Hey buddy, what are all those notes sticking out of the book you're reading?   Him:  I write notes on these stickies about what I'm thinking when I'm reading.  Me:  Cool, let me read a few.  Him: No, mom, you wouldn't understand.
Hmmmm....

Lesson #326 in parenting...
Your child's teacher > Mom (even if she is the reading coach)

Anyway, I was circulating through fourth grade classrooms last week capturing some photos and video for our Writers' Workshop night and just happened upon a brilliant closing share of Readers' Workshop in Jenny Nash's classroom.  One of her readers had developed a theory she had been working on.  Please forgive the AWFUL camera work.  I am a hot mess without a tripod, but I knew if I didn't catch the moment I would miss out and so would you.  So take some dramamine and enjoy..