Thoughtful Thursday - Using our Words to Make Others Smile

I can't quite determine where the inspiration for Thoughtful Thursday came from.... 

Perhaps it's the month of November and I'm feeling more grateful than before. 

Maybe it's the amount of negative information I browse anytime I hop online. 

It's possible I just wanted to help others feel good because Kid President says its the way to a happy life!

Whatever the reason, I can tell you that Thoughtful Thursday is a huge hit in our classroom and my kids were so excited to participate again. I had students delivering cards at 8:05 this morning (approximately 10 minutes after they arrived in class!)

What is Thoughtful Thursday? It's simple. Grab a blank card from the box and write a letter expressing gratitude, thankfulness, and kindness to a friend, teacher, family member, or anyone who may benefit from kind words. 

Looking for a little pick me up today? I encourage you to extend a note of kindness to someone else. I imagine it will not only brighten your day but theirs as well. Do it... I dare ya!

P.S. If you haven't seen the latest Kid President video. I highly recommend! He reminds us that we are PEOPLE, people and we should treat each other accordingly. 

Global Read Aloud - 1st Timers

For a few years, I've wanted to jump into the Global Read Aloud that is always flooding my Twitter feed.  Each time I've remembered to participate... it's been too late or well... You know, things happen! 

This summer I signed up to receive Global Read Aloud updates through email so I wouldn't miss a thing. Over the summer, I purchased two of the options for my grade level and decided on The B.F.G.! 

Through Twitter, I was able to connect with several (too many in fact) educators and their 5th graders. After exchanging emails and schedules, we officially connected with 5th graders in Alabama. That's a pretty exciting deal for us in Missouri!

First thing on the Global Read Aloud agenda was..... Mystery Skype. Through mystery Skype, we were able to find our reading buddies in Alabama one afternoon. From there we have had several collaborative opportunities. We've answered #slowchat questions through Padlet together and we've even played Kahoot! while Skyping again. 

One of our more exciting mornings was when we saved Sophie's dreams in a Breakout EDU activity!

I'm sure I have only skimmed the surface on the possibilities of The Global Read Aloud, however I'm so happy our class has gotten to participate. It's pretty cool knowing that so many other readers are enjoying the same book we are! 

I'm looking forward to participating next year as well.