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Critters, Polacco, Novak, & Atall

Critters, Polacco, Novak, & Atall

October 22, 2015

Dear WinkWorld Readership,

Yesterday I drove to a local school, Atall, about 50 miles away to read a story, and I was stopped in my tracks by these critters.

cows Atall trip

See Atall School here.

Atall School #1

 

I waited until the cattle got by me, and soon I arrived where Missy, the teacher, has 13 students in 7 grades. In this age of Common Core, teaching the mandated curriculum for 7 different grades seems overwhelming to me. She describes it as “triage.”

I read Sweet Pea & Friends: The SheepOver. All of the kids particularly liked the play-on-words of “sheepover,” and I was even able to slip in the use of double entendre.

Next Missy read The Keeping Quilt, while all of the kids sat on the quilt from Missy’s great-grandmother.

Missy kids quilt

If you look carefully, you can see the quilt where the kids are seated.

Hear Patricia Polacco reading the story on YouTube.

See the quilt and hear the author/illustrator.

After hearing the story, we talked about quilts in our families.

See Everett and Bailey, the great, great-grandsons of the woman who made the quilt for Missy.

ev and bailey ggrandma's quilt

The kids remembered The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak, which I had read to them last year. Of course, they wanted to hear that one again.

joan reading Atall

Here is the author, B.J. Novak, as he reads his story.

Before I left, Missy and the kids gave me a book, The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds, and they showed me their dots, which they have created.  My assignment is to make my own dot.  Gotta get to work on that one.

See The Dot here.

Hear the story here on YouTube.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5mGeR4AQdM

 

2 Comments

  • I love Peter Reynolds! I had the pleasure of winning a chance to draw something that he would decorate and sign. I was afraid to draw – told by a second grade art teacher than I couldn’t draw. He is so genuine about his encouragement of children and adults to be artistic. And he writes lovely books. Thank you for sharing your beautiful experiences in a one room school. What a wonderful way to spend your time!! Wonder if she’ll make a quilt with the children?

    • Joan Wink

      Thanks, Joan K. I still need to draw my own dot and take it back to show the kids. Yes, the teacher and I did discuss quilt making.

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