Today students made text-to-life connections between Lyddie, the main character in a novel we are reading about the Industrial Revolution, and themselves. We have watched Lyddie's goals and priorities change throughout the course of her story: in the beginning she wants to "fix" her family and put it back together as it once was. But slowly, Lyddie accepts that change is inevitable. She turns her focus from the past to her own future. She dares to dream bigger.
Students wrote in their RRJs (Reader Response Journals) about how their goals and priorities have evolved over the school year. As they anticipate graduating, many fifth graders are treasuring the time they have with one another more than ever. The excitement for next year is certainly palpable in the classroom, but it's bittersweet.
Making text-to-life connections and text-to-text connections are skills we have been working on all year - not just in reading, but in other areas (like Torah Project and Social Studies) as well. At this point, making these connections has become almost like a reflex for students. I'm not sure they're even aware when they do it. It's great to see how far this class has come!
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