And so, without even knowing it sometimes, I connect things to literature.
A few years ago, I saw the idea of making a caterpillar to count the days of school. A friend of mine added a new segment to a caterpillar each day, and had a gigantic pastel-colored caterpillar that wrapped around one side of her classroom. I made a mental note to do something similar the following year. But, me being me, the idea had morphed a bit by the time the start of the next school year came along.
I decided to make my caterpillar be The Hungry Caterpillar.
And I decided to change the color of the caterpillar segments for each set of ten.
And I ended up with something like this.
Last year, the caterpillar wound up and down across two walls. The year before, it scurried straight and was on three walls. We'll just have to wait to see what happens this year...
My students this year have gotten onto the idea that that hungry caterpillar is gobbling up days of school!
Another way that I've incorporated literacy into areas of my classroom... my table groups.
This year, I have five table groups: Pigeon Table, Lilly Table, Pete the Cat Table, Rocket the Reading Dog Table, and Hungry Caterpillar Table.
I will sometimes say, "Pigeons, you can go line up for lunch," or "Reading Dogs, it's your turn to go get your book boxes." I excuse them for recess or to get supplies by tables, frequently. And sometimes I get a bit casual.
Last week, I cracked my class up. I'm not even sure where it came from, but I said, "If you're a Very Thirsty Caterpillar you can go get a drink now." They loved it! Silliness!
I've also decorated the bathroom that's inside my classroom with book jackets. But I won't post a picture of that!
Literacy and literary references... gotta love it!
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