Sticky Note Heaven

My new second grade class just blew my mind this week. 

Okay, so at the end of last year, my second grade colleague and I decided that we were going to test out "sticky notes" for reading instruction during the '13-'14 school year. We ordered some for our incoming students and crossed our fingers that we wouldn't regret the decision. 

Well, I can happily report that I absolutely, wholeheartedly do NOT regret the decision. My class is in sticky note heaven. Here's how it went:

I introduced the concept during my CAFE mini-lessons. I take 5-10 minutes to teach a reading strategy that benefits the whole group and then break out into 10-20 minute small group instruction rounds. During the mini-lesson, I read book from the A-Z Mystery series to the class. I showed my class how to use sticky notes to record any thoughts, clues, or questions we had about the story. At this point, I have about 15 sticky notes posted into the 75 page book. At the beginning of a new day, we read all of the sticky notes to remind ourselves of the story and our thoughts about solving the mystery. It's been going pretty well. 

Tuesday, it was time to let students use their own sticky notes during reading groups. That morning, I was a little apprehensive.  Would they remember to use them? Would they write valuable thoughts or questions down, or would they become a distraction? Would the sticky notes become a toy rather than a learning device? Believe me, it's a nerve-wracking process.The last thing you want as a teacher is to introduce a new learning method that completely derails your students' educational process.

I could have never predicted how the students would react to receiving their own set of sticky notes. It was like handing them gold. They were so eager to get started--to read, record their thinking, and share with their peers. As of today, I haven't found any sticky note planes or drawings. They are taking such good care of their "stickies" and are really proud of how many things they've written about their books. I can't wait to read all the notes during small groups.

I must say, as teachers, these are the moments we live for. Our teacher-dreams don't always work out as planned, but when they do, it's such an awesome feeling.