Giraffes Can't Dance... YET!

What a great first week of school! I have loved getting to know my new students, and I hope they have learned a little about me as well. Last year I was a Kindergarten teacher, but this year I am excited for my journey as a 2nd grade teacher.

All last week we focused on building relationships, expectations for school rules, how we should treat one another, etc. One really important thing that we discussed, however, was the importance of the word "yet." Second grade can be a tough jump up from first grade, and the curriculum and schoolwork can seem a lot more difficult to students when they're starting out. Because of this, we spent a lot of time last week talking about the importance of the word "yet." 

To begin, we read a book called "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andreae. This book is about a giraffe who is awfully clumsy, and gets teased by the other animals for not being able to dance well. Gerald the giraffe goes home, gets a new outlook on his dancing, and comes back to prove to the animals that he CAN dance. Now... how does this relate to the word "yet?" Well, we talked a lot about perseverance, and how although something may seem difficult at the time, it is critical that you keep trying until you get it right. Whether that be Gerald the giraffe with his dancing, or difficult 2nd grade math problems, it is important to keep trying!

Together, we created a poster of things that we CAN do, and things that we can't do... YET! We talked a lot about how there are a lot of things in life that at one point were very difficult, but now you have no problem with it. For some students, that was learning how to tie their shoes, ride a bike, play a sport, etc. Going beyond that, we also talked about how babies are often the most optimistic people there are, because they are so determined to learn basic skills and they never give up! From that discussion, we got a lot of silly answers, however we discovered that babies have a great outlook on life... they can't walk... YET! Babies can't talk... YET! Then, we came up with a list of things that we want to learn how to do, but just can't do yet. It was great to see the students' goals, whether they be short term like learning cursive (which we will do this year!) or learning how to drive a car in their future. 

To end the lesson, we read a poem titled "Yet" by Heidi Harrell. This has become an important part of our classroom expectations and goals as 2nd graders. We discussed how whenever you're feeling frustrated, just add the word "yet" to the end of your sentence. I can't do this... YET!