One of my favorite stories is Brave Irene by William Steig. I remember reading it as a child and it has always stuck with me. I have the Scholastic Video Collection DVD that has this story (it also has The Dot (by Peter Reynolds) and Amazing Grace (by Mary Hoffman) on it as well) and recently shared it with my First Graders. They loved it!!After they watched the video, we discussed how Irene showed bravery. The children were actively participating in this conversation and really seemed to relate to Irene. I asked them how they have shown bravery in their own lives. I was amazed at some of the answers. I heard everything from taking swimming lessons, learning to ride a bike, moving to a new school, and even going to my grandma's funeral. (That one broke my heart!) I have a some pretty brave students!!
I recently was reminded about ABCya's Story Maker by my friend and fellow blogger, Susan, from The Digital Scoop. She gives a really good break down of the website and how to use it in one of her latest posts. I decided to show my "littles" how to navigate the program and asked them to draw a picture of them doing something that required them to be brave. We then used the text part of story maker to write a small caption that explains their picture. They turned out AMAZING! We are going to be putting them up in the hallway and making a "Hall of Bravery". I am so excited!
How are YOU brave?
PS -- If you don't have the DVD that referenced above you can use this link to have the story read to you by Al Gore on Storylineonline.net
