SOL #22: Pete the Cat

 

Pete the Cat. My student’s new favorite book character. While waiting for PARCC testing to end, we pass the time with some Pete the Cat books.  I begin reading one of his favorites, Pete the Cat: Go, Pete, Go!” aloud to him, pausing at specific parts so he can participate.

“Wait, wait, wait, let me read it”, he interjects. He is eager to read each part he knows.

My student has parts of the story memorized, so he chimes in and reads along with me. Our shared reading goes quite well, as if we planned it that way. I love that he is participating willingly and has access to reading a book he would not yet be able to read independently.

After testing ends, we head back inside to blog. He is going to write about Pete the Cat, of course. It’s a little noisy for speech-to-text to blog, so we head into the hallway with Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes and iPad in hand.

Without any influence, my student places his iPad on the ground in front of him, clicks on the camera app, and begins recording himself retelling each page from Pete the Cat, with the pictures facing toward him. He has the whole first page memorized! He continues on, using picture clues to aid in his retell. As he finishes each page, he shows the camera the pictures on each page.

I step back to observe my student in action, independently retelling the story.

Two back-to-back moments are just a glimpse of the immense growth my student has made…his growth this year is AMAZING. Just 6 months ago, he sat with me in the same room and spoke in a few words or phrases. Sharing and answering questions required prompting, with many responses being “I don’t know”. Now, he is reading along with me, speaking in complete sentences, and recording himself retelling a story he recently discovered. His personality shines, and I love to hear what he has to share.

I cherish these special moments and cannot help but smile. I am SO proud.