Focus on Me

Subject: Language Arts
Grade: 1

"My students insisted that I sit on the carpet for the reading of each book because the student-author was the VIP of each day and should sit in the teacher's chair!"

Purpose and Description of Project

The development of the books helped the children to realize that each had special traits and talents, according to Estis, and the books then became the stimulus for other self-awareness and learning activities. On the day each child read his or her book to the entire class, that child was VIP for a day, being accorded the spotlight of attention as well as special privileges. The children also used the books to understand the similarities and differences of their own lives and their families and as text for reading, language, math, art, and social studies exercises.

Estis says that the most significant outcome for each child "was a positive feeling of self-worth that was verified by significant others-parents, teacher, and classmates." However, she notes that reading ability and attitude toward seatwork (using the "Focus on Me" books) also improved.

Activities

• Self-awareness - She began with a brainstorming session to stimulate the children to think about what they knew about themselves and recorded their likes and dislikes on charts that served as a basis for discussions of how each child was different yet similar to his or her classmates. She then explained the camera project to them, sent home a letter of explanation to parents, and distributed cameras, film, and flashbulbs, which the youngsters were allowed to take home.
• Language Arts - Each child reviewed his or her photographs, arranged them in the sequence they were to appear in the book, and dictated accompanying narrative passages to a parent volunteer, who recorded the story line. The children used the books to locate and classify words (for people, animals, etc.); to locate pronouns and verbs; and to write riddles about themselves that were set up in a learning center for others to read and match to a picture of the person described in each riddle.
• Math - The class constructed a bar graph based on the books hat included such categories as youngest child in family, oldest child, plays, video games, etc.
• Social Studies - As "person of the day" each child read his or her book to the class. On this special day, the child led the flag salute; chose lineleaders, doorkeepers and messengers; put stars on the board as the class earned them; and wore the VIP headband that depicted special aspects of himself or herself. As the class listened to the book, they wrote positive comments about the author on hand-shaped paper and taped them to the author's back, thereby giving him or her a "pat on the back." The VIP also covered his or her shadow that had been mounted on the bulletin board with a self-portrait to indicate that he or she was no longer just a silhouette to the class. The class then used the books to research and write about different family sizes, the interests and talents of their classmates, and ways that family members help each other.

Materials, Resources, and Expenses

Outcomes and Adaptability

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