How do you prefer your matzah?Seems like a simple question, but when Jesse and Maria post it on chart paper as a morning message, it assumes heightened significance. Suddenly it is an acknowledgement that children's ideas are important and that every member of the class matters.
The sense of belonging and significance engendered by Morning Messages supports the development of self-esteem and community. The morning's first inquiry sets a cheerful, positive tone for the rest of the day's learning.
And what's more, children enhance their own literacy skills when their excitement motivates them to decipher the symbols and deduce the meaning of the question. Once the teachers read the message aloud, each child, at his/her own rate, silently begins to make connections to the syntax, letters and punctuation of the print.
So I guess we prefer our matzah with a shmear of literacy, community, and self-worth. Yum!
Ellen- I love how you are able to take what might appear to be a simple task and explain with such clarity how deep and involved an experience it really is. It is amazing to see how much thought goes into just one experience for children and how much they can get out of it. Thanks for your guidance, articulation of ideas, and expansive knowledge that you share with us, our children, and the teachers!
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