Day 2 of Dot Day!

Today was one of my favorite Skype days so far! As we continue our celebration of International Dot Day and making our mark, I experienced it all through new eyes and it was AMAZING!

We started the day with Mrs. Palmatier's 3rd graders connecting with Mrs. Uribe's 4th graders in Austin, TX. Our students shared how they incorporated Dot Day into their science lesson on states of matter and shared some of their 3D ColarMix Dot Day designs. Mrs. Uribe's class shared their inspirational dot signs, which were well thought out and very creative!

 

 

 

 

 

Then Mrs. Zell's & Mrs. Massingill's classes came in for their library time. We enjoyed the Interactive Big Book version of The Dot by Fablevision Learning.  The students did a great job of sequencing the events in the book on the big screen!

 

 

 

The best part of the day, though, was seeing these kiddos connect with other students. We "practiced" with a couple of students in Minnesota, who shared the dots they made, and then our students proudly showed their projects.

 

 

 

 

The students came back to the library for their "real" Skype visit with Mrs. Sikes class in Georgia. Our students couldn't wait to show their projects again!

 

 

Rachel, one of Mrs. Massingill's students said, "Thank you for connecting us! It was so much fun!" She wanted to know if they could do it again! Best day ever! ;)

 

As these two classes were leaving, Hatcher's Heroes were marching in to share their Dot Day experiences with a first grade class in New Jersey. Mrs. Nickerson's sweet first graders shared pictures of dots they found in nature, while our students shared pictures they drew of dots they found in their classroom. It was interesting to witness our students noticing there were no boys (it is an all girl school :) ) and to notice the uniforms the girls wear. We talked about what was similar and what was different about our schools.

From the DotClub.org website: The Dot is the story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to “make her mark”. What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe.


Today, I watched children grow in confidence. I saw students so very excited to connect with others, both similar to them and different from them. I saw bravery, as students who don't normally speak out, had the courage to connect with other students, all centered around a book, THE DOT by Peter H. Reynolds. What a wonderful day it was! And to think, there is MORE! It is just Tuesday! :)