Each year, on (or around) September 15, the world celebrates… dots. Well, not just any old dots, The Dot.
This year… we, the scholars of fourth grade, celebrated, too.
We began by reading The Dot. Actually, we watched and listened to a reading of the by the author, Peter Reynolds. This prompted a brief, but thoughtful discussion of the text. Using a plot diagram, we tracked Vashti’s feelings as she went from thinking she couldn’t draw (sad, discouraged, sore hearted) to anger in response to being prompted to, “Just make a mark.” After her teacher framed her mark, a simple dot, Vashti demonstrated that she had a growth mindset by stating, “I can make a better dot that THAT!” As she experimented with various sizes, shapes, and colors, Vashti became more creative, joyful, and confident. In the end, she was able to passed on her learnings and encouragement to someone who started out in the same sore-hearted place.
One interesting observation that was made in our discussion was related to the size of the dots. At the beginning, Vashti made a tiny speck on her paper. Gradually, he dots grew and grew until they filled large spaces. Seemingly, the size of the dots symbolized the size of Vashti’s confidence and joy. We wondered if this was intentional and wished we could have asked the author. Perhaps… we will.
To wrap up our discussion, we talked about the multiple meanings of the phrase “make your mark.” Of course, making a physical mark on a page is one option, but… was there a deeper meaning? Is there a meaning we can apply to our own lives. Indeed, there is… when someone asks, “How are going to make your mark?” they are really asking,…
“How are you going to change something?”
This big idea lead perfectly into our student council speeches. We had 11 candidates prepare and present speeches with the hopes of being selected to “make their mark” at TASOK by serving on the student council. The speeches were thoughtfully prepared and confidently delivered. It was quite wonderful to hear so many share about what they have to offer our classroom and greater TASOK community – kindness, caring, problem solving, listening, encouragement, communication, support, and organization. After we listened to each candidate share, we listed their qualities and discussed by they were important. Through our discussion, it became clear that each individual sought to promote and model TASOK’s beliefs of Excellence, Integrity, and Inclusivity. Powerful!
With so many qualified candidates, it made the decision difficult. But, voters, too, had a chance to “make their marks.” In the end (after a run off to break a three-way tie), voters chose three representatives who will serve them well. While some may have been disappointed, everyone handled the results with grace and maturity, which was a true testament to their character and their qualifications. We are grateful that ALL, whether on the student council or not, will continue to exemplify Excellence, Integrity, and Inclusivity.
We ended the day by reading another book by Peter Reynolds – Ish! This allowed us to engage in another thoughtful discussion, this time adding a layer of comparison and contrast.
To learn more about International Dot Day and how other people celebrated, check out the official webpage:
Listen to a presentation of Dot Day 2016 featuring author Peter Reynolds and the teacher who started Dot Day.
Think about how you can “make your mark.” Add your ideas to the Padlet.