#sol18 March 28 Frog, Toad, and Vygotsky

"I don't like to read," she said in the voice of someone trying to call attention to herself.  "It's so booorrrring!"

"This is one of my favorite stories," I added, "and it is a treat to be able to read this first chapter about friends and spring while we are waiting for spring break to start!"

"It's so booorrrring!" she replied again with even more emphasis on the or sound! So, I moved my body next to her and leaned in close.  I removed the whisper phone from her ear so that my voice could become one with hers. It was clearly one of those moments when her confidence was challenged by what appeared to be a long book with too many words on a page. It was clearly one of those moments when I would need to ramp up my scaffold and my support.  It was clearly one of those moments when I could make a difference in the reading life of a child if I could get her into Frog and Toad. 

It was one of those times when it took 6 pages of shared reading where my voice lead the way at first and then faded from time to time as she became more confident. It was one of those times when we were so close we could hear each other breathing.  It was one of those times when my heart became one with hers. It was one of those times when she was empowered to attempt a text that had been out of her league.

It was one of those times when she asked,  "Can we read this tomorrow?" when reading club was over. It was one of those times that Vygotsky's idea about Zone of Proximal Development became a reality.  It was one of those days when reading became a little less scary thanks to some support! It was one of those days when I was sorry that reading club was over.