Be the Mouse: Reflections on Persistence!

 "Be the Mouse!"

All set for the Reading Week Vocabulary Parade!  What does a mouse have to do with persistence you ask?  Read on to find out!

While looking through the teacher materials provided by Code.org I discovered a link to the video below.  It was part of lesson to help students persevere when struggling with a difficult coding problem.

I love this video!  I was completely enamored and I couldn't wait to show it to my students!  As expected, all eyes were glued to the screen as they watched the mouse struggle to carry away the cracker, and when he finally succeeds they erupted into cheers!  Every class, every time.  

I decided that my year-long theme would be persistence.  Students understood that when I said "Be the mouse!" I was encouraging them not to give up.  I developed a unit on "growth mindset" for every grade in the school, and I was terrifically impressed with the response. 

In kindergarten we read Mo Willem's Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Mark Pett's This is MY Book.  Both books have characters who get very frustrated!  We talked a lot about what frustration is, and I carried those discussions over into our time working with Bee-Bots in the classroom.  I always carried my "frustration" and "persistence" vocabulary cards with me, and the students had plenty of opportunities to practice both!  😊 

In first grade I encouraged the students to think about a time that they stuck to a difficult task and succeeded.  Then I invited them to complete the sentence, "I showed persistence when I...."  They came up with lots of wonderful examples both from school and at home.  Click here to read more about it and see examples of student work!

In second grade we enjoyed Mousetronaut, a story about a little mouse who travels into space and, with a lot of persistence, is able to save the day!  We brainstormed ideas for what to do when getting frustrated while coding, and I put together a tip sheet with their ideas.  They all got a copy to keep in the library folders.  It was wonderful to see the students trying out some of strategies suggested by their peers!  Click here to see the tip sheet!

In third grade the students were given quotes about failure/success to discuss, then each student selected a reflection sheet that matched the quote of their choice and wrote down their thoughts about it.  The following week the students used their notes to record a Flipgrid video about success!  Click here to read more about it and see examples of student videos!


In fourth grade we read Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak, watched a C.J. Luckey video called “The Power of Yet” (it's amazing, you should watch it!!) and did a number of activities to learn about the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.    

I highlighted the theme through our library's first "book tasting" during Reading Week in March.  I set up the library to look like a restaurant and each class rotated through to "sample" a variety of books in the hopes that they'd find something new to devour!  I named the restaurant Chez Squeak in honor of my Be the Mouse theme.  [Click here to read all about the book tasting!]

When I went shopping for table card holders, I found these adorable examples.  Cute little mice!!  I couldn't believe my luck!!  When the book tasting was over, I gave them new homes on the library's shelves.  Each is now on display with a growth mindset mini-poster.  I mentioned at the beginning of class what I had done, and the students were very excited to look around the room to find all eight of them!  

 
Little did I know as I was finding spots to place them that the school would be closed the following week (and then for the rest of the school year)!  Suddenly the library was going to be empty, and we were all focused on planning how to stay connected with our students.  Now the theme of persistence was front and center in all of our minds! I recorded this short video, mouse ears and all, to post at the beginning of my first lesson for every class.  (I'm so glad I brought home the sash I made for the vocabulary parade!)

As I sit here at home writing this, I'll admit that it's very frustrating to not know exactly how long this is going to last or when I'll be able to see all the kids and grownups in my Ashaway family again.  But I do know that ours is a remarkable community, one that I am terrifically grateful to be a part of.  We can get through this, and the day will come that we will all be under the same roof again, learning and laughing together.  Until that glorious day comes, please know that I am thinking about you and wishing with all of my heart for your health and happiness.  And, as always, do remember to...

BE THE MOUSE!!!

Love,

Mrs. Mann

❤️