Building a classroom community - 3

We gather together towards the end my first day with my class.

I give everyone a small empty tin, and ask: "If there's anything you'd like to bring from home and share with everyone tomorrow morning, then put it in your tin, ok?"

I then show them another, bigger tin. It's filled with dry twigs that have fallen from the cottonwood trees. I break one at the growth scar. If I’m REALLY lucky, I find a beautiful star inside the twig. 

I tell my class the Native American legend that all stars in the sky come from the earth below our feet.

The Secret of the Star…..

Some Native Americans believe all things come from Mother Earth. They believe that stars form in the earth and search for the roots of the magical cottonwood trees.

They finally come to rest in the small twigs at the end of the cottonwood branches. 

Here, they wait.................until they are needed. When the Spirit of the Night Sky decides that she needs more twinkling, beautiful stars, she calls on the Wind Spirit to shake all the cottonwood trees.

The Wind Spirit blows and blows, and as the cottonwood twigs break off, the twinkling stars are released and race up to a special place in the Night Sky.

If YOU want to add a new star to the night sky, find some secret cottonwood twigs, wait for a clear night, and hold up your twigs to the sky - and SNAP!  

Then, look up into the night sky again.

Can you see YOUR star twinkling?

I hand everyone a twig...............................each student breaks and discovers the hidden star.

"Imagine," I say,  "you have added a beautiful new star to the night sky kingdom......when you go home, and when night faslls, open your curtain and search for the twinkling star. It's yours. Your star!"

When the class leaves the room, I take a look at the notes I've made during the day. If the seating arrangements didn't work on any particular table, I rearrange the seating for the second day, putting the printed names on the table top