Hello? Is anyone there?
Hello? Is anyone there? Sometimes, when I am talking to students and I notice that they are totally zoning out, I think to myself, "HELLO!? Is anyone there?" For instance, today I was working on a guided reading with a small group of students. They were all distracted and wily from the recent Thanksgiving holiday. Their fidgetiness was obviously contagious. As we were reading together, I began asking them questions about the story, the characters, and some specifics about the vocabulary. I specifically pointed out several compound words and explained what a compound word was. Throughout this entire guided reading, one special student did not make eye contact with me at all. I tried to get him engaged and each time I failed. As we were wrapping up our story, I asked the students again, "What can you tell me about the vocabulary words we used today in our story? I specifically pointed something out several times." After a silent 2 or 3 minutes, still not makin