the giving tree

On Monday we continued our ongoing conversations about kindness, extending the idea that the choices we make can impact our community in powerful ways. Our reading of The Giving Tree encouraged deeper thinking and learning about being together.

I wanted one part of our book reflection to be open ended; How did the book make you feel?

Many Kindergarteners talked about feeling sad for the tree, some said the boy was mean, many noticed that the tree gave and gave but the boy was never happy. As an adult, perhaps The Giving Tree makes us think about the challenges of life as we grow. The children noted this challenge as well, this push to acquire more, but feeling a sense of loss. Not all of the books we read to children should evoke feelings of joy. We learn about ourselves and our world when we have the opportunity to be in a place of confusion, wonder, upset, sadness, or loss.

The Giving Tree can be interrpeted in various ways. Of course, we scaffold conversations by asking specific questions or proving prompts. My hope for our conversation was for children to recognize the power in giving love and what that looks like in our community. Asking the question, What will you give today? 

We revisited small acts of kindness, recognizing the power in giving a smile, laughter, happiness, love, or a hug. If we all give little things, will something bigger happen? If we all work together, could we be a giving forest?

I introduced the book through our morning message, integrating some math work into the introduction. We then read the book and thought about what we will give. TW wrote our question, What will you give today? The children used small pieces of paper to write their name and thought. With our own giving tree in the center of the oval rug, each child used a small pin to attach their plan. Now, our beautiful giving tree lives outside of our classroom door.

We invite you to think about what you will give today and share it on our tree!

 

 

 

Through this community work, children answered a question by adding their name to a t-chart. We then investigated our data by counting and comparing how many had read The Giving Tree. The children engaged in thoughtful book reflection, actively making connections. Children were asked their idea before putting it on paper, supporting the concept of planning before you write. The Kindergarteners stretched out words and added them to our tree, some children wrote sight words, such as love.

We further extended our book connections, by reading a true story about peace and hope; Wangari's Trees of Peace. OM said this nonfiction text reminded him of The Giving Tree, because both books are about what trees can give. This was a powerful read aloud, as trees are a symbol of life and hope. The children have been writing true stories and I have been integrating the reading, hearing, and telling of true stories throughout our work.