MindWing Concepts Blog

Today I want to show how authors always include information in their stories. We should look for it as we read. For instance, the information for the setting is a time and a place…BUT…what is happening at that time in that place is the important part for a story! The timing of a kick-off and how characters in the setting respond to the kick-off through feelings, thoughts, words and actions is finalized when the character makes a plan. How things turn out as a consequence depends on the actions (attempts) to carry out the plan and whether the plan is realized. I used the book, Are You Ready To Play Outside? by Mo Willems. This book is part of a series starring Gerald the Elephant and Piggy, the pig! I noted in my mini-lesson that you might want to look at this book for the concept that kick-offs (the rain) often occur gradually in many situations...

For the past three weeks especially, our lives have been changed because of the Covid19 virus. Since school is closed and children are “schooling at home”, there is an increasing need to be able to talk to and listen to each other with compassion and also to be able to tell each other what is happening within our own lives. These mini-lessons are designed as a support for you as parents, grandparents, teachers, therapists, speech/language pathologists and of course the CHILDREN in your care. All lessons presented over the past three weeks are related to each other and were designed to build upon the concept of “telling and understanding” stories for academics and very importantly, for life during these uncertain times!...

Facebook Live with Maryellen

In our daily mini-lessons during these uncertain times, we, at MindWing Concepts, Inc., are providing book titles, many available online, to read to children about the not-so-huge situations that make us feel “not so great,” as well as those that contribute to feelings of well-being. We have provided “feeling bookmarks” for talking about the names of feelings to help us talk about some of these big and smaller situations that we call “kick-offs.” There are many ideas in the handouts provided during these mini-lessons that will help to show relationships of characters’ feelings to kick-offs and the thinking and planning necessary to deal with them. Using the icons to bolster listening comprehension will spur and organize our discussions. Everyone needs to talk! We just have to think about how to do it during these times!...

Maryellen Rooney Moreau of MindWing Concepts reads Talk and Work It Out for purpose of Problem-Solution analysis and discussion with students.