Books as mirrors and windows (with sticky notes & reflections)!

Every year I examine books as mirrors and windows with my students.  Every year I tweak the exploration and this year was no different.  This year's additions included sticky notes and reflections.  

Day 1: Mirror moments

Sticky notes I created with Tony Vincent's template (link below)

After modeling mirror moments (and having students make "me too" signals), students identified a mirror moment from a stack of books at their table. 

"This is like my sister and I.  We fight all the time." - 3rd grader

"When my mom tells me to clean my room I just sit because I don't know where to start." - 3rd grader

Day 2: Window moments


In the next class I modeled "window moments" and we drew windows in the air when we heard moments that were "not like us."  

Students identified "window moments" at their tables with sticky notes.

Students shared their "window moments" through the window we passed around our sharing circle.

Day 3: 3rd grade reflections

We started class by voting with our bodies. Which kind of book do I read more?

 
Students moved to that side of the library and wrote/drew about why they made their choice.

The vast majority of students said they preferred to read window books: 

"I read window books because it's just boring to see me all day."





Day 3: 1st and 2nd grade reflections

1st and 2nd graders wrapped up our unit by sharing a book they chose with the class and telling us whether it was a mirror or window book for them.

"This is a mirror book for me because my dog looks just like this." -2nd grader


My takeaways

The use of sticky notes was a game changer. Having something physical to stick to the "moment" whether it be a "window" or a "mirror" made the choice both active and visual. I will absolutely use this tool again in a heartbeat. 

Preparing the sticky notes is a pain, having to individually place the sticky notes on the template to print them, but the payoff was too big to make this a true barrier. This activity has my wheels spinning about how else I might be able to incorporate pre-printed sticky notes into our thinking and responses.

I put books on tables for 1st and 2nd graders to sort through.  I thought 3rd graders would be able to do their browsing from the shelves, but the overwhelming number of books on the shelves slowed them down significantly. I only did this with one class. When I had my next 3rd grade come in, I gave them books at their table and they were much more successful. Lesson learned. 

Resources

Books are Mirrors and Windows January 30, 2021
Mirrors and Windows November 6, 2019
Bishop, R. S. (1990). Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Perspectives: Choosing and Using                Books for the Classroom,6(3).

Location: Massachusetts, USA

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