Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness by Katie Egan Cunningham
Children come to school to become better readers, writers, and thinkers, but they also walk into classrooms hoping to be happy. Katie Cunningham argues that happiness must be as much of a priority in teaching as proficiency or achievement. When teachers intentionally design curriculum with joy at its heart, learning becomes more meaningful and memorable.
Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness links what we know from the science of happiness with what we know about effective literacy instruction. By examining characters in the books they read, children develop empathy for others and come to understand that we all struggle and we all love. When given a choice about what to write, children express hopes, fears, and reactions to life's experiences. Literacy learning is full of opportunities for students to learn tools to live a happy life.
Inside, you'll find:
Start with Joy: Designing Literacy Learning for Student Happiness links what we know from the science of happiness with what we know about effective literacy instruction. By examining characters in the books they read, children develop empathy for others and come to understand that we all struggle and we all love. When given a choice about what to write, children express hopes, fears, and reactions to life's experiences. Literacy learning is full of opportunities for students to learn tools to live a happy life.
Inside, you'll find:
- Seven Pillars: The author offers seven pillars that will make classrooms more joyful, engaging, and purposeful: Connection, Choice, Challenge, Play, Story, Discovery, and Movement.
- Ten Invitations: These ten lessons may be presented at any time of year in the context of any unit and include children's literature suggestions as well as recommended teacher talk to meet children's specific needs.
- Teaching Tools: Tools and resources that will help students tell their stories and make literacy learning something all students celebrate and cherish.