Writing: An "AH-HA!" Moment

I really want to call it a "DUH" moment but "AH-HA!" sounds more positive.   So, my moment came in about October but I just shared it with my coworkers today (I think I was worried I was the only teacher who hadn't thought of this yet.)  They were as excited as I was about my Ah-ha and suggested I share the idea in my blog. (Best co-workers in the WORLD!  Hi Tina!!  Jill, if you check my blog and see this I'll do your recess duty for you....ha!  She never checks it!)  Ok, way off track.

So here's my big revelation:  SENTENCES HAVE PATTERNS.    Duh.  We all know that, right?  You write a word and then you leave a space.  Then you write another word and leave another space.  I showed my kinders how to leave a space between words by using a Space Man, I gave my kinders their own special "Space Man", I reminded my kinders to use their Space Man, I BEGGED my kinders to use their Space Man....so why, why, why, why, why where they still not using spaces consistently???  WHY?

Then, one day we are writing sentences and had just talked about patterns (and don't ALL Kinders LOVE patterns??  Uh...yeah.)  So, I said, "Isn't it fun how every sentence has a pattern:  word, space, word, space, word, space."  And as soon as I said that about 21 little lightbulbs went off inside my kinders heads. (I have 24 Kinders....just being realistic....)  Seriously, their eyes literally lit up and so did mine.  Duh Ah-ha....that's how you explain it!

Now a lot of you are thinking "Oh my, girlfriend, you just now got that?"   Yep, I did...and I'm so glad I did because now I'm only down to begging reminding 3 of my kinders to use their Space Man....and that is SO much better than 24!  Yeah!

You can't see me...but I'm doing a happy dance!

Word, Space, Word, Space, Word, Space, Word, Space

Now...If I can just get them to use periods.