How did the caterpillars get these names you ask? We were taking time to observe the caterpillars today and it looked like two of the caterpillars were fighting for position on the side of the cup. I hear the kids saying, "Go Sally! Go Allie!" and one of my students looks over and says, "that is their names." So we named all the caterpillars and I decided to write them down.
Then this happened:
Me: "Are we going to spell Allie's name with an ie or a y?"
Student: (Leaning in and looking at me very seriously) "You can figure it out. You just need to stretch out the word. Listen A-L-L-I-E... you hear an e at the end. So it is spelled with an e."
Me: (beaming with pride) "Ok, I will spell it with an e. But, sometimes a y at the end of a word can sound like an e."
:)
