Mrs. Beer

Week of Nov. 14-18

Over the past few weeks students have been working on questioning before, during and after reading.  This week students will continue to demonstrate their understanding of what is read by logging questions about their reading  in their journals. 

Students will also demonstrate their understanding of the Six Minute Passage on the atmosphere by drawing and illustration.

Students will also begin using the strategy Somebody Wanted But So to help them summarize what they read. 

 

Week of October 24-28th Conference Week

Classes this week are 30 minutes long.  We will continue to work on summarizing and reading independently through each reading circuit. 

 

October 17-21

Uncovering Main idea - Last week we reviewed and practiced finding the main idea in informational text.  We will continue to practice in our guided reading in class and in our  independent reading.

What is theme?  Students will read a short story this week from the Scope Magazine.  We will discuss the the author's theme as the message the author is trying to communicate.

How do similes help a reader to better understand a story?  Author's use similes as a way to provide readers with an accurate picture.  We will identify similes and explore their effect on the reader. 

Summarize - If a reader understands what he/she reads they will be able to summarize.  This is often a difficult task for students to understand as they often give too much information.  We will use the strategy Somebody Wanted But So to summarize what we read this week.  Students will use this strategy in their independent reading.

Week of Oct. 3-7th Author's Purpose and Reader's purpose

This week we will begin preparing for more independent reading and reading conferences.  We will discuss an author's purpose as to:  entertain, inform (explain), persuade, reflect.  We will then look at our purpose as reader's to gain information and learning as well as for entertainment.  Student's will make the connection, identify an author's purpose and set their own purpose for reading.

Next week students will begin a "reading circuit" format in class where they will work independently to gather information, read for entertainment, explore new vocabulary and evaluate their progress.  As students work through the circuit, I will meet individually to discuss progress and guide students toward writing their own reading goals for the next nine weeks.

Week of Sept. 26-30

The Mailbox - Monday we will finish chapter 7 and begin chapter 8.  Students continue to practice using a two column note strategy to record important events, character information, reader questions (I wonder....)and make predictions (maybe...).

Homework - Students will read chapter 9 at home this week and record their thinking using this strategy.

Informational Text - We will read the article "Cross Your Fingers" in the Reality Central text.  Students will practice good reader strategies throughout the reading process:

• Before Reading - Connect to background knowledge; preview vocabulary, text and graphic features; develop pre-reading questions and predict.
• During Reading - Identify important information, answer pre-reading questions, develop new questions, make connections and record thinking.
• After Reading - Summarize, participate in conversation, answer questions, extend thinking

 

Week of Sept. 19-30, 2011

This week we will focus on the novel The Mailbox.  We will read chapters 6 and 7 in class.  Students will read chapter 8 as homework at the end of the week. 

We will discuss how a good reader "gets to know a character" and how to make relevant predictions.  Students will draw conclusions about characters and give evidence to back up their conclusions.

Looking forward to a great week of reading!!!

 

Week of September 12-16 "In the Grip of Graffiti"

We spent most of the week last week reading and discussing the first 4 chapters of the novel The Mailbox.  Students used their reading journals to track the events using cause and effect.  We also focused on the strategy of visualizing while we read. 

This week we will read the article "In the Grip of Graffiti".   Students will:

1. Students will use text and graphic features to make connections, ask questions and predict before they read.
2. Students will use a two column organizer to reflect and record new information on the topic.
3. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the article by participating in class discussion and responding to questions related to the text.

Friday:  We will partner read Chapter 6 of The Mailbox and record in our readers notebook: events, reader questions and predictions.

 

 

Friday, Sept. 9, 2011 Chapter 5 Questions

Students,

Over the weekend, read chapter 5 of The Mailbox and answer the questions below by clicking on "comment":

1.  What did the mystery person give Gabe?

2.  What does Gabe make Guppy promise never to do?

3.  How will Guppy change things for Gabe?

Week of Sept. 6-9th 2011

Last week we read the article "When Animals Help People".  The article presented information about therapy animals and posed the question is helping people good for animals.  Throughout the reading process students: posed questions; identified answers and important new information; and demonstrated understanding by answering questions and reflecting on their own ideas on the topic.

This week we will continue to this practice using the article "In the Grip of Graffiti".  Students will:

1. Students will use text and graphic features to make connections, ask questions and predict before they read.
2. Students will use a two column organizer to reflect and record new information on the topic.
3. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the article by participating in class discussion and responding to questions related to the text.

Novel: The Mailbox

We will begin reading the novel The Mailbox:

1. Monday - Read chapter 2 in class.  We will ask reader questions: What? How? Why? We will also make predictions: Maybe....
2. Independent Reading assignment - Read chapter 3 by Friday and respond to the following question: 

• Who does Gabe want to believe left the note? 
• What does he do all day? 
• By the end of the day, what does Gabe believe? 

 

 

 

                    

 

 

Week of August 29-September 2, 2011

Last week student practiced previewing novels to add to their reading list.  In addition we chose the novel The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer to read as a class. 

This week we will utilize  text, graphic and organizational features of the article "When Animals Help People"  

1.  Students will use previewing strategies such as making connections, asking questions and predicting before they read.
2. Students will use a two column organizer (adapted Cornell Note strategy) to practice pausing and thinking about what they learn from reading.
3. Students will evaluate how a writer uses cause and effect to organize text for the reader both in fiction and non-fiction.