Literature Circles

I am in the process of beginning literature circles in class.  We will begin working with legends and folktale picture books next week.  Students will learn the different jobs and have an activity to complete that requires higher level critical thinking skills.  We will then move to working in small groups reading a novel.  They will have required jobs (related to the reading), small group discussions, and a culminating project.  Novel choices will be announced soon.

Beginning of 3rd Quarter

Wow, it's hard to believe that 3rd quarter began today!  Students are taking County Benchmark Assessments today and tomorrow.  All 3rd - 5th graders took the reading assessment today and will take the math tomorrow.  This assessment will not affect grades, but it will give us important information about how much each student has learned so far this year. 

As a result of the assessment today, I did not hand out homework for the week.  Students will receive a homework packet tomorrow.  Please remind your child that all answers must be in complete sentences. 

During the 3rd quarter we will be covering:  types of fiction, plot, theme, point of view, character motivation, retelling and summarizing, and mood.  Many of these skills will require students to make inferences:
"Inferring is the process of creating meaning from text.  It combines our prior knowledge (schema) with what is read.  When readers infer, they create meaning that is not stated explicitly in the text.  The reader "reads between the lines" to pick up on clues provided by the author in order to extract meaning.  When readers infer, they draw conclusions, make predictions, create interpretations, make connections, and think critically about the text.  Inferring allows the reader to extend their comprehension beyond literal understanding."

Questions to Reveal Thinking:
* After reading the title, what do you predict the story will be about?
* How did making a prediction help you as a reader?
*Can you share with the class how sometimes our predictions come out different from what we originally thought?
*What message do you think the author wanted you to understand?
*How does inferring help you see and understand what you read?

Language for Drawing Inferences:
* I predict ...
* I think that ...
* My guess is ...
* That's just what I thought ...
* My conclusion here is ...

You can help your child by asking them these questions about the books they are reading.  You can also have these conversations about magazine and newspaper articles and TV shows and movies.  These questions will also  help build critical thinking skills.

Thanks for all that you do to help your child be successful at school.

It's been too long since I last posted (I apologize).  It's hard to believe that we are coming to the end of 2nd quarter.  We are elective down this week.  Third quarter electives begin next Tuesday, January 17th.

B1 & B2 have a homework assignment due tomorrow the 10th (summarizing reading, capitalization, and comprehension).  They received another packet today that includes summarizing reading, commas, and reading comprehension.

The school is sponsoring a cyber bullying presentation on Thursday, January 12th before the chorus concert.  Please plan to attend.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me pfoster1@hotmail.com