Language Arts: This week we will continue our study of realistic fiction, while continuing to find "just right" books to read during StIR (Structured Independent Reading). We are up to reading 20 minutes at a time without losing focus of what we are doing. During StIR, students are given an idea or a task to complete while reading. I pull one student at a time to check in on fluency and comprehension. I also use this time for some higher level questioning. ISIP reading assessments have been completed for September, and I'm using that data to help drive my small group instruction.
During small group instruction I will be focusing on specific skills such as understanding plot, determining main characters, looking for moments in the book that create visualization, connections, questions, predictions, or inferences. Students are learning to mark those items with post it notes and continue reading. A big focus this week will be understanding character traits as opposed to physical traits and determining changes a character goes through during a story. Being able to determine character changes ties in directly with being able to determine the theme of the book.
All throughout Language Arts, students are involved in writing. Sometimes students are writing responses to questions I've posed about their books. I use versatile questioning strategies that apply to any realistic fiction book so that students can share with each other. They learn so much from each other in these discussions. In addition, students are writing a weekly reader response letter with a specific purpose in mind. You will see a lot of growth during the year in these letters as students learn how to elaborate and prove their thinking with examples from text.
In Social Studies we will finish our landmarks project this week. These should be on display for you to see at Back to School Night this Thursday. Students are learning about the four main regions of Texas including the climate, vegetation, and animals that are common to each area. Students will work on a map of Texas identifying the four regions, some major cities and a few rivers as well.
Homework this week, if not otherwise written, is to read at least 20 minutes per night. Students are learning that reading is more than just eyes on a page. They should be listening with their minds and hearts, constantly connecting to and thinking about what they read.