Process

Reading:

Fluency & Decoding:  Fluency Rubric

Vocabulary Development:

Visual Dictionary: This web site is pretty cool. Maybe you've seen it? You put a
vocabulary word in and it comes back with a word web and images that
illustrate the word.

Word Sift - helps with academic vocabulary

Comprehension:

Before Reading:

 1.  Check out the Readers' Workshop Tasklist

2.  Make PREDICTIONS.  You need to make at least 5 predictions about your book and tell why you made that predictions.  Good readers predict before, during, and after reading.  It creates interest in their reading and tests how well they are understanding the book.

During Reading:

1.  Good readers keep track of what they are reading in many ways.  Remember to FOCUS on The Hand to complete your reading journals.  (Rubic) Your reading journal needs a quick picture/sketch of the important parts of the chapter.  It also includes multiple Predictions, Questions, Connections, and Inferences.  (See the Hand.)

2.  Good readers keep track of new vocabulary words OR words they like and don't use in their own writing.  (Use this form to do that.)  Remember:  thinking about your context clues will make the word easier to learn and remember.

After Reading Tasks:

1.  Finalize your Vocabulary sheet.  Ask Ms. Rooks which words you need to look up.  Determine the correct meaning.  Ask about any word that is confusing.  Check meanings within your book.  Do they make sense?  Use these new words in your post reading projects!  Underline them when you use them for credit!

2.  Consider the THEME of your book.  Think about theme like party decorations - all of the decorations are different, but they fit together to let you know what the party is all about.  There are balloons, streamers, banners, and decorated treats.  This like direct quotes from the author, characters' thoughts and feelings, characters' actions, and dialogue.  All of those author's methods help us to understand the theme of a book - or the author's message. Use this page to help you figure out the theme of your book and plan your LITERARY RESPONSE.  Be prepared to share with the class during your share time.

3.  Complete this Reading Assessment. 

4.  Find an Information Connection topic that connects to your book.  Remember, you need to read and code this article in the same way you do your current events assignments.  (See explanation sheet).   Complete this sheet using your research and share with the class.  This is a great example of an information connection created by Baruc!

OR

4.  Another way to look at this assignment is to use these  Research Guidelines to find out more about the real elements in your book.

5.  Think about your main character.  Complete an I Am poem.  This poem is written from your main character's point of view.  It's like s/he is writing it!

6.  Post a Book Review on the Library Blog - here are the directions and an example.


Other Optional Projects you can do:

7.  Write the author:  How to and a list of addresses!

8.  Consider the  Critical Reading Questions!  Remember: protagonist is the main character, the "good" guy.  The antagonist is the "bad" guy.  The antagonist can also be a feeling (defeatist attitude) or an event (war).  

9.  Take a look at all of these options.  If you'd like to do more with your book, choose one and go for it.  Click here for a list of ideas for "book reports" or responses to literature!

 

Other Reading Topics/Projects:

Expository Text: (see bottom)

  Introducing myself through Expository Text thinksheet

PAWS Rubric~

Assessments:

 

 

Writing

Plan:

I. FATPPG:

F:  Format - How are you going to write it?

A:  Audience - Who will read you writing?

T:  Topic - What are you writing about?

P: Purpose - Why are you writing it?

P:  Publishing - How will you publish this writing? How will your intended audience get it?

G:  Goals - What are YOUR writing Goals for this piece.

 

II. PLAN FORM -  depending upon your purpose and format of writing, choose a plan form:

1. Research Plan from Trailblazers  (use for all narratives)

2.  Short Story Plan - from Jane Schaeffer.  Use these interactive graphic organizer templates to pre-think your story plan. 

3.  Paragraph Plan:  Reflection Paragraph (used with Weekly Reader assignment)

4.  Essay Plan:  5-Paragraph Essay, Problem-Solution-Effect, (Example Problem-Solution Plan & Example Problem-Solution Essay)

5.  Poetry Plans:  I am, I am from, List Poem, A poem for Two Voices

Write:

 

Revise:

1.  Remember to use the AUTHOR'S METHODS!  Use this tally sheet to help you know what to add OR draw an Author's Methods Man and tally around him!!

2.  Peer Revision Methods we use in class: 

3.  Use Autopilot Revision Page to help you further.

Edit:

1.  C - capitalize names of people, places, and things; the first letter of a sentence

2.  O - remember how to fix run on sentences (S. S.  OR S;S.  OR S, and S.  conjunctions are and, but, yet, nor, or, so, for)

3.  P - end marks:  ? for questions!  and Remember your COMMA RULES!  (Here is the chart!)

4.  S - Spelling:  watch for homonyms and YOUR mistakes. 

 Spelling -

For additional Editing practice:

This is a great site to practice all sorts of Language Arts skills. It provides instant feedback. It is very helpful in a number of different topics!

Vocabulary and Editing...and Saving the World:  Try Free Rice to develop vocabulary and practice editing and grammar skills.  

Publish:

Who is your audience?!  Get your writing to that person or those people!!!

Are you going to Glog it?  (MzRooks, Teacher)

 

Expository Text:

QAR: Question Answer Relationship: 

Ongoing Current Events Assignments:

The purpose of coding/annotating text is for students to share their thinking as they read with their teacher.

To help student remember what is expected, each reading strategy is associated with "The Hand." The codes and associated digit are as follows:

"P" - for predictions (thumb) - Predictions show what the student thinks will happen next or happened in the past. Predictions are focused on the plot or action. Remember, predictions can be confirmed or rejected.

It could look like this: P-Australia's water supply will only get worse!

"?" - for questions (pointer finger) - Questions can be informational (answers would be found in a reference book - dictionary, encyclopedia, internet), curiosity (answers will be found later in the text), and/or challenging (answers may never be found - more theoretical in nature - EX: Why is there hatred in the world?) Note: Students are encouraged to follow a question up with a prediction!!

It could look like this: ?-why would they do that? P - They're scared or ?What does Responsible mean? P - doing the right thing (Note: good readers Predict the answer to their questions.)

"C" - for connections (middle finger)- Students should make Text-to-Self, Text-to-Text, and Text-to-World (movies, class, news, etc) connections. Connections help the reader get the most meaning from the text.

It could look like this: C - like bully proofing class! or C-my brothers or C- to our textbook


"I" - for inferences (ring finger) - Inferences are like predictions only they focus on PEOPLE. Students should infer about the thoughts, feelings, motivations, etc. of the people in the article. We talk about getting into the heads of the people we read about. OR We infer about the author's purpose (or bias) for writing the article.

It could look like this: I - she's jealous! or I - the author wants us to send money

"!" - for important/interesting information (pinky finger)- This information should be underlined or highlighted. It is important to remember that not all information in an article should be highlighted or underlined!! As students reread the underlined or highlighted information, it should sound like a summary of the text. Most of what is underlined or highlighted should have another code/comment webbed off of it.

WEBBING: When using reading comprehension strategies, one strategy often leads to another.
For example: P- students learn more when they do this, which leads to an I-they feel better about the information in the article, which leads to a ? - do they do better on tests?, which leads to a P - yes!

Assessment 1: Current Events (QAR, Strategies, Propaganda, Comics)

Assessment 2: Current Events (PSE)


#5:  Geography Themes: