Picture of the Week
Students will be interacting with the New York Times to discuss weekly pictures. Students have to write about what is going on in the picture, and give evidence from the picture to support their thoughts. It's very interesting to see what students around the country are thinking!
Reading Instruction
ComprehensionWe will be practicing and using eight key comprehension strategies. The students will:
Click on each strategy to view the organizers we will use. |
FluencyFluency is the speed, accuracy, and expression that a person has when reading. We will practice improving fluency through our source books, poetry, and charts. Rereading familiar books and poetry improves fluency.
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VocabularyOur vocabulary instruction uses a six-step approach to
learning words. The first three steps are used to introduce a new word and the last three steps are used to sharpen understanding. Explain: The teacher explains the word through a picture, description, and example. Restate: Students restate the description or example in their own words. Show: Students draw a picture, symbol, or graphic of the word. Discuss: The class has a structured vocabulary discussion. Refine and Reflect: Students return to their notebooks to refine entries. Apply: Students are involved in games that allow them to play with words. Click here for a list of the vocabulary words for the year. |
Phonics and Phonemic AwarenessOur phonics and phonemic awareness instruction is integrated into our reading program. We will be learning and practicing these skills daily, using our source book, poetry, and charts. Students will have explicit,
formal instruction as well as opportunities to apply their skills in reading and writing. They will look for and learn patterns in words instead. Weekly spelling lists are drawn from our word study, and will include 10 regular spelling words, 4 "no excuse" words, 4 "challenge" words, and 2 vocabulary words. |
Writing Instruction
During writing mini-lessons and writing workshop this year, the students are introduced to grammar skills, including punctuation and parts of speech. The students will learn most of these skills in the context of reading books and poems, as well as during our writing activities. We will be working on writing different styles, such as letters, stories, and poems. We will also be working on different writing skills, such as using good words, using different sentence styles, and coming up with ideas. As the year progresses, students will become more independent with their writing.
Writing ProcessWe will learn about and use the five steps of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
Students will be introduced to each through shared and interactive writing, and then apply their skills through independent practice during writing workshop. Writing organizers that we will use throughout the year are: Main Ideas and Details Story Sequence Poem Biography Problem and Solution Newspaper Cause and Effect Report Sequence Observation Log Sequence Persuasive Essay Compare and Contrast Letter Story |
Writing TraitsStudents will learn about the qualities, or traits, of good writing. We will study how many different authors develop their craft as we develop our traits of good writing: ideas, organizations, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation.
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