Today we celebrated publishing another piece of writing with second grade. We shared our memoirs and they shared their fairy tales and fables. It was a lot of fun and yummy…Gev. Dowling surprised us with a treat! Writing will come home after Pesach as we will continue to share with our peers throughout the week. 

After break we will begin working on biographies and studying non-fiction text!

This week in Reader’s Workshop we examined plot structure and worked on identifying different elements of plot.

We started the week by diagramming together, using our mentor text The Can Man. Later, students worked in partnerships to examine plot further. Please see student posts for more detail and information. 

Today, in honor of Dr.Seuss’s Birthday, we watched The Sneetches and did plot diagramming together. 

Next week we will continue our study of fiction by examining different themes commonly found in fictional text. 

This week we’ve been studying the four different types of conflict in fictional writing. The kids have had a blast coming up with examples from books, movies and real life! Please ask your child about the different types of conflict- they should be able to state 3 external types and 1 internal type. 

Today we split into partnerships and examined short passages, looking for evidence of conflict. We read closely and highlighted evidence that helped support our ideas of the type of conflict identified in the text. Then, each partnership shared a summary of the text (another important skill!) they had read in addition to their claim of conflict. 

Later this week we will continue working on our memoirs and learning more about elements of fiction. 

Good morning! As discussed at conferences, the best way to become a stronger reader is simply to read! At school, we focus on comprehension skills and strategies to enhance our reading abilities. We write reader’s responses, stop and jot, turn and talk and pull apart stories through discussion and conferring. At home, I want your kiddos to pick a book that they love and just read! Of course you can ask them questions about what they are reading, or even read a book with them, but at home, I just ask your child to read–no reader’s response necessary. Although there may be additional ELA homework some nights, the expectation for your child is to read 3-4 times per week for at least 20 minutes and log it on his/her reading log. The log is electronic (shared today in Google Classroom) and will be checked on Monday mornings. If your child prefers a paper copy, that is fine too. Or, they can log in the morning when they arrive to school! Happy reading!

Today we continued learning about fiction text. We refreshed our schema by discussing the different story elements present in all fictional writing. The kids listened to the short story, Dont be an Uncle Max, one of the wonderful titles in our mentor text, Birthday Surprises. This entertaining story provided us the opportunity to practice pulling apart a story, focusing on story elements. Later we will dig deeper into each element; In particular, the different types of conflict that arise in fiction.

Talking to your child about what we are reading in class is a wonderful way to learn more about your child as a reader. Don’t forget that my expectation is that 5th graders are reading at home at least 3-4 times a week for at least 15 minutes. They do not need to write a readers response, but they should be logging their reading. In addition, having the opportunity to discuss what you’ve read is a wonderful opportunity to grow as a reader. I encourage you to read a book with your child or ask your child about what he/she is reading. Thank you for your continued support at home!

We are kicking off quarter two by jumping into our fiction unit in Reader’s Workshop. Fiction writers are storytellers who transport us to imaginary places, entertain, demonstrate a moral, inspire imagination, reveal aspects of life and various cultures, and give us a glimpse into human nature.  We will be using mentor texts to study realistic, fantasy, and traditional fiction. 

Today we focused on recognizing different text structures within a fiction text. We started with the most common structure, chronological order. Through our mentor text, The Raft, we identified phrases that gave us clues that time was passing. We stopped and jotted to document the clues throughout the story. We discussed that good readers pay attention to overall structure and how scene changes signal chronological movement. I encouraged the kids to practice this strategy in their own reading as a form of readers response. Later, we will make the connection in our writing and try to remember to include temporal words or phrases to show passing time.