Take a Peek Into Room 404
Week of November 11, 2013
Thank you Veterans!
Revising and Editing Homework
Important notes about this homework:
1. Ignore the back of the story. I have told the students they do not need to do that part.
2. They will need to bring the story back on Friday with the editing and revision completed.
3. Please complete one paragraph per night in order to get more than one day of practice throughout the week. This will better prepare them for the test on Friday.
Reader's Workshop
We are now ready to begin our Reading Circles. Reading Circles are a group of 2-3 students who are all reading the same book independently, then they bring questions or opinions to share during a discussion after reading. The group members agree on an amount of text to read for that day, and after reading independently, they have meaningful discussions, listening to to each other and sharing ideas. This helps us experience the book in a deeper way than if we had just been reading on our own.
You can help your child experience a book by encouraging them to think deeply, instead of just rushing through books. Have them read aloud to you and then discuss the characters or any questions either of you may have. If you have time, you could start a reading circle with your family! After the next few weeks of good practice, your child should be an expert on Reading Circles, so you could even put them in charge of it.
This week we will look at character feelings, personality, how they change and relationships they have. By noticing all of these things, we can make theories about them. Just like we form theories about people we know or meet, we can do the same with characters, by studying what we know about them.
Writer's Workshop
For the remainder of the week, we will begin exploring expository writing! I think the kids will be excited for this change. We will start out by making sure we know the difference between expository and personal narrative:
Personal Narrative:
- Purpose-to tell a story/entertain
- A true story about you
Expository:
- Purpose-to inform or give information
- True facts or information about a topic that you know a lot about
It will be fun to begin to brainstorm and plan for this new type of writing. We will still be using the writing process throughout this unit. It is important to use the writing process each time you write.
Important Information
Wednesday:
- Early Release at 12:45
Thursday:
- Birthday Celebration for October and November birthdays. The celebration begins at 12:30 on the playground.
Friday:
- Awards Assembly at 2:30
- WEAR NEON FOR THE SPIRIT STICK!
Next week: Chess/Scrabble, Picture Retakes, Dress up day (Sports Theme)