Mrs. McCarthy's Parent Newsletter
Reading and Writing with 5-M
January
Currently, in Reader's Workshop...
We are using strategies to help us read and analyze nonfiction. Our theme is Human Impact on the Environment. Our mentor texts are science-based and focus on this topic. We are learning to apply the following skills and strategies:
- Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a scientific text based on specific information in the text
- Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts
- Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word
- Summarize a nonfiction passage with the main idea and important details
- Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources to answer a question
- Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write about the subject knowledgeably
Just a reminder:
- Students are expected to read at home regularly. Reading logs are sent home Monday and handed in Friday. The goal is 100 minutes of reading a week.
- Weekly reading responses are posted on Edmodo on Wednesday and are due on Friday.
Currently, in Writer's Workshop...
This month, we are combining our newly practiced research skills with persuasive writing. We are learning to apply the following skills:
Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic
Gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact with others
Write opinion pieces on topics, supporting a point of view with reasons and information
Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses
Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details
Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose
End with a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented
About Mrs. McCarthy
Email: lmccarthy@brielle.k12.nj.us
Website: www.brielle.k12.nj.us/mccarthy
Location: Brielle Elementary School, Brielle, NJ, United States
Phone: 732-528-6400 106