This is our third, and final, week of Unit 1 in our Benchmark Reading Series. We have been focusing on main idea and supporting ideas/details, asking and answering questions (before,
during, AND after reading), biographies, and pacing/speed when reading.
This week we are working on readers' theatre scripts in class. Several groups are going to perform the book, turned script, My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother, by Patricia Polacco. Other groups will be performing a piece from Lady Liberty, written by Diane Rappaport. Mrs. Bartram and Miss Youree's groups are also working on poetry and various readers' theatre scripts. We are focusing on working as a team, building fluency, reading at an appropriate speed/pace when reading our scripts to the audience, and expression. We will work on these Thursday and Friday and possibly present to small audiences on Friday morning (office staff, younger classrooms, etc.) to show off our skills.
Students should be reading NIGHTLY for at least 15-20 minutes. I have set Reading Counts goals for them based on their successes with books this year, their NWEA test results, their interest levels, and their endurance/stamina when reading. They aren't always point goals, necessarily. Sometimes they will be Lexile and/or just "success" goals when quizzing. Ask your child what his/her goal is. Are they working their hardest to get there? Are they showing you their Data Binders weekly with the updated Reading Counts sheets, graphs, and goals?
Next week we begin Unit 2 and will be focusing on identifying sequence of events, determining text importance, personal narratives, and pauses in fluency.
Have a great rest of your week!
