of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. This is usually a HIGH INTEREST topic for kiddos and this year's class has proven that still to be true. During small group rotations, we are reading I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic (historical fiction) and several nonfiction texts about the Titanic disaster. These text pairings have made for some wonderful discussions and deeper thinking about the texts and the connections between the two genres.
- We've also been using our VISUALIZING strategies and MAKING INFERENCES skills as we navigate the texts.
- Personal narrative writing has been our focus during writing rotation.
- Long a/short a in multiple syllable words has been our word study focus. I stapled the list of 8 words, last week, in each agenda. We will take a skills test tomorrow to see where they are. I introduced a new spelling strategy to students last week. It is called "Spelling Through Phonics" and requires kiddos to follow a VERY SPECIFIC ROUTINE. I'll list the steps below. Have your child show you HOW they do this in class. It is very effective when done correctly.
- Count syllables. (dismay= 2 syllables)
- Draw lines to match. (ie- 2 syllables = __________ __________)
- Start with the first syllable, focus on the middle vowel sound, write it. _i_
- Focus on the end sound, write it. _is
- Focus on the beginning sound, write it. dis
- Reread JUST that syllable.
- Move on to the next syllable. _a_
- Repeat steps above. _ay may
- Write the word underneath the lines when finished. dismay
