Reader's Theater

To increase fluency, I am using a research-based strategy called Reader's Theater. Students each get a short play to read out loud. They practice several times before performing in front of the group. The increased practice helps students become more confident in their reading and more fluent. They are better able to read with expression and fluency.

In all fairness

One of the things I pride myself on is fairness. I think it is important to be fair with students. This does not mean all students will be treated the same. They are all different, and I treat them as such. But I know that I am human. I can not be everywhere, and I can not see everything. Sometimes I make mistakes. I admit it. One of the things I tell students is if they have a question, or feel I have made a mistake; they are to calmly speak to me about it. Tell me what happened. I am not afraid to admit my mistakes, even to a child. Even to you. I spoke recently to a parent and child about this. I just wanted to share.

Strategic Grouping

While students are completing their daily 5 routines, this frees my time up. I am able to pull small groups of students to my table to work on skills they need. Students work independently or in pairs to focus on select skills. When the skill has been retaught, they are able to retake tests to hopefully replace their low scores. Other students recieve small group enrichment to keep their grades and interest high. Students are also able to meet with me individually so that I can listen to them read and monitor their progress, high or low.

Daily 5

I am so excited to say that Daily 5 is underway. We have all five dailies introduced. During reading, students choose between five reading activities we call "dailies". They may choose to Read to Self, Read to Someone, Listen to Reading, Word Work, and Work on Writing. Students are responsible for doing two dailies each day and each daily twice a week. For accountability, students must complete the word work activity and show what they have done independently in work on writing. Here's a picture of what we do.

Testing

This week we took our first test. We have been working hard on drawing conclusions and story mapping. Students get the concepts but have a hard time writing their thoughts down. I am increasing the daily practice so that students are better able to express themselves. At home, do the same. Have them write more. Pay special attention to the writing they do in their homework. Make sure they can express themselves completely and accurately. This will help increase their scores.

Homework

I have spent the weekend grading homework packets. While the grades are not recorded, I think it is a good practice to inform you and your student the range of their effort. Homework is an important extension of school learning. If your student is recieving good effort grades on the homework, then you know they are able to recieve good grades in the classroom. With that being said, I have a few notes. Please make sure your child is reading and following directions. Many times, all the information they need is included in the packet. For example, this week I noticed that when asked to put a suffix on root words, many students added a prefix instead. When students were asked to write the new word and its meaning, many students only wrote the new word NOT the meaning. Also for the writing portion of the packet a specific writing prompt is posed. Students should not just write what they wish, or copy from a book they enjoy. When the story planner asks for a reflection, this does not mean a definition of the word. I would instead like them to reflect on what they felt after the events in the story had taken place. Be sure you are carefully looking at their homework, especially now at the beginning of the year. As the year goes on, I expect they will be able to do it independently, but this independence needs to be built. Thank you for all your help in your child's education. Be sure to call if you have any questions before the second packet is due on Friday.

First Week

What a wonderful first week. It was hard at first getting to know the names of students in all three classes, but I finally think I have a handle on it. I am so excited to say that the second grade teachers did a bang up job. These third graders are well-trained in Daily 5. They have hall basics down pat, and they know how to listen and read for stretches of time. In fact, the students are so advanced at Daily 5 that I have had to adjust my reading plans. Instead of slowly introducing the parts of daily 5 and building stamina, I am able to fast track. This coming week I will be introducing two new parts of daily 5, Work on Writing and Word Work. I had planned to spend a week on each of the five components of Daily 5, but I won't need to! It is also important to note, that I will need to move thier first reading test up from August 28 to the 26th. The test didn't change, only the date. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. The included picture is sideways, but shows students practicing Read to Self.