Dear families,
Good afternoon and happy Friday! As your child works hard to practice thinking deeply and critically about their reading, they have also been writing much more deeply about what they read, and the thoughts they have about their reading. This work has been done through Post It Notes (PINs) and notebook work. When your child writes PINs, they are jotting down sentences that can “grow ideas”. These notes may contain a clue that the readers noticed, a reaction they have had to something in the story, something they wonder about in the book, or a theory they have about what is happening in the book. These PINs should be short - no more than 1 or 2 sentences (and sometimes less!) - and help them begin to consider a Big Idea about their reading. We are pushing your child to write long, too. This involves thinking “long and strong”: taking a small idea from a PIN and expanding it. When your child writes long, then look back into the book for evidence to support the theory they have about their reading, and then connect that evidence back to their original idea in order to draw conclusions. They say more and explain their thinking. They use “literary language”, or specific vocabulary words that support the ideas they have in their minds. These responses support logical thinking structures, and connect to important thinking practices across content areas. For independent, at home practice, your child’s response to an idea in their reading will be no longer than 10 sentences at most. As we move deeper into fall and challenge ourselves further as readers and thinkers, this is the structure your child will be practicing to help them build and grow their critical thinking skills as readers. This work will be done in narrative fiction and other texts, allowing for a range of engagement and discussion. You can rehearse this structure by having deep conversations with your child and asking them, again and again: WHY. Have a wonderful weekend, and happy reading! Ms. McGill
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Dear families,
Good afternoon and happy Friday! I hope you all had a great week. I am so lucky to have such a special group of talented thinkers. We have worked hard this week to really start to dig in to the routines of thinking deeply and writing notes to develop ideas about our writing. In this Narrative Reading unit, your child will utilize a variety of reading strategies that will enable them to dig deep into a narrative (any kind of fiction), looking at how and why the author includes the details they do. Our goal is for your child to understand the story, and also consider all the parts of Author’s Craft: 1) how pieces of the story fit together, 2) the craft choices an author makes and the reasons they might have had for doing so, 3) the ways various themes can operate in a single text, and 4) the universal themes that connect seemingly different narratives. These skills will be vital throughout the entire year, regardless of the unit of study. Currently, reading homework is to read for 30 minutes at night. This is crucial, because it helps yourself develop a routine of making time every night to read and spend time with stories. In school, we have added to this routine by taking notes and writing about our reading. Here are some questions to help you discuss your child's reading with them at home. These questions reflect the work we do in school, and connect to our unit essential questions. The questions get more difficult as you go, and if they cannot answer those questions yet, that’s okay! They are still practicing and learning. Part to Whole
Author’s Craft
Themes
Comparing Themes Across Texts
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about our upcoming unit. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! I look forward to enjoying some great literature alongside your child. Warmly, Ms. McGill Dear families,
Good day and happy Friday! I hope that you have had a wonderful week. In the classroom we worked hard this week to show what we know about writing and reading critically; we practiced and began to settle into school and classroom routines; and we worked hard to begin to build a strong and vital practice for reading. One of the biggest things we will be working on soon is setting goals as a reader. These goals are important because they help the students consider their personal reading habits and preferences. This week the students worked on webs that mapped out their reading preferences, as well as choosing great books that match them and challenge them. We will continue this work next week by asking:
Every student is different and answers these questions in different ways. Their answers will show them important things about themselves, and the students will use their reading habits to set goals for themselves as fifth grade readers. We will work so hard to move towards these goals this year. We will read deeply and critically, and write with a keen eye toward style and accuracy. You can help support your child as we move toward these goals by doing a few things at home:
I am so excited about your child’s reading this year. It will be big, ambitious, and above all… important. I know they will do great things as readers, writers, and learners this year. I can’t wait to see what they achieve. Thank you for your time and support as we work to explore our reading and writing practices, and begin to build the skills needed to think critically and deeply. Sincerely, Ms. McGill |