Students are spread out around the room. Some sit at their desks updating their reading records or jotting down their thinking before nestling back into their books. Others stretch out on our "Groovy Grape" rug, books propped before them in various positions. Book club partners sit head to head in quiet corners sharing their noticings, wonderings, and predictions. A few students sift through book containers searching for their next read. They pass books back and forth enthusiastically recommending books to one another. Teachers confer with individual students. They marvel as students dig deep and share their thinking. Suddenly the book bell rings. Everyone pauses to give a silent shout out to the reader who proudly holds up the book he has just completed. Another student eagerly snatches up the much sought after title. This is what reading looks like in our classroom. Establishing Purpose We started our reading year with the question "Why Read?" Once we established the motivation to read, we worked hard to build our reading community. What We Do We get excited about books in our classroom. Together we explore our classroom library, chat about books, make recommendations, and create "Books to Read" lists. We pass our favorite books around the classroom, and hold lotteries for the most highly sought after titles. We watch live webcasts and get books signed by our favorite authors. Genre challenge This year in our classroom each one of is striving to read at least 40 books spanning different genres including realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, traditional literature, poetry, informational texts, biographies, graphic novels, and picture books. We choose our own books and keep careful records of books read. We check in often to reflect and set goals. As we read, we use thinking strategies to "dig deep" into the text. We notice, wonder, predict, connect, visualize, and figure out (infer). We explore setting, plot, theme, character, and author's craft. We "capture" our thinking in our reading notebooks and share during conferences and book club discussions both live and online. It's Working! We are reading tons! More than many of us dreamed possible! Our genre bar graphs are filling up quickly. We are choosing more complex texts and digging deeper than ever! We are well on our way to becoming the best readers we can be and life-long lovers of reading! Recent Reads and Classroom Favorites: Giving Credit Where Credit is Due Over the past few years, I have read several books which helped shape our Reading Workshop. I have been so inspired by these teachers' passion for teaching reading. Much of what we are doing in the classroom is based on their practices. I am so grateful to have stumbled upon these amazing teachers and their inspirational books! |
Who we are:
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What We Are
Working On: Math: ~Geometry:polygons, measuring and drawing angles, symmetry Measurement: area and perimeter ~Number Talks: Finding differences using an open number line Reading: ~Close Reading informational text ~paraphrasing, clarifying, elaborating ~identifying important ideas ~response writing ~supporting ideas with textual evidence Writing: ~Blogging ~Building fluency and stamina through quick writes ~Using clear and precise language ~Genres: Informational, opinion, narrative, and poetry Science: ~Magnets and magnetism ~Designing and carrying out scientific investigations Social Studies ~The Southwest Region |