Week Six: July 16 - July 20
Whoosh! Summer school has come to an end. Looking back, we have accomplished so much in just six short weeks. I am proud of the children in the Reading and Writing Workshop. They were goal-oriented and focused, and their hard work paid off.
We’ve spent this last week tying up loose ends as the children finished reading their book club books, met deadlines for Friday’s newspaper, and reflected on the past six weeks of summer school.
Each child is leaving the Reading and Writing Workshop with a new outlook on reading and writing. They are reading for meaning, and writing not only for themselves, but for others.
The children have practiced being “active readers” by using strategies that good readers use to comprehend and find meaning in what they read. They are also more aware of the writing process and the time and effort it takes to take their writing from a draft to a published piece of writing. This has added meaning to their work of reading and writing and added a sense of enjoyment and accomplishment. I’m sure that these skills will help them as they take on a new school year of learning!
Thank you for your support. I’ve enjoyed working with your child, and hope you enjoy the rest of the summer!
Posted at 4:07 PM| Permalink
Week Five: July 9 - July 13
Hard to believe…summer school is almost over!
Reading
We continue our book clubs and the students have become more comfortable with their book club responsibilities and discussions. As they’ve gotten more in depth with their books, their discussions have become more thoughtful. Many students have gone beyond sharing to actively participating in a discussion by asking (each other) why they feel or think the way they do or sharing their thoughts and opinions on similar topics of discussion.
This week, we focused on the reading strategy of asking questions. We read the picture book, The Lotus Seed and asked questions about the story before, during, and after reading. We then proceeded to answer our questions and realized that we find answers to our questions from the text, through outside sources, and by using our inference skills. We determined that asking questions is a strategy that good readers use because it helps us to clarify meaning, determine the author’s intent, and learn more about what we’re reading.
Writing
We’ve been extremely busy writing as the students worked hard to meet a Wednesday deadline for this Friday’s newspaper publication. The students continue to write to meet next Wednesday’s deadline for our last newspaper publication on Friday, July 20th. This week, we also talked about writing good leads by “opening with a scene” and “how -to writing.”
I am extremely proud of each student in the reading and writing workshop. In just five weeks they have accomplished so much. I believe that they will walk away from our summer of writing with a new appreciation for the writing process.
Preparing the newspaper for delivery!
Preparing the newspaper for delivery!
Posted at 5:59 PM| Permalink
Week Four: July 2 - July 6
Hooray, for the publication of our first summer school newspaper!
Reading
Our reading clubs are underway. The kids are getting into the routine of reading, taking notes, and discussing things about their books. This week, we talked about some of our challenges with book clubs. Many students shared that it was sometimes difficult to agree on the number of pages to read, how to read (out loud or silently), and to stay focused (sometimes conversations strayed away from the book or students read ahead).
We continue to talk about strategies that good readers use. This week, we focused on the strategy of “asking questions.” The students are learning that good readers ask questions before, during, and after they read. Further, good readers seek answers to their questions.
Writing
Many of the students have been interested in writing comics. Last week, Scott Yoshinaga and Audra Furuichi came to our classroom to talk with us about comics; they publish the comic Nemu*Nemu. Scott and Audra gave us great insight into the process of creating a comic and the essential elements of comics. Thank you, Scott and Audra!
This week in writing we focused on writing good conclusions. The children determined that good conclusions: wrap up the author's ideas, reinstate the author’s opinions, move the reader to action, or leave the reader with an idea, thought, or impression.
The students who published articles in last week’s newspaper are busy writing new articles. If your child did not have an article in last week’s newspaper, you’re sure to see one in our upcoming edition.
Please Note: Due to the shortened week, there will be no student "Weekly Reflection" attached to your child's evaluation. I decided to give the students more time to work on their goals.
Posted at 6:24 AM| Permalink