Reading and Writing
Ms. Martinez
In this class, we will learn to read for comprehension, interpret, infer, and analyze. We will also learn the basic fundamentals of writing various sentence structures and essays.
The foundation for becoming life-long learners who will continue to read and write for various purposes begins in elementary! It is my goal to help children learn the art of writing to communicate effectively, and hopefully, they will learn to love reading and writing as much as I do! |
Sept 6-9
Sept 12-16 Sept 19-23 Sept 26-30 Oct. 11-14 Oct. 17-21 Dec. 5-9 Jan. 3-6 |
This week we are reviewing common and proper nouns, prefixes, suffixes, and root words. We are also continuing with understanding plot outlines for legends and folktales as we read The Legend of the Bluebonnet and Paul Bunyan. We are still reviewing nouns and adding verbs this week. We are also still reviewing plot with fairy tales. Please study vocabulary for this week's homework. Students wrote their own plot last week in preparation for an original fictional story. We are reading a tall tale in class, and students will be assessed over their comprehension of the story. Furthermore, they are going to have a common assessment in which they will read a short story and diagram the plot for the story. We have made huge gains in increasing vocabulary, writing dialogue, referring to textual evidence, and writing complete sentences with the correct punctuation and capitalization! This week we are learning about literary drama. Students have been excited about reading a part and/or acting in a play -- several reluctant readers have read aloud! I am so proud of the efforts these children have made! We are also reviewing plot as we begin to write our own fictional stories. Students are excited about combining plot with drama (on their own), and have asked to write a play! This is in addition to what we are doing in class; I would love for them to have the opportunity to direct and act in their own plays, so I will keep you posted... Lastly, we will correct tests that were taken last week in which students were assessed over comprehension and plot, and we will have a fun activity on Friday that will enhance their knowledge of the Native American culture. If your child can bring paper plates and/or yarn on Friday, I would greatly appreciate it! I'm sorry I didn't update last week, but as some of you may have learned, I was sick half the week. Just a quick update: students worked on writing their first draft of their fictional story, and we began writing dialogue from a blank cartoon. This week, we are continuing to learn how to write dialogue correctly along with understanding imagery and sensory details. We will then incorporate these techniques within our stories by choosing adjectives for descriptive writing. In reading, we are identifying fact and opinion within a non-fiction narrative. This week we are revising and editing our stories in order to publish them BY Friday. Students who have not met their AR goals will have time to work toward those goals AFTER they complete their stories. It looks like I took November off... sorry! We had been busy with poetry, and we continue to review similes, metaphors, and figurative language on a weekly basis. Currently, we are identfiying main idea and supporting details within a nonfiction text which will prepare us for the expository essay. Welcome back! Thank you for all the goodies at Christmas -- I was truly humbled by the generosity and support of students and parents. Today (Monday), we went to the library and students checked out 1-2 books based on their new reading levels. Remember that they should be reading 20 minutes every night for homework. This week will review expectations and procedures along with what we did the first semester. Heavy emphasis will be placed upon writing -- whether it's including details, dialogue, or organization, all writing is important and all skills enhance its quality. We will begin with punctuation and revising/ editing soon. Please remind them to capitalize! |