Independent Reading
When parents go to the library, I know the child's reading level is a concern. You want to find books on your child's reading level. I want to explain how you can do this. You need to go to the AR book finder website http://www.arbookfind.com and click parent. You will now type in the book title and hit search. When you find the book, look at the information beside BL and the level will be right beside those letters. I have provided the chart below, so you can understand what level each book is that your child is interested in reading at home this school year.
Reading Levels
Grade Level AR level
2 M 2.8-2.9
3 N 3.0-3.3
3 O 3.4-3.6
3 P 3.7-3.9
4 Q 4.0-4.5
4 R 4.6-4.9
5 S 5.0-5.3
5 T 5.4-5.6
5/6 U 5.7-5.9
5/6 V 6.0-6.4
5/6 W-Z 6.5-6.9
- MY students are required to read at least 8 chapter books each nine weeks.
- Students are responsible for passing their AR quiz with an accuracy rate of 70% or higher.
- Each book read should be WITHIN THEIR reading level, so please use the chart I provided above.
- I assign a reading response each week, so please make sure their response/dates match their book log inside their communication folder. I do surprise checks, so I can make sure they are accurate.
***** Please make sure your child's book log is up to date at all times. I will check these book logs each Friday. I should know what book they have just finished and what book they are reading during the time I check.
May 1st- 5th
*Review all standards and continue DBQ
April 24th- 28th
* Review of standards we have learned and writing
April 17th- April April 21st
* We are writing about our informational topics. This is a long unit study. We brainstorm, draft, review, edit, and then publish. We are learning a new piece to add into our writing each day. These strategies will help their writing stand out.
*We are also reviewing all reading standards to prepare for fourth grade also.
*We are reading Matilda each day as well. I love this story!
April 3rd- 7th
*Informational writing focus
*DBQ writing using informational documents about Harriet Tubman the next few weeks.
March 20th- March 24th
**We are doing test prep this week in creative/ fun ways.
- Text Feature scavenger hunts
-Reading multiple passages (Literature, informational, poetry, and drama)
-We are using proof to connect meaning.
-We will be playing games to examine text and connect meaning within all types of different text in groups.
-This week we are also working on context clues, point of view, and questioning in independent reading.
February 27th- March 3rd
*We are still pulling in comparing and contrasting Literature text. However, we are also focusing on reviewing standards for the FSA. I am constantly pulling students for small group instruction to meet their needs based on data I have collected from cold reads, DE testing, class observations, and IREADY. We will take the FSA on March 27th and 28th. It will be here before we know it.
February 20th- February 24th
*Comparing and Contrasting Literature text. We are comparing/contrasting characters, plot, and theme (lesson).
February 13th- February 16th
*Compare and Contrast informational and Literature Text
*IREADY DIAGNOSTIC TESTING
February 6th- February 10th
*This week we will continue comparing and contrasting two different text on the same topic using informational text.
*I will Introduce Comparing and Contrasting Literature Text on Friday, so this will become our focus for next week.
January 30th- February 3rd
*This week we will begin comparing and contrasting informational text on the same topic. We will always have two different passages to read, so we our learning goal is to find the similarities and differences between the two.
*We look at the Main Idea to see how they are similar and different.
*We analyze the author's point of view, so we can see if they are similar or different.
*We think about what the author wants us to understand after reading in both passages.
*We looks for clue words and phrases to find similarities and differences also.
*The most important part is making sure we read to understand. If we do not read to understand, we will have a hard time comparing/contrasting two passages.
January 23rd- 27th
*This week I will introduce how to find the main idea of informational text.
*Students will pay attention to the topic, the main idea, and the key details.
*Students will need to be able to understand how to find the main idea when reading informational text.
*This week we will be having a lot of collaborative discussions about informational text. It is important we analyze the text and support our thinking while reading. This will help students gain an overall understanding of the craft and structure of informational text too.
January 16th- 20th
* Continue Fables and focus on the moral/lesson while incorporating main idea. Students will need to read deep into the text, so they can understand the lesson learned.
*We will also be working on Main idea in informational text during small group instruction.
January 9th- January 13th
*Recount stories (fables, folktales, and myths) from diverse cultures
*Determine the central messge/Theme which is the lesson, or moral learned
*Sequence details or events in these stories
December 12th- 16th
* Continue text structure
December 5th- December 9th
*We are starting Text structure in informational text.
*Text structures in informational text are very important. Readers need to understand how authors organize information. It gives readers a specific purpose for reading. It helps understand what is important in the text. The text structure is a signal to our brain to read the text a certain way.
* Sequence
*Description
*Cause and Effect
*Compare and Contrast
November 28th- December 2nd
*We are continuing our Chris Van Allsburg author study these next few weeks. We will read two of his books this week as we focus on how to make an inference.
*Students will learn to use their SCHEMA (background knowledge) and text evidence to make an inference.
*Authors want their readers to use text evidence/clues and their background knowledge to figure out things they do not directly say to them.
* Please ask your child about the inferences they are making in class each day.
* This will help you understand how well they are grasping the concept.
*We also will be identifying the main idea and theme of each book that we read.
November 14th- November 18th
* I wanted to apologize for not updating the website last week. I was so sick. I caught one of those bad viruses going around.
*We have been going over point of view in literature and in informational.
*Literature is where we look at a characters point of view. Informational point of view is when we try to find the author's point of view on a particular topic.
*This week we have started our Chris Van Allsburg author study, so ask your child about him this week. His books are incredible.
*We will tie in some important skills for the next three weeks while using his books.
*Cause and Effect, Theme (lesson), point of view, using illustrations to convey meaning, inferencing, and more.
October 21st- November 4th
*Hi Everyone! Sorry I am a little late on the website this week. I have had meetings after school that have ran late.
* This week we are learning all about Point of View using Literature.
*Students will understand how a character, or narrator's point of view can affect a story.
*They are learning that characters have a point of view towards another character, or a situation that occurs in the story.
*It is important to understand the way the character thinks.
*Students will also learn how to respond to their point of view. Do they agree, or disagree with their point of view?
October 24th- 28th
* We will continue the same standard from last week, but this week we will learn about dramas. We will learn how to use and understand vocabulary words to understand the parts of a drama.
*We will understand how each scene builds on the next scene.
*This will help students understand why they need to stop and check for understanding before moving on.
October 17th-21st
* We will begin poetry this week.
* I will introduce important words like stanza, and line.
* I need them to be able to understand what each stanza adds to the next stanza. How are they connected? Therefore, understanding the main idea of each stanza will be very important in poetry.
* I have attached a learning scale below to help you understand this standard. We will be working with this standard the next two weeks. Next week we will begin learning about plays.
* Our learning target on the scale is a 3, so this is what your child will need to show they can do. They do not need to be at a 4, but the scale always will show what above target looks like.
* Your child will know this scale inside and out! :)
October 10th- October 14th
*Due to school being out two days last week, we will continue last week’s plans. We have WOW Wednesday this week, so there will only be three full days of instruction this week. Therefore, we will make up last week.
October 3rd- October 7th
* We will take our Text Features Skills Assessment on Monday. They will need to be able to identify, use, and explain text features in the third grade. Therefore, this will allow me to see how well we can use these text features to convey meaning.
*We will continue to Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).
*We will use the story Amazing Grace on Tuesday and Wednesday to get more in-depth with this skill.
*On Thursday we will look at a Literature passage and use illustrations and the text to answer questions while referring explicitly to the text.
* On Friday we will take our cold read. I hold on to these cold reads for at least a week. I hold on to them, so I can collect the data I need to pull groups and help your child.
September 26th- September 30th
* This week we will finish up Text Features. Our last day covering Text Features will be tomorrow. We will review these a lot through out the year, but I will begin teaching a new skill. They will be tested on this skill next Monday. This test will be used to assess this skill only.
* In the vocabulary section, I have attached vocabulary words explaining each text feature. Students will be tested on these next week also.
* Wednesday we will start a new standard.
* Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).
* We will analyze different illustrations as we read.
* Illustrations show us what is happening, effect our feelings, and give us extra details that are not always in the text.
*Readers must pay close attention to illustrations in all types of text. This week we will focus on these illustrations in Literature.
September 19th- September 23rd
* We are still working with Text features and will continue to work with these the rest of this week.
* Please read the detailed post I made last week for more information on text features.
* I am using my small group instruction time to review R.A.C. E and how to refer explicitly to the text for answers.
September 12th- September 16th
Some Fiction Story Elements :
- Characters: main characters & supporting characters
- Setting: when and where did the story take place
- Problem or Conflict: usually introduced early on; can be external or internal
- Plot or Text Structure: the rise and fall of action
- Solution or Resolution: how the problem or conflict is solved
- Point of View: 1st person (main character telling story; use of “I” and “me”) or 3rd person (narrator telling story; use of “he/she”, “him/her”)
- Theme: More than the topic of the story, the “message” the author is trying to send through the use of the story
Story Elements are very important when reading fiction because they help us understand the story being told. I have written some story elements above, so you are able to see how important they are.
* Text Features are important just like Story Elements. We find Text Features in Non-fiction text.
*Text features help the reader make sense of what they are reading. What exactly are non-fiction text features?
*Text features go hand-and hand with comprehension. Without them, students will have a more difficult time reading non-fiction text. For example, if the author wants a reader to understand where an animal is located in the world, then providing a map helps the reader visualize and understand the importance of that animals’ location. If the parts of an animal are important for the reader to understand the text, a detailed diagram with labels gives the reader the support he needs to comprehend the text.
In my experience, readers of all ages, tend to skip over many of the text features provided within a text. Information will not always be written in a paragraph, so they will need to use text features to find important information the author wants them to learn about in text features also.
*We will begin text features this week and dive deeper into this standard the following week. Please make sure you are asking your child about what text features they have learned about each day.
September 5th- September 9th
* Sorry for the late post...My internet has been down at home, so I was unable to update the site this weekend.
* In reading we are continuing to use evidence by referring explicitly to the text while answering and asking questions. We will start informational text at the end of the week. I will be introducing text features a little on Thursday and Friday. This will prepare them for our text feature unit we start next week.
* Students are also working on identifying thin and thick questions during Independent Reading.
August 29th- September 2nd
- Last week in reading we spent a lot of time on Questioning skills using Literature. The standard states that your child must ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as a basis for their answers. We focused on Literature last week. Before we focus on informational text, I am using this week to focus an entire week on text evidence as a whole. This is a skill we will continue to work on all year, but we need one full week to grasp the idea of this concept, so we can focus on this all year.
- Using evidence to find answers in the text connects to the standard stated above. The following week we will dive into questioning with informational text. I focus the first three weeks on questioning and evidence. If students understand this concept, we can use our evidence from the text to understand all standards better in my opinion.
- We will use a super cool PowerPoint presentation with small passages to gain understanding of finding evidence. After we practice with our PowerPoint presentation for two days, we will practice using our RACE organizer. Students will have a passage they read. After they read the passage, they will answer questions using the organizer.
- In Independent Reading students will use strategies we have learned so far. Students will visualize and use questioning. They will have post it notes to document their thinking. On Wednesday they will start using an Independent Reading Response Sheet to document their questions before, during, and after reading also.
August 22nd- August 26th
- This week I will introduce Questioning in reading.
- We will use different types of questioning strategies to understand how to comprehend different types of text.
- They will also learn how to ask the right questions before, during, and after they are read also.
- I want your child to understand there are three different levels of questioning.
- Level 1- The answer to this question can be found directly IN THE TEXT!
- Level 2- You need to look in MORE THAN ONE place to answer this question!
- Level 3- The answer cannot be found ONLY IN THE TEXT! Use your background knowledge and clues from the text to help you.
- I have attached a file I use with my kids to help them in short response questions. It is called RACE so please go over this at home too. I expect this format when answering all short response questions in my class.
- This will be something new to your child most likely, so please help me create this habit.