Some of my students have been doing presentations on traditional literature.  Check out this student's interpretation of his folktale of choice.

Upcoming Assignments

Spelling Test- Students have spelling words that incorporate the suffix -tion in most of the words based on content area (math, reading, science, and social studies) words that students have brainstormed together in class.  The remaining words on the test will be homophone words such as one and won.  Students will have to listen to a sentence and correctly spell the correct homophone on the test.

Presentation Project- Classes 1, 2, and 4 are working on individual and group projects in order to better prepare them individual presentations that they will be completing after Christmas break.

Grandparent Essay- This is a writing contest sponsored by retired teachers in Kentucky.  More details to come later.

Learning Targets

Reading Standards/Learning Targets: Fictional Stories

I can define inference and explain how a reader uses direct quotes from a text to reach a logical conclusion (“based on what I’ve read, it’s most likely true that…”).  Reasoning

I can read closely and find answers explicitly in text (right there answers) and answers that require an inference. Skill

I can analyze an author’s words and find quotes needed to support both explicit and inferential questions. Skill

I can analyze details in a text (e.g., how characters respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic) to determine a theme (author’s overall message). Reasoning

I can compose a summary stating the key points of the text. Product

I can compare/contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama using specific details from the text. Reasoning

I can use various strategies (e.g., context clues, root words, affixes) to determine the meaning of words and phrases.  Skill

 

I can identify basic points of view as first person (narrator tells about her/himself; “I”), second person (narrator talks directly to reader; “you”), or third person (narrator tells about others; “he/she/it”). Knowledge

I can determine a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view in a text. Reasoning

I can analyze how visual elements add meaning, create tone, and contribute to the beauty of a text. Reasoning

I can use my analysis of word structure to help me decode unfamiliar multi-syllabic words. Skill

I can read grade-level text fluently and show comprehension through voice, timing, and expression. Skill

I can self-correct misread or misunderstood words using context clues.

Writing: Opinion Piece

I can determine my opinion/point of view on a particular topic or text. Reasoning

I can create an organizational structure (chronology, compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution) to logically introduce my topic and opinion. Skill

I can support my opinion with logically ordered facts and details and link my reasons with words, phrases and clauses. Skill

I can write a piece wit an introduction, supporting details/facts, and a concluding statement/section. Product

I can use prewriting strategies to formulate ideas (e.g., graphic organizers, brainstorming, lists). Skill

I can prepare multiple drafts using revisions and edits to develop and strengthen my writing. Skill

Speaking/Listening

I can explain my own ideas and tell what I’ve learned from a discussion. Skill

I can identify and follow the agreed upon rules for discussion and carry out assigned roles. Product

Hello and welcome to our fifth grade English Language Arts blog. I am excited to say that throughout the year I will be letting students put some of their writing pieces on our class blog. So, don't forget to check and see if your child has posted their writing.

I am sending a newsletter home this week so that you can become familiar with my class. With this newsletter, I will be sending home I Can statements that will inform you as parents what your child will be learning for the next several weeks. Be sure to ask your child daily/weekly what they are learning. 

We do have a classroom library and would appreciate any books that you would like to donate so that your children can check out books from my classroom as well as the school library. I have already told the students that I do not use AR points for a grade in my class. I have noticed that several students enjoy reading, and I hope to encourage more students to become FANS of reading.

Please let me know if you ever have any questions or concerns about your child. I adore your children and will treat them like my own. I am excited to teach this class since most of the students were in kindergarten when I was a kindergarten teacher. I hope they enjoy their last year here at Highland!!!

Learning Targets 

I can determine reading strategies (ask questions, make connections, take notes, make inferences, visualize, re-read) that will help me comprehend (understand) difficult texts.

I can explain how chapters, scenes, and stanza fit together to form stories, dramas, or poems.

I can use various strategies (context clues, root words, affixes) to determine the meaning of words and phrases.

I can use my analysis of word structure to help me decode unfamiliar multi-syllabic words.

I can self-correct misread or misunderstood words using context clues.

I can define and identify various forms of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia).

I can between literal language (it means exactly what it says) and figurative language (sometimes what you say is not exactly what you mean).

I can use concrete words and phrases as well as sensory details (descriptive words and phrases that appeal to the senses) to appeal to the reader.

I can use the writing process (prewrite, draft, revise, edit, and publish) to help me become a better writer.

I can use proper keyboarding skills (type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting) to compose and prepare my writing for publication.

I can write for a variety of reasons (to inform, to describe, to persuade, to entertain).

*These are our I can statements for the next2-3 weeks.

 

 

 Upcoming Projects

 

We are working on an autobiographical poem at school to learn the writing process.  We have completed the prewriting stage and are now on the drafting stage.