Students have started reading The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton and already it has become an obsession with many of our students! Some have exclaimed that it is the first book they've ever really liked. :-) Others are struggling to stay on pace with the class and not read the whole book in one night! :0
A few things on this topic. We are reading ONE chapter per day/night. Students will be reading some in school but will need to finish the chapter at home. We have post-its to mark places in the book to take notes and kids have a note-sheet where they are recording quotes and analysis throughout the story. Our goal is to finish in time to work on our final creative theme project before the break. Please make sure your children are reading!
I give a one question check each day and these grades are recorded on PowerSchool but not averaged into the grade until we finish the book. It definitely shows trends... kids who are not reading or perhaps understanding what they read (0's) or kids who are reading and really able to show their comprehension (2's).
I've started "MAKE-UP MONDAYS" after school for kids who want to retake the bellwork quizzes or other assessments. If Mondays don't work, they can see me for additional options. Make-ups need to be done within a reasonable amount of time from the date of the original assessment. Grades for major assessments will be entered based on mastery of different standards so the short story assessment, for example, has three different grades for different skills.
One final note, our student teacher, Ms. Gordon, sadly is leaving us on December 16. We have really enjoyed her lessons and support in class and she will be greatly missed by students and faculty!
ELA standards:
-I can read a book on my grade level and show my comprehension.
-I can use reading strategies to notice key details in a story that will help me understand deeper concepts.
-I can identify topics that lead to themes in a story, write theme statements and support them with evidence in a text.
