Communication+Arts

This year Mrs. Yates and I will be team teaching the fifth and sixth graders for reading. There will be whole group and small group instruction. Reading activities that we will be incorporating into the classroom are:


 * Classroom DEAR**: Students will Drop Everything and Read for 15-30 minutes daily. Through independent reading, students gain leaps and bounds as a reader. It will be our goal to give students strategies to use and practice during their independent reading.


 * 6-Minute Reading Fluency**: Students will be paired up with a partner to practice oral reading fluency daily. This program uses repeated readings to help students reach their oral reading fluency goals.


 * Read Aloud**: I will read aloud a variety of books to students for 20 minutes per day. During this time I will be modeling oral reading fluency and reading strategy use. Students will write in their reading response logs during this time.


 * Literature Sets**: Students will be reading a variety of chapter books, answering questions and completing activities relating to these books.


 * Reading Workbooks**: Nonfiction reading skills will be emphasized through the use of reading workbooks. Students will be allowed to take home workbooks if they do not complete an assignment during classtime.


 * National Geographic Explorer**: These nonfiction mini magazines emphasize reading skills and strategies while teaching students about science and social studies topics.


 * Almost Daily Reading Homework**: The BEST way for students to improve their reading is not by what I lecture to them but by READING. Practice does make better! I would love for students to read 30 minutes every night, but the reality is that schedules conflict with that. What I require is students to read a total of 120 minutes each week. If students know that they will be busy on Tuesday and Thursday, they can read more on the other days of the week, or even read over the weekend. I ask that students record their reading time on their reading logs. Logs should be turned in every Monday morning.


 * Weekly Oral Reading Homework**: Fifth graders will be assigned a page of reading and questions to complete each week. The homework will be sent home on Fridays and will be due on or before the following Friday. Students are to read the page aloud to a parent, then they should answer the questions on the back. Parents may assist their child with the questions. The goal of the oral reading homework is to improve oral reading fluency, so reading the passage aloud is the key.


 * Student Links Page**