Sight Words and Literary Elements

One of my younger students this week has been working on practicing sight words.  We've been playing games and practicing reading sight words from Dolch's high frequency words.  Our goal is to know all the words right away so it will help her become a better reader!

 

Another elementary student is working on what good readers do and practicing making different types of connections.  We talked about the tools a reader has - the good reading strategies he or she uses while reading.  Then, we talked specifically about making connections.

The older students have been looking at literary elements.  Literary elements are things that authors include in books that:

1. help a reader understand what he or she is reading.

2. make a book interesting for a reader.

3. make a book fun for a reader.

Some of the literary elements we are focusing on are:

*character/characterization

*simile 

*metaphor

*alliteration

*dialogue

*foreshadowing

*onomatopoeia

*imagery

When reading together, continue to talk about good reading strategies or find literary elements that authors are using.  If your child comes to school and can tell me one reading strategy or literary element he or she used or recognized when reading, he or she will earn one sticker towards a reading reward!

What Are You Reading Good? (10/30/10)

I'm posting this a little bit late because I wasn't feel well last night.  I was sick and just went straight to bed after the boys went to Grandma and Papa's.  I'm excited to share what we were reading this week, though!  The students have been reading lots of mysteries along with other books, too.

I read Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby about a girl who becomes deaf, but whose mother refuses to let her learn sign language until she meets a chimpanzee named Sukari who helps her realize how important it is to be able to communicate through sign.

I also read Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham.  John Grisham is a very famous adult author, but I have never read any of his books.  I love the idea of a young person as a lawyer.  Even though Theodore Boone hasn't passed his Boards, he knows a lot about the law and finds himself helping kids and adults alike when it comes to understanding the law.  I hope there are going to be more books in this series!

One of my students was reading a Babymouse book by Jennifer Holm.  I've heard of these graphic novels, but I have never read them...now I really have to get my hands on those books because they look really fun.

I also discovered a new award this week.  One of my students is reading Rules by Cynthia Lord.  It has won the Schneider Family Book Award for a book that portrays living with a disability.  I'm going to look for more books that have won this award!  I love sharing all these books with my students and getting to hear what they are reading!  I can't wait to see what next week brings!  Until then, keep reading, kiddos!

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What Do Good Readers Do?

Good readers use reading strategies!  We've been talking about what good readers do and will continue to discuss this.  It's tricky to see what a good reader does, because most of it is all inside the reader's head!  Here are ideas that we have brainstormed about what good readers do!

*Make Predictions

*Make Connections

*Visualize

*Use Textual Clues to Make Inferences

*Ask Questions

*Stop and Think

*Reread 

These are just a few from our lists and here is one of our actual lists!

Reading is one of the best activities to model for you child!  Take a few minutes to talk to you child about what you do when you read.  Discuss some of the reading strategies you use.  Add the strategies you talked about or the strategy you seem to use the most in the comments section.  If your child comes to school and can tell me one strategy that his or her mom or dad uses when reading he or she will earn one sticker towards a reading reward!

What Are You Reading Good? (10/22/10)

This week was kind of a crazy week!  I had meetings and a workshop this week and then this morning fell and hurt my knee.  The kids were all asking me about my knee today because I was limping.  Next week, we will welcome Miss G. from Illinois State University.  She is a senior practicum teacher and will be with us until the 19th.  I'm excited to hear what she has been reading!

I finished listening to the audiobook Dreamland by Sarah Dessen.  It was an interesting book about a girl who finds herself in an abusive relationship.  It's definitely a middle/high school book.  I also read The Elevator Family by Douglas Evans which was super fun.  I'm excited to share this with some of the younger students.  It's such a silly, good-hearted story about a family that goes on vacation and ends up moving into the elevator of the hotel!

We had fun reading If I Had a Robot by Dan Yaccarino.  He is one of my favorite illustrators.  We started by thinking first about robots, then visualized while we read the book, and afterwards, went back and practiced using "would" and "could" just like Phil does in the book.  Some kids will be reading this next week!

Since my knee is hurt, I'll be doing lots of resting so I'm excited to get some reading done!  I'll share what I read next week!  Until then, keep reading kiddos!

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Choosing A Book

Welcome to my first Tuesday post of the 2010-2011 school year!  Tuesdays posts will talk about reading strategies, genres, authors, and illustrators.

Today I'd like to talk about choosing a book.  There are many different things that influence how or why I choose a book.  I'll be talking with students about this throughout the week, and I'll add to the list as we brainstorm more!  Please add your own ideas in the comments section!

Here's a list of a few factors that influence me:

*I like the cover!

*I hear about the book from a friend.

*I hear about the book from a teacher.

*The book is written by an author I like.

*I see the book in the library or at a bookstore.

*I see the book reviewed on a blog.

*I read the back or inside cover and like the story.

*The title catches my interest.

I recently read The Strange Case of Origami Yoda By Tom Angleberger.  I just happened to walk by a Star Wars display at Barnes and Noble on the way to the elevator and this book cover caught my eye.  I had to stop and read the back of the book.  Once I read the back of the book and looked again at the cute origami Yoda on the front, I knew I wanted to read this book!  Of course, I love the Star Wars movies and since this somewhat related to the movies, this book interested me.  It was a great book and I would recommend it to any 5th - 8th grader!  

Talk with your child about how you choose a book and how he or she choose a book.  Add your ideas to the comments section.  If your child comes to school and can tell me one reason he or she chose his or her current book he or she will earn one sticker towards a reading reward!

What Are You Reading Good? (10/15/10)

I've been asking students all week what they are reading good!  It's been exciting to hear about what they are reading.  I love the one titled Super Burp, by Nancy Krulik!  It cracked me up!

I've been reading How Rocket Learned to Read, by Tad Hills, with the elementary students this week.  I think everyone has enjoyed Rocket and how he mastered the "wondrous, mighty, gorgeous alphabet"!  I've also found some good short stories for the upper elementary and middle school students to respond to from One Voice, Please by Sam McBratney.  Keep up the good reading, kiddos!

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Let's Try This Again

I started this blog three school years ago at the end of the 2007-2008 school year.  I've tried since then to make it more and more useful for my students, their parents, and other teachers.  I just go back from maternity leave and getting my blog going again is one of my top priorities!

Danny

If I have to leave this beautiful baby, then I'm glad I get to go back to great schools with hard-working colleagues and my awesome students!  It has been so great to see everyone and to start reading with students and to start talking books! I love it!

We've been doing lots of reading at our house all summer and I have some fun books I can't wait to share with my students.  I will be posting books that I'm reading and that my students are reading every Friday!  This summer we read so many Thomas the Train books I couldn't even begin to count them.  Those are definitely Jordan's favorite right now.  He knows exactly where they are in the library and that's where he goes first thing! 

Danny, Mr. V., and Jordan reading a Thomas book!

Reading at the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier

Every month I am hoping to interview the Reader of the Month and talk to him or her about where he or she likes to read, what genres he or she likes and other fun book-ish questions.  I, personally, love to read anywhere and anytime!  I always have a book with me and find any excuse to read!

Even after four years of working on this blog, it still excites me and I still believe it is a great way to share my love of reading with my students and their families!  I hope this time my students and parents join me in the celebration!