Wow! The students at MNW Elementary have really embraced the challenge to read 1,000 books by Christmas vacation!!! As of today, the total number of books read is 544! That's a lot of bricks on our cafeteria wall! If you haven't had a chance to check out our "Wall of Readers," I hope you get an opportunity to see all the bricks on our wall representing the books students have been busy reading!
By looking at the pictures here, I hope you see the look of pride and satisfaction these kids have on their faces! They truly are excited to read their books and contribute to our reading goal! The construction hats add a little fun to our efforts to build this brick wall! You never know when a brick may fall on your head!!!
While reading all these books, my Guided Reading students have been utilizing their comprehension strategies to better understand their books. Some of the strategies we're practicing are making connections, asking questions, and inferring. Ask your students to sing our chant for INFERRING! Let me know if you have a difficult time getting it out of your head!!!
The Reader Theater plays the students are performing are getting to be quite the productions! We're trying to use good fluency while reading, which helps us to read like we speak. Accuracy, Rate, and Expression are the three goals of good fluency that we work on during our plays. I have encouraged students to bring these plays home to practice and have fun with you while doing it. Your whole family can take on the roles of the characters in the plays and put on a show at home!
Thanks for your support and encouragement of your child's reading! I would like students to read at home as often as possible to apply the reading strategies they are learning in my classroom to their reading for enjoyment at home.
Thanks,
Mrs. Siefken
Friday, October 22, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
September Learning!
I have enjoyed getting to know all my new students this year! I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with students at all grade levels this year! I teach 3rd-6th grade Guided Reading groups in the mornings and K-2nd grade Discovery lessons in the afternoons. These first weeks have gone by so quickly, and I'm looking forward to having a fabulous year filled with interesting and engaging reading and thinking experiences everyday in my classroom.
My Guided Reading groups have been busy rehearsing Reader's Theater plays,which have helped the students improve their fluency skills. Our goal is to perform the plays with props to the kindergarten and first grade classrooms. The students are also reading novels and non-fiction texts, while applying comprehension strategies and vocabulary skills. The use of reading response journals are helping the students reflect on their reading and learning. Being able to explore and choose many different methods of demonstrating their understanding of texts, students are constructing their own learning and participating in discussion groups with their peers.
My Discovery lessons in the K-2nd grade classrooms have been full of exciting and creative thinking by the students! They are really stretching their brains and using powerful thinking skills through practice of deductive and divergent thinking activities. The focus of the Discovery Program is utilizing the Primary Education Thinking Skills curriculum. P.E.T.S. is an enrichment thinking skills program that provides students with the opportunity to practice higher order thinking skills. I have already seen tremendous student success in the quality of creative thinking activities they are participating in!
It is my hope this year that each of my students will develop not only a love of reading, but the skills necessary to become a fluent and avid reader for life! I also hope to instill in students the confidence and desire to challenge their thinking and apply the learning in class outside of the classroom in their daily lives. Please call or email me anytime with questions or comments on the learning happening in my classroom. Together we will give your children the support and encouragement they need to learn and grow!!!
My Guided Reading groups have been busy rehearsing Reader's Theater plays,which have helped the students improve their fluency skills. Our goal is to perform the plays with props to the kindergarten and first grade classrooms. The students are also reading novels and non-fiction texts, while applying comprehension strategies and vocabulary skills. The use of reading response journals are helping the students reflect on their reading and learning. Being able to explore and choose many different methods of demonstrating their understanding of texts, students are constructing their own learning and participating in discussion groups with their peers.
My Discovery lessons in the K-2nd grade classrooms have been full of exciting and creative thinking by the students! They are really stretching their brains and using powerful thinking skills through practice of deductive and divergent thinking activities. The focus of the Discovery Program is utilizing the Primary Education Thinking Skills curriculum. P.E.T.S. is an enrichment thinking skills program that provides students with the opportunity to practice higher order thinking skills. I have already seen tremendous student success in the quality of creative thinking activities they are participating in!
It is my hope this year that each of my students will develop not only a love of reading, but the skills necessary to become a fluent and avid reader for life! I also hope to instill in students the confidence and desire to challenge their thinking and apply the learning in class outside of the classroom in their daily lives. Please call or email me anytime with questions or comments on the learning happening in my classroom. Together we will give your children the support and encouragement they need to learn and grow!!!
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