Language Arts

Since the last update, the 5/6 completed their Spooky Stories. It was quite an accomplishment to go through the various stages of writing a polished piece! The kids worked dedicatedly on their stories. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. To celebrate, we held an Authors Fair. Each child read at least one peer’s story, and took home their final writing (and a ballon) to share at home.  

In addition to the Halloween “spooky” theme,we read about Dia de Los Muertos. In this non-fiction informational text, the students were guided to support their comprehension of the article. We did this by-

previewing vocabulary through definitions 

reading the comprehension questions first  

reading the article  

answering the questions  

This comprehension activity proved tricky for most students. Therefore, our next non-fiction informational text reading about the U.S. flag repeated the comprehension steps, but with very straightforward questions. No need to infer an answer when we are still learning how to interact with informational text! 

We read about the flag in honor of Veterans Day. The week leading up to that holiday, we wrote letters to actual veterans through the organization Operation Gratitude.       

I have supported this group for many years, and the children had a chance to reflect on service and sacrifice. Further, they practiced the friendly letter format.  

That same week, my father came in and taught us proper care and facts about our flag, and the kids enjoyed learning how to fold the Stars and Stripes.  

This led up to our awesome field trip aboard the Lady Washington. Prior to the trip, we read yet another non-fiction informational text, this time about the Lady Washington. We followed the same comprehension steps we have been practicing (vocabulary, preview questions, read article). In addition, we added on a new skill: creating questions for peers to answer based on the article.

Further, we spent time in self-selected learning centers: Trade, Life of a Sailor, and Navigation.

Each student selected the center they wanted to learn about. Then, they read (yet another!) non-fiction informational text about their topic, and followed the comprehension steps. Also, they selected an additional “vocabulary” or an “activity” lesson to complete in partnerships about their topic. This time around, the children were working at a much more independent flow from our initial Dia de Los Muertos article.

Before Thanksgiving break, the 5/6 students developed a ‘readers theater’ based on Stone Soup  by Muth. This version of the classic Stone Soup folktale is the one we reinact at our school-wide feast. The students read the story, selected roles, and came up with key plot points and lines. Finally, the 5/6 students led the entire school through this reinactment. 

And of course, we continue with our cursive practice throughout the week.  

Aubrie working on her Veterans Day letter

Authors Fair

Stages of writing