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READING
As you know, Reading and Writing go hand-in-hand to promote literacy in our students and good readers often bring about good writers. It is because of this that our class will be working very diligently this year to promote reading. Students will spend time reading independently, practicing skills from teacher's mini-lessons, meeting with reading partners, writing in Response Notebooks, taking part in Guided Reading Groups, and being responsible for one Book Report each month.
The more that you read, the more things you will know.The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.~ Dr. Seuss ~
WRITINGAs Riverside’s School Improvement Goal continues to focus on writing, you can be certain that this is the one area that we will be spending quite a bit of time on this year. Students will be encouraged to become the best writers that they can be through lots of hands on practice that will involve beginning every writing piece with a topic, audience, purpose, plan, and a lead sentence. Everyone will be required to complete one writing prompt per month and we will emphasize and perfect our revising, proofreading, and editing skills. I can definitely see some future authors in our classroom already!
SPELLINGAll students will be required to recognize and spell all words from the Essential Word List without struggling.Spelling ActivitiesThe following is a list of spelling activities that students can complete
to help them practice their known spelling words at home.
•Write your spelling words in alphabetical order.
•Write each spelling word without its vowels. Replace each vowel with a line.
•Write your spelling words in crayon or pen. Write each consonant letter in red and each vowel in blue.
•Write the words and cross out all of silent letters.
• Print each word. Next to it, write the word in cursive.
•Make a set of flashcards for studying your words.
•Write each spelling word three times.
•Write each spelling word in a rainbow of colors. First, write the words with a red crayon. Trace over the words with a blue crayon. Finally, trace the words again with a green crayon.
•Write your spelling words as fractions based on the number of vowels and consonants in each word.
•Write your words with all the letters scrambled up. Then ask a parent or sibling to unscramble the words. Correct that person’s work.
•Write each spelling word. Next to each word, write two additional words of at least three letters that can be spelled using the letters in the word. Example: the word pickle can be used to make the words lick, pick, like, and lip.
•Use letter tiles to spell out this week’s words.
•Write your spelling words in secret code. (Use the Secret Code Key) Challenge a parent or sibling to use the code to decode each word. Correct their work. Example: glad= 7-12-1-4
•Spelling Math: Which spelling word has the highest value? Which word has the lowest value? Do any words have an equal value? (Use the secret code to find a numeric value for each letter.)
•Use each spelling word in a sentence. Correct spelling and grammar count!
•Take a practice test at home given by a parent. Write any missed word 3 times each.
•Draw and color a picture. "Hide" the words in the picture. Please do not color over the words.
•Write your spelling words on cards (make two sets) and play "Memory Match" with them against a sibling or parent.
•Use a thesaurus to write a synonym for each word.
•Write a mnemonic sentence to help you remember each of your spelling words. Each letter of the word should start a word in the sentence. For example, a mnemonic sentence for the word throw might be Ted has rented one wheelbarrow.
•Make and complete a word search using www.puzzlemaker.com
•Write a letter to a friend/relative, in proper letter format, using at least 10 of the spelling words. Underline each word.
•Write tongue twisters for using at least 12 of your spelling words. Example- spelling word: some- Sally saw some seals in the sea.
•Write your words by arranging the letters in alphabet pasta or Alphabits. Glue them on paper or have a parent include a note in your spelling notebook and do it on a table or counter at home.
•Cut out letters from headlines or ads in newspapers or magazines. Use the letters to spell your spelling words.
•Write a rap song using all of your spelling words.
•Use ALL of your spelling words to write a short story. Your story must include all of your spelling words.
•Use a dictionary to write a definition for each word. (You can borrow a dictionary from school if you do not have one at home.)
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