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Criswell - Exploring Literature (Section Thur 2)

Instructor
Mrs. Meridith Criswell
Department
Language Arts
Terms
2019-2020 School Year


Assignment Calendar

Course Description

 
 

Class Title:

Exploring Literature

Code:

E315

Text:

Various Resources. See Literature Scope and Sequence

Rating:

2

Prerequisite:

5th/6th grade reading level

Grade:

5­-6

Fees:

None

Max:

15

Can be repeated? Yes
 

Description: With whole book studies as the starting point, students in this class will develop and refine their reading comprehension strategies through engaging discussions and various interactive group activities. Reading selections will also provide a springboard for short writing exercises, such as journal entries and creative responses. Students will learn how to write effective paragraphs, incorporating effective structure, varied sentence types, and vivid language. Note: This class is designed so that students can take it two years in a row, with alternating book lists each year.

Posts

Mrs. Frisby character traits paragraph

Finish reading Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Finish the Character Traits Organizer from class, then use it to write a well-organized  paragraph according the the directions on the assignment sheet from class (also attached). Remember to write a topic sentence to introduce the character and traits, supporting detail sentences to give evidence from the book of things the character does/says that show the traits, and a conclusion sentences to restate the main idea (character's traits).
 
You should NOT do the story elements mini-book assignment, which is also on the assignment page. We will talk about that in class next week.

Homework

Read through page 44 in Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Ch 1-6). Complete the questions on the handout from class - follow the directions carefully!

Homework

Finish reading the short story from class, "The All-American Slurp". Highlight any examples you find of contrasts and contradictions and answer the question "Why is the character acting this way?" in the margins. Also, answer the comprehension questions (on the half-sheet from class) on a separate piece of paper in complete sentences, making sure to restate the question in your answer.

Homework

Finish Story Elements Task Card #2 - "Trouble at the Campground". Read the story and answer the questions in complete sentences. Remember, the skill we were practicing in class was making sure to borrow words from the question in your answer (again, see example from class if you're not sure how).

Exploring Literature

Today, we learned about story elements - characters, setting, problem, key events and solution. Then we practiced identifying story elements in well-known fairy tales. For the next few weeks, we will continue to explore story elements and will learn about Notice and Note Signposts through picture books, short stories and videos. Signposts are signals that the author puts in the text that should make the reader stop and ask questions. Click here for an overview:

First Day Reminders

It was a great first day at Apex! Students worked on an "All About Me" activity today in class to learn about one another and decorate the room. They should finish it at home and bring it back next week if it was not finished in class.
 
Also, just a reminder for students to bring a 2-pocket folder and a have a section in their binder for this class.