4th & 5th Grade Coffee

January 27, 2009

• Levels are determined by benchmarking, MAP testing, anecdotal notes and MCAS.

• Assessment informs instruction.• Assessment is ongoing.• Progress is growth based upon

individual needs.

                   

Assessments

Reading Levels

4th Grade

5th Grade        

Reader's Workshop

Mini LessonGuided Reading GroupsIndependent ReadingRead AloudComprehension Activities

Daily Mini Lesson

o InferenceoMain IdeaoAuthor's PurposeoCause & Effectoetc.

A mini lesson is a short, focused lesson on a specific strategy or skill:

Guided Reading

• Teacher meets with students in small groups using instructional level text.

• Lessons focus on vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension of text.

Independent Reading

• Students read books from a variety of genres at their independent reading level.

 • Students record book choices and identify

genres in their reader's notebook. • Students complete an assignment at the end

of an independent reading book (letters to teacher, projects, etc).

Read Aloud

• Listening to text being read aloud provides students with effective modeling strategies.

• Students are encouraged to participate in the discussion of text.

• This provides students with an opportunity to enjoy text in a variety of levels and genres. 

Comprehension

• Students are encouraged to move beyond literal comprehension to critical thinking.   

• In moving beyond the literal meaning, they apply, analyze and synthesize text. 

• Students are also encouraged to ask their own questions, make predictions and connections to the text.

Reading Response• The purpose of a written response is to have

students see the connection between reading and writing: 

• To understand how to respond to a prompt that has multiple components. 

• To incorporate effective writing strategies which include use of a topic sentence, supporting details and a concluding sentence. 

• All of these skills can be applied in formal(MCAS) and informal  testing situations.

What makes a good paragraph?

                            Paragraph Structure

Topic Sentence - determines what the paragraph will be about

Supporting Details - coherent information about the topic                             which includes: effective word choice,                             descriptions, facts  and examples

Closing or Concluding Sentence - rephrases the topic sentence

Fluency

• Raz-Kids.como an online program that allows the students to pick a

book at their independent reading level, listen to it, record themselves reading the story aloud and play back their voice

o Student self monitor their fluency by listening to their own recording. 

o Teachers and parents can also review a child's recording for fluency. 

• Reader's Theatero a group of students reading a play focusing on

annunciation, flow and volume• Poetry• Reading books at an independent level aloud.

• Read aloud to your children to model fluency.

• Have siblings read aloud to one another.

• Reread text for meaning. • Reread comprehension questions to

ensure that all components have been answered. 

• Asking the right questions

Home-School Connection