Book Club: Session 5

Roz and Brightbill are on their way back to the island! The chapters we read over the weekend were intense....Roz and Brightbill encountered so many obstacles! We began today's meeting with a "Roz Q&A". Students came up with at least two comprehension questions to ask the group during our discussion.

Our skill focus was identifying themes developing in the story. Theme is a message or lesson in the text. Ask yourself, what big idea is the author trying to convey through their words? We went over some examples and then the students played "Save the Last Word for Me". This game involved students first identifying a theme and two pieces of supporting text evidence on their own. Each student was assigned a letter (A, B, or C). Next, students were placed into groups and we called our a letter. If a student's letter was called, they had to share their theme and the other group members found text evidence to support it. When we said "last word", the student who shared the theme gave their supporting evidence and had the "final say". This was a fun way for students to hear from each other while working on a literary skill!

In the chapters we read over the weekend, Roz has to adjust her camouflage depending on the environment as she travels with Brightbill. Students picked an environment out of a hat (forest, highway, farm, town, mountains, meadows) and had to camouflage Roz accordingly. You can see some of our awesome work below!

Here is our next assignment for Thursday! Happy Reading!

All About Mrs. Carr!

I wanted to introduce myself so that you can get to know more about me before the year starts. I left all of my blog posts from last year so that you can get a "sneak-peek" into what we will be learning about in fifth grade! I can't wait to meet you! We are going to have a fantastic year!!!

This is my sixth year teaching fifth grade here at Village. 
My husband, Mr. Carr, teaches second grade at Village. We will be buddies with his class this year!

 Mr. Carr & I have two precious girls. Charlie is four and will be starting pre-k in the fall. Chloe will turn three in August and will be starting preschool. I talk about them a lot in class, so you will learn a great deal about them throughout the year. They love to come in and visit!  

I am a huge sports fan! I love hockey and football. Mr. Carr and I love to attend Sabres games...we try to go as much as we can!

Charlie

Chloe

Our Family

Book Club: Session 4

Our reading this week was exciting for sure! Roz and Brightbill have been reunited....Jaya and Jad learn the truth about Roz....The children team up with Roz to begin figuring out an escape plan....WOW! This book keeps us wanting more. Our meeting today began by finishing up our Roz brochures from Tuesday. We wanted to make sure everyone had plenty of time to complete their projects. Next, we went over the comprehension questions from our reading this week. These questions help us to remember what we read and to give us a starting off point for our group discussions.

Our skill focus today was figurative language. Peter Brown has loaded this book with a variety of literary devices (onomatopoeia, imagery, idioms, alliteration, metaphors, similes, etc.). We discussed how the use of figurative language helps a text "come to life" and allows the reader to paint a clearer picture in their minds of what is happening in the story. We went over the meanings of several examples of figurative language from the book and then had a little fun. Students selected their favorite example and drew a "literal" meaning of the phrase. You can see some of our silly creations below.

Here is our next assignment for July 31st! Happy Reading!

Book Club: Session 3

What a great morning with our book club kiddos! We started by discussing the chapters we read since our last meeting. Next, we used the "tug-of-war" strategy to collect pros and cons of Roz staying on the farm. This strategy helps us to see both sides of the argument (sometimes our brains only see one side!). Next, we predicted how Roz would feel if she returned to the island. We shared how she would also have positive and negative feelings....can she somehow be a part of the Shareef family AND the island with Brightbill???

Next, we discussed character traits for Roz and found text evidence to support our answers (adaptive, caring, brave, hard-working, unique, helpful, knowledgeable, inquiring). We used these traits to create a sales brochure for Roz. We imagined what type of advertisement Mr. Shareef may have seen to persuade him to purchase Roz. We have such a creative and artistic bunch!!

Please see below for our next reading assignment which we will discuss on Thursday, July 26th. Happy Reading!

Book Club: Session 2

We began by reviewing pages 17-43. We discussed what life was like for Roz on the farm (repetitive, boring, unpleasant). We also discussed reasons why Roz is fearful that the Shareef Family will find out who she really is and what could potentially happen to her as a result.

Next, we discussed the setting (time, place, and mood) of the story. We identified how the story has characteristics of the future (robots, technology) as well as characteristics of present day (farms, pickup truck). Students worked with partners to list elements of both and then we discussed the setting in more depth, including the current mood of the story. 

We ended our session with some creative fun. The Shareef Family in the story utilize Roz by making her do various jobs around the farm which makes their lives easier. We had the students brainstorm jobs they would have a robot complete in order to help them out on a daily basis. Next, Mr. Carr led the students in a guided drawing lesson on how to create a robot. Thanks for your artistic expertise Mr. Carr! 

Below is our next reading assignment for Tuesday, July 24th. We included comprehension questions to monitor our understanding and to serve as a reminder when we meet next week! Happy Reading!