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! 

Summer Book Club: The Wild Robot Escapes

We are so excited to be hosting the summer book club at Village again this year! We will be reading The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown which is the sequel to The Wild Robot which was our book selection for One School, One Book at Village. We can't wait to see how Roz's adventure continues!

Today was our first meeting. We began by getting to know each other through a game called "Two Truths and a Lie". Mr. Carr modeled the game to get us started. So much fun!!

Next, we participated in a "Chalk Talk" to identify and discuss reading strategies we can use to help us as we go! Students wrote down strategies to take home with them on their assignment sheets.

We ended our first session by reading aloud the first six chapters of the book.  We are hooked already! 

Please read pages 19-43 for our next meeting on July 19^th! We can't wait to see you on Thursday!

What a Wonderful Year!!!

To My Amazing Students, 

I cannot begin to tell you how lucky I have been this year to have such a hard-working, smart, and caring group of students in my class. You have made me proud every day and it has been so much fun watching you grow throughout the year. I get very sad when I think about the  year ending, but I know that we will keep in touch and you will come down to visit next year (especially on birthdays….Mrs. Carr loves cupcakes!!). 

You are always welcome to e-mail me and next year you know that my classroom door is ALWAYS open for you! You will be awesome sixth graders…there is no doubt in my mind. You have rocked fifth grade and I know that your perseverance and principals will continue into next year.

 Remember to always try your best, push those brains, and never give up on your dreams. All of you have special talents which will allow you to do whatever you want with your lives.I’ll miss you bunches, but I know you are in great hands in sixth grade. 

Love, Mrs. Carr

Summer Chromebook News

 This year, the technology department will not collect Chromebooks for summer storage. As a result, we will send home all Chromebooks with students. Please understand that due to summer maintenance, cleaning, etc., we cannot safely secure the Chromebooks in our classrooms over the summer.

We understand that many parents do not necessarily want the technology at home. We suggest keeping the Chromebooks in a safe and secure location until the new school year. You can express any technology concerns to your child’s sixth grade teacher and they can make appropriate accommodations as we have in fifth grade. Have a wonderful summer! ☺


Thank you for your understanding, Mrs. Carr & Mrs. Finke

I Can't Think of Anything to Write About!!

Has your child ever made the statement above when given a writing assignment? The toughest part of narrative writing is deciding on a topic. We have been discussing how the problem isn't actually finding an idea (we have a ton up in our brains), it's really PICKING which idea to write about!

Our focus this week was to learn strategies to help us generate and select ideas. First, we collected memories from home to serve as an "idea file" to inspire writing topics. Next, I modeled two strategies; "timelines" & "objects". For the timeline strategy, students think of an event in their life and plot it out. This helps them to think sequentially as they reflect back on a special moment. We discussed how the entire timeline can become a narrative, or just one piece can be "stretched out" to become its own story! The objects strategy involves students taking something special (a ticket stub, a trinket, etc.) and listing everything that is triggered when they look at it. All of those "triggers" can potentially become a narrative piece! After students had the opportunity to practice both strategies, they zoomed in on one area and wrote about it. This writing will serve as a "narrative seed" as we move further into the genre!

Literature Circles!

Literature circles are student led groups in which all students have a specific role to play. Students are assigned chapters of a novel to read independently and work on their assigned role throughout the week. On Fridays, students gather in their literature circles to discuss the novel. Students determine their specific circle expectations (using hand signals to add on or ask for clarification, etc), grade their own participation and work completion, think of ways to extend the conversation beyond the scope of the assigned roles (discussing theme development, tone, what they are noticing, etc.), and reflect on what went well and areas/strategies for growth. The students have worked all year on their discussion and communication skills in both Math and Lang & Lit....what a great opportunity to highlight their growth! 

Currently, we are reading The Jacket by Andrew Clements. The students are loving the novel! Each "part" ends on a cliffhanger which leaves them wanting to read MORE! Ask your child about their assigned literature circle roles thus far and what they enjoy about the story!