Weekly News for September 28th!

Your child will be bringing home their Weekly News today. Please sign and return on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Village Open House October 3rd!

Working on Fluency!

After our first round of reading assessments, I found that many students would benefit from work focused on building fluency.

What is fluency?

Fluency is defined as the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. In order to understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently.

How are we working on fluency in the classroom?

In order to make fluency practice fun AND effective, we learned a new routine: Fluency Partners. 

Students are paired with a student of similar reading ability and given a fluency passage on their level. Students take turns being the "reader" and the "coach". The coach has a feedback sheet to give their partners areas to work on as well as compliments. The reader has the opportunity to read the passage a second time and apply the feedback they received. Then students switch roles. Today was our first stab, and I was SO impressed! The students worked hard and were constructive and positive with their partners.

How can I work on fluency with my child at home?

Periodically, ask your child to read aloud at home. As they are reading, you can use the prompts we use in class (posted below) to help your child recognize areas needing growth. As with anything-practice, practice, practice. The more your child reads....the more they will grow!

Take a Peek at Our Week!

It was a busy, but fun week! Check out what we are learning in class!

Working in partners to practice finding "Words of the Wiser" while reading Flowers and Freckle Cream!

Culture Wander & Wonder Activity 

Group Discussions on Culture and Identity 

Have a fantastic weekend!!! 

Lexile Scores and Finding "Just Right Books"

Today, your child is bringing home a letter with their Lexile score which indicates their current reading level. This assessment will be repeated formally in January and June. At times, I may have students take a Lexile assessment in between those dates to monitor their progress. Anytime we complete a Lexile assessment, you will receive a letter to inform you of their growth.

We practiced using https://fab.lexile.com/ in order to find out the Lexile level of our current independent reading books. This is a great tool to use before students check books out at the library to make sure they are a "good fit". Students will be expected to check reading levels when they start a new book. This is also a great tool for parents if you are not sure if a book is appropriate or not. We discussed in class that if a student is highly motivated to read a book above their Lexile level...Go for it!!! We always encourage students to push those brains.

Students recorded their September Lexile scores in Google Keep for easy reference.

Weekly News for September 21st!

Remember to check your child's folder for their Weekly News tomorrow! It needs to be signed and returned on Monday.

Spirit Week Reminder!