Memory Box Presentation

As you are well aware, Remembrance Day is this week. As a poppy is a symbol of remembrance, our learning this week will also reflect on their personal memories. I would like each student to choose a small item from home that will fit in a 3 inch by 3 inch box for this Wednesday November 12. This item will serve as a symbol of a personal memory that your child will recount in writing and then present  to the class. 

For example, perhaps they have memories of going on a holiday with their family. They could bring in a shell from the beach and describe the trip using the 5 W’s (what the item is, who they went with, where they went, when they went, and why it is a special memory/how it makes them feel) . Or perhaps they have won a medal for some athletic endeavor. They could again describe the event and how it made them feel.

Below is the marking rubric that I will be using for their oral presentation. They will be given ample time in class to write and then practice their presentation. All they need to do at home is find an appropriate item to bring in on Wednesday. 

If you have any further questions about this activity, please do not hesitate to email me. 

	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
Description of Memory	Identifies and describes a special memory with assistance and multiple prompts	Identifies and describes a special memory with some assistance and a few prompts	Identifies and describes a special memory with limited or no assistance	Identifies and describes a special memory in detail
Speaking and Language	Speaks using incomplete sentences. Uses simple and basic vocabulary	Speaks using simple sentences Uses expanding vocabulary	Uses simple and complex sentences Uses a range of descriptive vocabulary	Speaks fluently and effectively, demonstrating command of the language Effectively uses a wide range of descriptive vocabulary
Clarity	Rarely speaks with clarity Needs assistance	Speaks with some clarity Needs some assistance	Speaks clearly and precisely, using eye contact	Speaks clearly and confidently, using eye contact
Audience Skills and Interaction	Demonstrates poor audience skills Asks questions when prompted Answers no questions	At times, demonstrates good audience skills Asks some questions Answers some questions	Demonstrates when to speak, when to listen and when to respond Asks relevant questions Answers most questions	Demonstrates when to speak, when to listen and when to respond Asks relevant questions Answers all questions

Reading Activity for at Home

When they are working with me in small groups during Literacy Stations this week, each child will be given a leveled book to keep. In our group, students are reading the book and practicing using decoding strategies while I listen in. When they are successful decoding a difficult word, they are instructed to circle the word with a highlighter. If they are unable to decode it, they highlight the word completely. Afterwards, we discuss these circled or highlighted words as a group. Students have a chance to explain how they decoded words, or if they were unsuccessful, we work together as a group to  figure it out. This activity has been extremely successful in helping students to think about their learning and how to apply the decoding strategies. I have asked the students to read the book at home with someone and to discuss the decoding strategies with them. I have only worked with two or three groups from each class so far, so if the book does not arrive home tonight, you can expect it over the next day or two. The children are very proud of their learning and I hope that you are able to take the time to discuss it with them (:

Weekly Update

Today I am sending home a package of work that your child has done with me over the last couple of weeks. I invite you to take some time with your child to go through it and discuss it with them. One of the sheets is a review of many of the high frequency words that we have studied so far this year. It was not a test per se, but allowed the children to see which words they would benefit from having extra practice with.

The remainder of the week will be spent at Literacy Stations- a favourite of my classes! The children will be working in small groups to complete activities including list writing, word wall word practice, independent reading, and working with me on targeted reading skills. If your child has a book that they are reading at home that they would like to use during their independent reading station, they are welcome to bring it in. Otherwise, I will have books available to them.

Posters Continued and Contractions

We continue this week working on our text to world posters. After reading The Lorax, we discussed the importance of taking care of our environment (similar to how the Lorax warned the Onceler in the story). We brainstormed some suggestions and students have been making posters of ways to conserve trees, keep our air clean and conserve water. This ties in to the grade 2 Science unit that they are currently working on with their homeroom teachers.

You will notice that this week's shared reading has a number of contractions in it. I have used this poem as a springboard for talking about contractions: what they are, how they are formed, and why they are used. Students will play a few games in which they are asked to make and deconstruct contractions. They will continue their practice of them next week during literacy centres. There will not be a shared reading next week.

More Connections

We are continuing to make connections in our reading this week. We have now completed text to self, and text to text connections, and are working on text to world and text to media connections. We will finish the unit by making posters related to our text to world readings.

Today I distributed the Decoding Strategies information sheet that I mentioned in a prior post. You can find it in your child's agenda pocket. They are encouraged to use a variety of these decoding strategies when they come to unknown words in their reading.

Connections

For the next couple of weeks, we will be discussing making connections while we read. There are three main kinds of connections that readers can make: text to self where readers find similarities between what happens in the story and their own life; text to text where they find similarities between two different books; and text to world where similarities are found between the book and the world (or community). This week we will be making text to self and text to text connections using the books "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day", "The Difficult Day", "Oliver Button" and "Amazing Grace". I invite you to encourage your children to make connections in the books that they read at home too, referencing specific examples in the books to support their answers.

We have also started using our shared reading poems and songs as a way to reinforce and practice different reading strategies such as chunking a longer word into smaller, more manageable parts, or finding smaller words inside longer ones. I will be sending home a more comprehensive list of reading strategies for your reference shortly. The more strategies students have to use when they come to unknown words in their reading, the more successful they can be deciphering it.

Apples

At the end of last week, we started to talk more about using descriptive words in our writing to make our sentences better. Using our five senses (taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell) we brainstormed five lists of different sensory descriptive words about apples while eating apples. This week students will be using these descriptive word lists to produce five complete sentences about their apples. Later we will be doing some sentence writing about things that we are thankful for, and practicing our ever-growing list of word wall words in a new game called Word Battleship. You may want to ask your child how to play this game- it is a popular one and they might enjoy playing it at home with you!