We had our third Wednesday Workshop yesterday and to complement our week-long examination of non-fiction text features, I assigned an article about the Zamboni. Students are required to respond to two reading response with evidence questions (RRWE) and a set of multiple choice questions. I've explained to the boys and girls that the expectation is that they'll use the feedback they received from their two most recent writing assignments: their Venus Flytrap paragraph and their announcement.
Our Wednesday workshops seem to require two days to complete and that's fine by me. As we move closer to EQAO writing time, we're going to begin to narrow that time down to just one writing period. I'll use a timer, a very effective tool, to assist with this.
April 03, 2014
April 02, 2014
Non-Fiction Texts Part 2
Here is the second video in our series on non-fiction texts. At the rate I'm going turning this Powerpoint into a video series, it'll rival Cheers in terms of episode numbers by the time I'm finished!
Non-Fiction Texts: Part 2
Non-Fiction Texts: Part 2
Let's put this in context!
As good readers, we need strategies for solving unfamiliar or understanding unfamiliar words. It's hard to teach the word "context" to students, but I think I'm getting there. My students are very quick to catch on to new concepts, so this really makes my job a lot easier!
This slide was part of our Morning Message today. We've looked at a few of these over the course of the week.
We talked about how that first sentence, the short one, doesn't really help us as readers to understand just what a "snocker" might be. It lacks detail and that gives us no context with which to solve the meaning of the word.
The second sentence is longer and provides the context for the reader in which the word is used. The reader understands that a snocker is an essential part of the car. Without a working snocker, the car won't start.
Students in the class even went so far as to identify that the snocker was under the hood, since that's where the engine is and that's what "starts" a car, so to speak. I loved that they brought their prior knowledge to the table here. They used it to make a really good judgement about what this mystery word means.
We're going to continue this look at context clues because it's something that needs to be explicitly taught, given the reading demands of Grade Three.
This slide was part of our Morning Message today. We've looked at a few of these over the course of the week.
We talked about how that first sentence, the short one, doesn't really help us as readers to understand just what a "snocker" might be. It lacks detail and that gives us no context with which to solve the meaning of the word.
The second sentence is longer and provides the context for the reader in which the word is used. The reader understands that a snocker is an essential part of the car. Without a working snocker, the car won't start.
Students in the class even went so far as to identify that the snocker was under the hood, since that's where the engine is and that's what "starts" a car, so to speak. I loved that they brought their prior knowledge to the table here. They used it to make a really good judgement about what this mystery word means.
We're going to continue this look at context clues because it's something that needs to be explicitly taught, given the reading demands of Grade Three.
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| The first sentence doesn't provide context, while the longer paragraph is more helpful. |
Today's Math Goals
I hope it'll become a reference tool for the boys and girls. In addition to the learning that takes place while they work on it, it's also something we'll use throughout the unit to support learning.
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