Why We Read in Class

I have always believed reading makes the best readers. That is the reason behind the Read at Home assignment. Recently I found an article on Twitter that talked about reading in school and how some teachers and their assignments kill students' love of reading.

One part states:

I don’t have time for in-class reading.” Have you ever said this? I used to say it all of the time. If you commit to instilling a love of reading in your students (the most important part of education), then you must make time to read in class–every single day! Two or three times weekly isn’t good enough. Readers read daily; it’s this simple. The single best lesson I ever learned is this: books are the best teachers. Books are more important. Let your students read.

I can't say it any better. This is why The Reading Workshop is based first and foremost on reading.

Image from http://msrosenthalsclassroom.wikispaces.com/

"You Gotta Have Heart"

Eric Thomas is a former NFL player who played for the Cincinnati Bengals, NY Jets, and Denver Broncos. Eric fought through an extremely difficult childhood, including dropping out of high school. Eventually he followed his dreams, and went to college at Tulane University. Now, he speaks at conventions, high schools, and colleges. He preaches about success, passion, and driving to achieve your goals in life.

In this video, Thomas talks about three keys to success:

1. You gotta have heart

2.  Be able to sacrifice what you are for what you will become

3.  Pain is temporary but if you quit it lasts forever. At the end of pain is success.

He is also famous for his quote on success:

WHEN YOU WANT TO SUCCEED
AS BAD AS YOU WANT TO BREATHE..

How does this video and Thomas's message relate to you Reading Workshop students? What are your thoughts about success?

What Harm Essay

A Fantastic Commenter

Emma A. comments on blogs almost every night. She has great things to say and she says them well. Her spelling, punctuation and grammar are correct. She takes her time to make others feel great.

That is why she is the first student this year to receive the Reading Workshop Outstanding Commenter Award. I give this award as a way of saying thanks and great job to students that make the extra effort to comment on their peers' blogs.

This star is on the sidebar on Emma's blog, Exciting Tales of Me. Great job to Emma! If you want this badge of excellence on your blog, just take a little time and make some comments.

What Happened in the Book Last Night?

Trait of Your SSR Book

Reading Workshop students, please complete the form below to submit your post on a trait of the SSR book you are reading.

In Conclusion . . .

When writing a closing paragraph, you summarize what you have written about in your essay.  The first step is to think about the main point that you want to get across to your reader. You can use your introduction as a guide saying something similar with different wording.  

You may also want to look at what each paragraph says. Use this information and restate key points from the essay. You can end with a question, thought, quote or opinion that gives your reader something to think about or consider.

Good conclusions usually do one or more of these:

• Restate the thesis or main point
• Offer a suggestion
• Share your opinion
• Make a recomendation
• End with a question

Here is an example from an essay about character in a book.

I would definitely recommend this book to others, because I think a lot of girls could really relate to the main character, especially most of my friends. Also I would still recommend this book to boys, because even though it's a girl's book, it's not about being girly, and all about girls. Some boys may be able to relate to the three boys in the story! The book Spells & Sleeping Bags is one out of my two favorite books. Also, I think the author is very talented with writing her books. She's my absolute favorite author. I think Sara Mlynowski is very talented because I can really get inside the characters mind, and really get into the book as if I were the main character.

Pick an Element of Your SSR Book

The next assignment for Reading Workshop students is to pick one element of the book they are reading and write about its impact on the story. The key to this project is to support ideas and opinions with details from the text. Equally important is the need to stay on topic and DO NOT RETELL THE BOOK!

Students can choose one of the traits listed below or choose another aspect of their book. 

Setting

Character

Problems

Action

Adventure

Conflict

Mystery

Essays should begin with an introduction that gives the title, author, and topic of the writing. Below is an example using The Maze Runner featuring setting.

The book The Maze Runner by James Dashner takes place in an amazing setting.  This group of kids are locked into this mysterious place with no way to escape. Each day they try to run a maze outside their camp to find a way to get out.

New School Year Writing Assignment

Please copy and paste your post, The New School Year from the Question Board or your blog to be graded. As we discussed in class, grades will be based on use of supporting details in your writing, correct punctuation, grammar, and spelling.

How's the New School Year?

According to Reading Workshop students this year is going well.

Over 80% of the students in an anonymous poll rated this school year as a 9 or 10 on a ten point scale. It's great to know that so many students are engaged and enjoying school.

How would you rate this year so far?

The Best

	10	37 votes (56.06%)
	9	16 votes (24.24%)
	8	2 votes (3.03%)
	7	2 votes (3.03%)
	6	3 votes (4.55%)
	5 OK	4 votes (6.06%)
	4	0 votes (0%)
	3	0 votes (0%)
	2	0 votes (0%)
	1	2 votes (3.03%)

The Worst

Student of the Day

Want to be rewarded for excellence? Students work daily in Reading Workshop with the online learning program from Study Island. This program is based on the Ohio State Standards. It has lessons that help teach each topic and remediates when students do not pass a topic. Students can do sessions anywhere they have internet access.

Students scores count towards their grade in Reading Workshop.  It is important that students pay attention to their score as they are completing a 20 question session.  If they are close to the next higher grade, doing a couple of extra questions correctly can really help their grade.

85 - 100 = A

75 - 84.9 = B

65 - 74.9 = C

55 - 64.9 = D 

Congratulations to today's Study Island Students of the Day: Emma M., Rachel T., Allison W., and Ian S.

Welcome to 2014/2015

I am excited to start the new school year and it all begins today. Open house is tonight from 5:30-7:00. Students and parents have the opportunity to meet teachers and tour the school. Please take a few minutes and stop by. Say hello and introduce yourself.

Tomorrow is the first day of school! I am pumped up to begin the new year. I have a lot of great activities planned for Reading Workshop. We will begin by setting up student blogs, reading aloud Swear to Howdy, and of course--singing!

Welcome to the new sixth grade students. I promise it will be an amazing year!

Jupiter Grades Questions

Great OAA Scores!

The sixth grade students in Reading Workshop did an amazing job on the Ohio Reading Achievement Assessment. Over 94% passed the reading test. I watched them work so hard in May when they took the test and hoped it would reflect the awesome work I had witnessed all year.

When the results came in I was pleased to see that last year's sixth graders showed so much growth and success. Super job to all the students that made last year so great. I truly enjoyed having the chance to work with such a great group.

Figurative Language is Fun

Straight from Mrs. Caudill at McDowell are some fun games to learn and practice all about figurative language.

Fling the Teacher

Spellingcity Figurative Language   (Click on the icon shown here)

Do You Know Your Metaphors?

Figurative Language Baseball

Simile and Metaphor Jeopardy

Simile, Metaphor and Personification Jeopardy

Idioms Game

Paint by Idioms

An A-Z Listing of Idioms! See how many YOU know!

Idioms Game-Slang

Figurative Language Jeopardy Review

D.A.R.E on the Question of the Week Board

Please turn in your D.A.R.E. Question of the Week post to be graded.

Success Post

Reading Workshop students, please submit your essay for grading in the form below. To see all the essays go HERE.

Do You Connect the Dots?

As students work on writing their Success project, one of the challenges will be to connect the dots. When using three sources and personal experiences, tying everything together will be extremely important. 

When writing an essay you need to consider the reader. When someone reads your essay, does it make sense? Does one point lead to another? Do examples support main points? Do you stay on topic from beginning to end? A good writer always connects the dots.

Want more information on using transitions to improve your writing? Check this site at Aims Community College. 

What Did You Enjoy Most About Camp Responses

To read all the responses, please go to the Question of the Week Board.

Thanks for a Great Time!

Group 10 at Split Rock

The Sixth Grade students went to Camp Oty Okwa for Outdoor Education Camp on March 26 - 28. Last Wednesday morning, three school buses with 147 students, 14 Salt Creek staff, three pickup trucks, one pulling a large trailer loaded completely full of luggage, all headed out with high hopes for a great time. 

Although camp started out a little cool with a temperature of 20° as we loaded up to leave, it didn't affect the mood. A few raindrops fell here and there also, but again, it had little impact on the attitudes of everyone. I had a great time and couldn't imagine any way possible to enjoy camp any more.

Smiles were everywhere at Camp. Every time I looked at a student for the entire three days, a smile was just waiting to jump out. Any comment, look, or smile and a big grin was busting out. Students smiled at each other, at Camp Oty Okwa staff, and at teachers. One look at any student's face and you knew they were having fun.

Students' attitudes and cooperation was the best. Every teacher bragged on "their" group and how well they did. Students worked together in classes. They helped each other over and around obstacles on the trails. When students make a leather indian pouch during craft time, everywhere you looked someone was giving a hand to a classmate.

Salt Creek students were the best. In over twenty years of going to Outdoor Education Camp, I have never had a better time. Students' friendship, kindness, and humor made it a blast. I am very proud of all of the sixth graders and appreciate how they all cooperated to make camp so awesome. Thanks for a great time!

A Debris Hut Built in Survival Class