November Read Aloud

November & December Read Aloud

What’s New in Read Aloud?

This month we will be continuing our work with the text, There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom. This will take us through much of November. At the close of the month we will begin a new novel which will take us through to December.

During Read Aloud we will be reading a novel, The Sign of the Beaver written by Elizabeth George Speare. This novel is a historical fiction text. This means that although the characters and events are fictional, the setting takes place during a particular period of history. While reading historical fiction it is important to keep in mind that the problems that the character is dealing with are specific to the time period addressed in the text. Basically, the problem that the main character is facing could not be a problem that a person would be faced with in present time.

During this unit students will be responsible for:

1) Completing assigned extended response questions in the given response packet.

These responses will be collected periodically and graded. The grading criteria for these responses is as follows:

0- point response includes:

·                    Does not answer the prompt/question

·                     No answer

·                    Hand-writing is so messy that the answer is too difficult to read

·                     Includes many grammar mistakes making the answer too difficult to read

           

1- point response includes:

·                  A literal explanation or retell of the prompt/question

·                  Little details or information from the text to support the explanation

·                   Incomplete sentences

2-point response includes:

·                A correct inference (idea) from the text that answers the question/prompt

·               An explanation of your inference (idea) in your own words

·               Specific details from the text that proves your inference, such as a quote

·               Complete sentences and correct punctuation

It is very important for students to adhere to the criteria and aim to receive a ‘2’ for their responses. This practice will get them into the habit of accurately answering an extended response question and supporting it with evidence. This skill is necessary in order to be successful on the ELA exam.

2) Completing assigned vocabulary work. Students received a vocabulary packet, containing a graphic organizer to help them apply this word in various ways. They are required to use the word in a sentence, write the definition, draw a picture of and write an example of the vocabulary word.

3)  Vocabulary Quiz- Knowledge of the vocabulary words will be assessed every week. Students should be prepared, every Friday, for a vocabulary quiz.

The Sign of the Beaver Vocabulary Words

·      Survivalist

·      Prejudice

·      Naïve

·      Clever

·      Stubborn

·      Arrogant

·      Wise

·      Skeptical

·      Competitive

·      Bitter

In addition, due to the fact that this genre isn’t what students are used to reading, this text is full of ‘tricky parts’. Throughout the lesson we will identify these parts and apply strategies to work through them in order to ensure comprehension. Students will be encouraged to apply these strategies when reading independently.