Read-a-thon Launch!

Reading & Responding

The collection / reading response cycle is proof of active reading through your book! Here are some tools to check-in on your progress.

A Collection:

You can collect an idea about your book at any point, before, during and after. Here are some examples. But always let the important parts of your book, along with the idea they give you, be the main idea of your collection. 

A complete collection contains:

• the name of the book
• a short retell of background info
• an idea you're having - most important
• the evidence from the book that made you think that idea

A Reading Response:

So now you're ready to write your reading response? Remember that each part of writing your response should be thoughtful and show effort. So don't do all response tasks in one night! Pace yourself through these tasks. Each can count as RRNB homework.

• Determine a theme based on previous collections and create box/bullets (outline) of theme and supporting evidence.
• Draft introduction. Include a hook, statement of theme, and summarize evidence briefly.
• Draft all body paragraphs, thoughtfully elaborating on evidence in separate paragraphs. Remember to state the theme!
• Draft conclusion. Include a final statement of theme and summary of evidence. Leave a lasting impact in your conclusion!
• Revise all of your draft, paying attention to your vocabulary. 
• Edit for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
• Publish!

RAFTS Rule!

Scholastic "Book" Fair

Sam and Le1a

Should we really call it a book fair? Statistics show that more kids buy stuff, like posters or erasers. And those are a lot more expensive than the books. 

"The books are actually pretty expensive, too!" says a reporter of class 5-316. "The books are good, also." But, the stuff is double the price of the books. That's not right.

The average amount of money kids spend on stuff is up to $30! We interviewed students from the 5th grade and this is what they spent.

"STUFF" PRICE AVERAGES:
$6.00-15.00 on posters
$3.99$ on fake phones
$0.50-$3.00 on erasers
$0.50-$3.00 on bookmarks
$50.00 on a lunch box
$5.00 for 2 highlighters or a pack of metallic markers
$3.00 on a pencil/eraser/sharpener

Not everyone is buying the books, though. Most kids find the "stuff" addicting and buy it. Even the class journalists, honestly. It may look fun and cool at first, but really, it is a waste of money- or quoted from a class journalist, "It is a bunch of overpriced lousy cheap-quality junk."

It´s not just that, though. Do you think the parents are okay with giving their kids a lot of money, just to buy junk? Yeah, 20$ to buy a fake phone, at a BOOK FAIR.

But maybe a fake phone is better than... a Poop Fountain, a book available at the fair.

How to Best Prepare for 5th Grade in 5-316

1.
Brush up on your multiplication tables. Know them by heart. They're like dough. And all the 5th grade math topics are made of that dough. (Fraction Croissants. Mmmmm.)

2.
Read everyday. Remember that reading is more than staring at pages; you're using your noodle too. The more real reading you do the better you get at it. Like anything, you can't get better if you don't practice. Parents, Use our class code "HWMFC"at Scholastic when ordering books online!

3.
Do some writing. A lot of our writing units will require you to tuck in "big" ideas. A big idea tells the world something meaningful. What that idea is.... well, that's up to you. You can have a big idea a quadrillion different ways. There's infinite inspiration in the world. But we're going to work on having big ideas based on fiction or non-fiction reading.

4.
Increase that typing speed! We will be using Chromebooks often in 5-316. Whether you're commenting on an assignment in a Google Classroom or publishing your writing, the faster you type, the more you can revise your draft and make it better. There are plenty of typing games that can help increase your speed. Make sure you ask Mom or Dad and follow any rules your family has about screen time.

5.
Practice talking. Ok, this might sound weird. Maybe you're a real motor mouth already. But speaking as a student is different than chatting with a buddy. Expressing yourself academically is a very important skill--for 5th grade, for middle school, for high school, as an adult. So we will practice often. Try practicing with an adult. Tell her/him about the book you're reading. Ask them for fancy vocabulary that might help you communicate your ideas more clearly or explore Kids Wordsymth.

6.
Practice good organizational habits. Being organized, timely, and responsible outside of school will help you do so during the school year. We expect you to be continually strengthening organizational habits during the year. Don't be scared; we'll be helping you along the way. You will get a homework planner from PS 58 in September. Think of ways to motivate yourself to use it consistently. What about this crafty way? Just some inspiration...

7.
Change your mind. Sometimes the attitude we have can make learning easier... or more difficult. So let's practice! These traits increase the chances for success: persistence, flexibility (definition 2, though being a human pretzel may help in some situations), curiosity, imagination, reverence for the world, and... I need a word for this definition: not being scared to make a mistake. Can you think of a word for that? Or make up your own word?! Leave a comment on this post and enlighten us!

8.
Listen. This one word is also a piece of advice. You know a lot--we're sure. Want to know more? Listen. It's very different than just hearing. Listening is not waiting for your turn to talk. It's being open to another's words, letting them into your brain and letting them, sometimes, change you. That makes listening quite powerful.

9.
Prepare your supplies. Supply lists went home with your 4th grade report cards. Make sure you ask a parent to help you prepare your supplies by taking a look at the "preparation/notes" section of the supply list. This will give us more time in class.

1o.
Simply enjoy your summer! A balance of summer fun and relaxation will help ready you for September.

We'll see you then! Let us know if you have any questions. :-)