First of all, congratulations on getting to class on time with your USSR books. I am really impressed. You worked so well today (on a Friday afternoon in the heat of the day) that I know we will have a good year.
We started our poetry unit with a lesson on How to Read a Poem. We read and discussed the poem, "Spring" by Shelley Leedahl. If you were absent, pick up a copy from me.
Tip: Some of you need to buy binders this weekend to keep all the papers organized.
We used two reading strategies today:
1. Using the title to brainstorm associations and possible symbols.
2. Thinking aloud--telling a partner what we are thinking as we read ensures that we talk to ourselves as we read. We predict. We make connections. We notice symbols. We add what we already know to the poem (i.e. the Biblical imagery and references to the Garden of Eden and to innocence). We discussed the importance of the mother behind the window inside the house looking out.
We will write a paragraph on that poem on Monday so it would be a good idea to re-read and make notes on your thoughts (your THINK ALOUD) strategy.
Next, we wrote three paragraphs to increase our written, imaginative fluency.
First 3 minute write: Discuss a childhood memory. Use descriptions which appeal to the five senses.
Second 3 minute write: We did a visualization of ourselves at a window and focused on engaging the five senses first and then we wrote.
Third 3 minute write: We each wrote down three objects that represented a person we know. We were really specific about the objects. We passed them to a partner and they wrote a paragraph about who they think this person is.
Finally, we reviewed the silent reading policy.
You need to bring a book to school that you are committed to reading. You may not pick a book off the shelf and put it back at the end of the class. Pick one. Read it and then return it. THANKS.
HOMEWORK: Read at least the first 30 pages of your book. I know some of you have already read to over 100. Keep going!!
