Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions
of students and parents.
- What snacks are allowed in class?
- What work can my child do during a family vacation absence ?
- What is Daily 5?
What snacks are allowed in class?
Any "power food" is allowed during the first and last hours of the day. "Power foods"
in my room are fresh fruits,vegetables, seeds,or yogurt.
What work can my child do during a family vacation absence ?
The day your child returns to class, they should bring in a journal entry for each day of school missed.
The entry should be a description of a vacation day's events with paragraphs detailing specific activities.
We will be focusing throughout the year on how to write descriptive paragraphs, so your child will have
experienced this type of assignment often.
For each vacation day during Quarter 1:
At least 8 sentences split into at least 2 paragraphs.
For each vacation day during Quarter 2:
At least 10 sentences split into at least 2 paragraphs.
For each vacation day during Quarter 3:
At least 12 sentences split into at least 2 paragraphs.
For each vacation day during Quarter 4:
At least 14 sentences split into at least 3 paragraphs.
Spelling words to study can be accessed through Spelling City on my Home Page
and make up spelling tests will be taken on the Spelling City website
during our Daily 5 activity time.
All other make up assignments will be held until these two are completed.
I will be in touch by phone or e-mail to set up a schedule for any other
work due.
What is Daily 5?
Daily 5
During the Daily 5, students choose to work on one of 5 program components.
This allows students to work independently as I work with small groups
to strengthen specific reading, writing, or math skills.
We first work as a class to build stamina, until every student
can successfully and independently work on every activity for 20 minutes.
READ TO SELF
Students practice reading strategies that have been taught
in our whole group lessons.
READ TO SOMEONE
This activity builds fluency, allows practice
of specific reading strategies while interacting with classmates,
and gives students a chance to discuss stories or informational text with their peers.
WORK ON WRITING
When students choose “work on writing” they can write letters to other students
in our school, expand on a writing piece begun in a large group setting,
or work on new writing pieces from a variety of activities located in our writing corner .
WORD WORK
Expanded vocabulary and correct spelling allows students to become better readers and writers.
During word work students can practice spelling or high frequency words, play word games
with peers, or explore advanced vocabulary activities.
LISTEN TO READING
Listening to reading expands vocabulary and helps improve fluency.
When students choose listen to reading they can listen to a preselected story from our classroom library.
FINDING A "JUST RIGHT" BOOK
Each student has their own book pouch which they fill with books
from personal, classroom, school, or public libraries . How does a child find a book that is just right for them?
Through Daily 5, students learn the I PICK strategy:
I I choose a book
P Purpose (why do I want to read this book?)
I Interest (does this book interest me?)
C Comprehend (can I understand this book?)
K Know (do I know most of the words?)
We practice is the five finger rule.
As you choose a book, turn to a random page.
Start to read the page, putting up one finger for each word you don't know.
If you have all five fingers up by the end of the first page, then the book is too hard for you.
Of course, there will be books that are "too easy" or "too hard"
for children that they will still want to reread or explore.
I encourage children to choose 2 "just right" books for every 4 in their pouch.
They may also enjoy 1 simpler story, perhaps rereading a past favorite, and 1 challenging text,
relying on graphics to support understanding.
