Mrs. Dennis Language Arts

Homework

Students are required to read 5 nights a week for a minimum of 30 minutes in an AR book on their reading level. After reading each night they should record their reading in their reading log and write a response to their reading. Reading logs are graded weekly on Wednesday and must have a parent signature to receive credit.

Students who struggle with comprehension may read with a parent to help them discuss what is happening in the story.

Reading Logs

Please ask to see your student's reading log daily.  Students are required to read 5 of the 7 week days in order to receive full credit. Extra credit may be earned by reading more than the minimum number of days.  All logs must be signed by the parent before it will be graded.  When checking or signing the log, please take the oportunity to discuss your student's book with him/her.  Check the Files for copies of the Parent letter and the log page should you need to replace them. Reading logs are graded each Wednesday.

Richards uses the Accelerated Reader Program to monitor growth in reading. Magnet students are required to read and test on grade level and above grade level books (levels 6.0 and above). All book titles on the summer reading list are acceptable for testing purposes. Students who are in the Reading Bowl need to alert their skills teacher, so they may test on Reading Bowl books.

AR test Dates  (Only 3 AR tests are required the 1st 9 weeks; all other 9 weeks require 4 AR tests)

AR1 --3/23

AR2 --4/13

AR3 -- 4/27

AR4 -- 5/11

 Last day to take AR tests for this 9 weeks is  5/11.

Our Area of Interaction is Approaches to Learning. Our Guiding question is "What does a good Reader Do? Our main Essential question is "What strategies do I need to understand what I'm reading?

Students will take the SRA pretest and work independently through the SRA skill building program to increase their reading skills. Teacher assistance is available as the students develop new skills in reading. Students will learn to identify different strategies they can use when they have trouble with comprehension. Word games and vocabulary builders will be used to encourage vocabulary development.

Students will explore the elements of fiction in a class novel through discussion of characters, plot, setting, conflict, and theme.

Our Areas of Interaction for this unit will be Approaches to Learning and Community and Service. Our Essential Questions are "How do communities influence our behaviors?" and "What are effective practices in the writer's craft?"

Students will explore the concept of communities. They willl read the novel Holes, by Louis Sa char.  They will evaluate the author's style and purpose for writing. They will analyze writing techniques of dialog/dialect, characterization, setting, limited 3rd person point of view, foreshadowing, and theme. They will analyze textual features such as how the reader is alerted to time passing, using flashback in a fictional framework, and theme. The unit will culminate with a student project (TBA).