For the elementary teachers....?

Question

I have two questions that elementary teachers can answer.

How many books do you require for your students to read a month or quarter. Do you have them do an activity on the book like draw a picture or do a book talk alongside the test that they have to take. Please tell me what grade you teach and what activity you have them do, if so, can you list some of the chapter books that your students reads.
The other question I would like to ask is in upper elementary do you read a novel as a class and do activities on it? If so what books do you read?

Answer 1

This is a tough question, isn't it? You want to give your students a challenge. At the same time, though, you understand that all students bring different strengths and abilities. You want to provide an appropriate challenge for all.

Here's what I do. For independent reading, my students have to complete two reading response journal entries a week. These are double-column journals, in which one side is a summary of what happened in their book, and one side is a place to give reactions--connections, their thoughts and feelings, personal response, and so forth. I keep a clipboard on which I write down the titles of the books students are reading. During the 15 minutes of independent reading each day, I circulate through the class to see what students are reading, make sure that they are making progress in their book, and so forth. "Guiding Readers and Writers" by Fountas and Pinnell (Heinemann) is a great resource for minilessons and other ideas for independent reading. Have your principal buy it for you!

As far as class novels...I've tried, but it's not my favorite form of teaching. Some kids beg to read faster, so that they can finish, because they love the story; others don't like the story, so they lag behind; and I'm caught with the quandary of discussion groups, worksheets, or blech. I'm not a fan of whole-class novel instruction. But I know that some teachers do it and love it. I prefer to keep novels for independent reading, and use short selections for guided reading. So--15 minutes of whole group instruction (example--finding the setting of a story), and then 3 guided reading groups, with students working at literacy workstations while they're not at group. Guided reading is still really important for upper elementary students...you should give it a try!

Good books for upper elementary students:
-Spiderwick Chronicles
-Sideways Stories from Wayside School
-There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
-The Tale of Despereaux
-Dear Dumb Diary
-Dragons of Deltora
-Anything by Andrew Clements
-The Frog Princess
-Dan Gutman books

Answer 2

In New York City/State, elementary students are required to read 25 books in one school year. That's 2.5 books a month. Children have no trouble at all meeting and exceeding this standard, because children's books are often pretty short.

I've occasionally taught a whole-class novel or chapter book, but most of the time students read their own books or they get divided into book clubs of 3 - 5 members. This is so that children can read books at their reading level and won't get frustrated or held back by a book at a level that's too hard or easy for them.

I believe strongly in holding students accountable for what they read. I have several ways of doing that. First of all, I have private conferences with students in which I talk to them about what they are reading and what comprehension skills they are using as they read. When a student finishes a book, I require them to fill in a "Book Completed" form, which then goes in their portfolio. It's kind of like a book report, but it asks the students to apply thinking skills instead of just telling what happened in the story. This worksheet can be modified for grades 3 -6. Lastly, I always incoprporate book talk and writing about reading. Students have reading notebooks in which they write about what they are reading every single day. When I taught third grade, the students would write me letters telling me about their books. Now I teach 6th grade, and the students have several types of written responses they're allowed to choose from each day. For example, they might write a journal entry in a character's voice, write a letter to the author, write a poem about the book, or just write what they are thinking. They write in their notebooks for 5 minutes every day.

There are so many activities that kids can do in response to literature. I would never give my students a test on a book. Instead, they can write plays continuing the story of the book, they can write letters to the characters, they can create posters... there are so many wonderful options. I recommend the book "Better Than Book Reports" by Christine Moen if you're looking for fun ideas and reproducibles. ALso "Guiding Readers and Writers" by Fountas and Pinnell.

Answer 3

Congratulations on entering into this impressive occupation! i'm additionally an hassle-free college instructor and carefully agree that adult males deliver a diverse perspective to the sphere than women human beings---purely as minority instructors deliver a diverse perspective than Caucasian instructors. i think of it may well be super to have greater male instructors interior the usually happening college point, because of the fact they relate to infants in yet otherwise than I do and the greater diverse perspectives the greater efficient. So, of direction i think of they could do purely as good of a job as women human beings---and for some young infants, they could probable do a greater efficient job! i'm tremendously fortunate that on the college I teach at, I artwork on a grade-point the place a million out of the three lecture room instructors is male, the ESOL instructor is male, and the ESOL assistant is male. Why are not there greater male instructors? real, stereotypically that's a woman occupation in spite of the undeniable fact that i might opt to think of that's lessening by way of the years. Why are not there greater? probable because of the fact between the advantages of being a instructor is that it helps for a versatile schedule that mirrors a new child's schedule (an benefit for me as a single mom) and that could have been greater of a precedence for mothers in spite of the undeniable fact that with any luck no longer as a brilliant number of a gender chop up on the instant. it is likewise no longer a very profitable occupation and, a minimum of interior the previous, there is been an excellent sort of stress on adult males to be the main significant breadwinner interior the kin.

Answer 4

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