Reading and Writing News from Mrs. Lambert

In Reading Workshop, scholars have practiced identifying how writers develop characters to support the theme/central idea. We've studied character traits, problem/goals of the characters, and relationships between characters. Scholars also learned about how to use a Plot Diagram (Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution) to map out the events in a story. You can help your child to keep up with these skills by asking them questions about the characters in the stories that they are reading. You could ask them to describe the characters, why they do what they do, and ask if they've reached the climax/turning point in their story.

We recently have been analyzing text structures (sequence, descriptive, compare/contrast, cause/effect, or problem/solution). We’ll continue to discuss the function of these organizational structures and explain how they support the writer’s purpose. In the Learning Links section of my website, there are text structures resources and games that scholars have used in my class to practice identifying these text structures using signal words. Scholars will soon learn about the structural elements particular to dramatic literature, including dialogue, script elements (e.g., acts, scenes, cast of characters, stage direction), and discussing their functions and how these elements move the plot along.

In Writing Workshop, scholars have continued to practice planning and writing personal narrative compositions using “Freeze Time” to Focus, Explain, Describe, and Connect to their controlling idea. They have been working specifically to Explain and Describe to the reader what they were thinking, sensing, and feeling, and they describe the physical responses to their emotions. Scholars have focused on recognizing their attitude/stance toward the experience that they are writing about (e.g., I was proud when I scored my first goal) and using their details to support this controlling idea.

We most recently have been discussing what makes someone a hero as we shift back into expository writing. Scholars are planning their expository essays by using “Freeze Time” to establish a clear position in their introduction and Focus sentences (the first sentence of each paragraph), Explaining and Describing their reasoning, and Connecting to their central idea.

At this time, we are also starting more formal grammar mini-lessons to improve punctuation in their writing. By Winter Break, students will have reviewed nouns and verbs, what makes a complete sentence, subject and predicate, subject-verb agreement, and "FANBOYS" conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). We will continue to practice these grammar skills through mini-lessons and through revising and editing of their writing.