Stamina Building in Literacy

Over the past few weeks we have been working on building stamina during our literacy block. Stamina means being able to do something for a long period of time without getting distracted. We brainstormed a list of traits that help us build stamina- like staying in one spot, getting to work quickly & working the whole time. Today we made it to 7 minutes as a whole class--we are setting individual stamina goals as well.

We have been learning about the jobs we will be doing during our Daily 5 rotations.

Here is what we will be working on during this time!

Read to Self- During this time your child will be reading books at their "just right" level. This is an extension of our regular Readers' Workshop time. Your child will be practicing strategies we have learned in class and responding to texts.
Read to Partner- During this time we have the opportunity to read with a classmate. We will practice comprehension strategies of "who & what" every few pages to make sure our partners are focused and listening. Reading out loud to others helps increase our fluency and confidence as readers. It provides a time for partners to work together and support learning. For this center we use Tumblebooks-- you can locate this link on our school website for at home access!
Listen to Reading- Your child will listen to books of interest and hear fluent, expressive reading. During this time children are exposed to new words to build their vocabulary and work on texts that may be a bit more challenging.
Word Work- During this time your child will work on their spelling words and word patterns through tactile ways- play-doh, magnetic letters, beads, wiki-sticks. This helps reinforce spelling in a more visual, hands on way.
Work on Writing- Students will be working on stories from their Writers' Workshop time. They will have the opportunity to try a variety of different writing formats- letters, journaling, list writing, blogging and digital storytelling.