Students should read 20 minutes each night as part of their daily homework. Nightly reading helps students improve their reading fluency and comprehension, develop better writing skills, build vocabulary, increase attention, focus, and stamina, boost communication skills, and learn about the world! It should also be an enjoyable experience. Ideally, everyone in the family should strive to "turn off" electronics for the half hour of reading time (Kindles are OK!) and dive into a favorite book.
To encourage reading and practice the reading and writing strategies and skills learned in class, Room 26 students will write reviews of the books they have read. We will use the Kidblog website to do this. When a student finishes a book, he or she can log-in to KidBlog to write a 4-paragraph review. The post will introduce the author and title of the story, describe the setting, introduce the main characters, and briefly summarize the problem or conflict in the story, but not give away the ending! Students will also write about the author's message in the book, as well as give their opinion of the book. A link to the Kidblog instructions are posted in the right column. You will also find an optional Note-Taking Sheet and a Graphic Organizer to guide the writing. In the past, students have enjoyed reading their peers' book reviews and adding their own comments when they have also read the book. The reviews are also an excellent place for your child to find the next great book to read! Kidblog is a safe and easy-to-use website designed for elementary students. Students can write posts to share their ideas, receive comments from their peers, and respond to those comments. Posts are only visible to students' classmates and teacher. Parents can also see their child's posts. |
You will be responsible for reviewing at least one book you have read each month.
Due dates for the year: 1.Thursday, October 4th 2.Thursday, November 1st 3.Thursday, December 6th 4.Thursday, Januaray 10th 5.Thursday, February 7th 6.Thursday, March 7th 7.Thursday, April 11th 8.Thursday, May 16th Book reviews can be presented in several different formats of your choosing (i.e. Kidblog post, Flipgrid video, etc.). We will review acceptable formats throughout the year. However, the first review, due on October 4th, will be presented in a Kidblog post. I will be encouraging you to read different genres throughout the year. You must read and review at least 3 different genres. Genres include:
After you review the book, you will document your review on a book spine posted in our classroom. |