Grade 5 through 7 Mrs. Bailey English Language Arts and Social Studies 5th -7th Grade Language Arts The last couple of months have been busy in our reading-writing workshop classroom! The 7th grade class started a new read aloud, SYLO by D.J. MacHale. Students are enjoying the fast paced action and complex characters in the story. We have had many spirited discussions about how our own perspectives influence our interpretation of the books we read. We have also looked at different types of conflict found in books and identified them in both the read aloud and independent book selections. In the 5th and 6th grade class we completed our read aloud of Hexbridge Castle and The Talisman Thief by Gabrielle Kent. Students were intrigued by the twists and turns in the plot and enjoyed finding out that some of their predictions were correct in the end. Several students are interested in reading the next book in the series. We discussed foreshadowing and its purpose in the books we read, as well as how character motives drive the plot. Students in both classes presented commercials to advertise a favorite book in order to entice classmates to read their recommended book over the holiday break. The presentations were persuasive and convinced several students to check out more than just one book. It’s exciting to watch our reading community grow and develop as students are inspired to read new books and genres recommended by their peers! In writing workshop both classes added new ideas to their “Writing Territories” after completing prewriting activities. Students were also inspired to add topics to their lists after listening to the ideas of their classmates. They also published several free-verse poems after spending time reading and listening to a variety of poems. Although many students found the genre to be difficult at first, they became more comfortable with practice and enjoyed sharing their thoughts and ideas in poems. Their final products were impressive! The 7th grade class read flash fiction stories and determined how its structure differs from longer fiction. After class discussions about the features of the genre, students used their “Writing Territories” to find an idea and began writing their stories. They became intrigued by the genre and inspired by the ideas shared by classmates. The 5th and 6th graders studied the features of short stories and began drafting their own pieces after reading several examples. They have enjoyed sharing their story ideas and beginnings with classmates and are eager to revise when they are given suggestions to improve upon their ideas. We all enjoy our author share time and are inspired by the variety of stories shared. The 5th through 7th graders took part in a team challenge to build a Christmas tree using only toothpicks and gumdrops. They worked in groups to plan their tree, begin constructing it, and measuring their progress with a ruler. It was impressive to watch the groups come together and solve problems that arose during the construction of their designs. In the end, they all found that working together to complete the challenge resulted in the best design and end product. 15
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