At the beginning of each month, students will check out two books and have them approved for their book talks and black dots. They will need to conference with me if they decide to change either of their goal books so that I can make sure it is the appropriate genre and level. I will then have students sign up on our wall calendar for a day to present their book talks. They should also enter this date into their planners. They will have until the last day of the month to read and take the quiz on their black dot book. Students may take the quiz up to 3 times in order to pass with at least a 70. In some instances, I am able to print sample questions for the students to help guide their reading.
Our book talk for September will be a nonfiction book talk. Your child will sign up for a day to present their already approved nonfiction book this Friday. Most students have also chosen and been approved for their black dots. I have copies of the book talk rubrics in class and they are also available on the 5th grade page of the Tarver website. I will be modeling a nonfiction book talk this Friday to help students understand the expectation for this assignment. Remember that most Newbery books have quizzes and that your child can use these books toward a Newbery award medal, as well. Why not "kill two birds with one stone?", as they say. (Poor birds!)
We are also keeping track of the minutes that your child reads each week for their Lit Logs. These will go home every Friday and will be due the following Friday. For every 300 minutes, your child receives a star on our reading chart. A total of 18-20 stars are needed to meet the yearly goal. Lit log minutes do not have to be read nightly, as I know schedules can be hectic. Reading can be made up over the weekend. I will simply score your child on overall weekly minutes. Your child can record any reading they do at home, including the Scholastic News. The first Scholastic News will be sent home this Friday and will be due the following Friday. I will model expectations for this assignment before sending it home with your child. (Remind students to highlight proof in the text for each comprehension question on the back.)
