Winter Break Reading Fun Calendar

Have nothing to do?  Tired of playing with your new toys?  Already won the game you really wanted?

Here is just the thing for you!  Try one or more of the activities on the Winter Break Reading FUN Calendar.  None of the activities take long, but will cure you of your winter break boredom!

Don't forget to continue to read, read, read.  Like the calendar says, if you read just 30 minutes each day of break, you will read a total of 510 minutes.  That is one dragon scale!

Happy Holidays!

 



Flat Chuck meet Flat Mr. Hudson

WTHR-13 weatherman, Chuck Lofton, has a flat version of himself traveling all over the world.  Recently, he traveled to Marlin Elementary School and met Flat Mr. Hudson.  This photo can also be found on www.wthr.com.  Welcome to Marlin, Flat Chuck!

And the Winner Is...

Our Team Cream versus Team Crimson dragon scales reading competition has ended.  If you have not already heard, our winner was TEAM CRIMSON.  Team Crimson won more "games" than Team Cream during the month of November.  They won a total of TEN games.  Congratulations, Team Crimson!

 

We had so many readers contributing each day to help their team.  One student worked EXTREMELY hard one night to read almost 500 minutes.  IN ONE NIGHT!  Amazing job reading, Marlin students!

Read Me Maybe!

HEY, I JUST MEET YOU

AND THIS IS CRAZY

BUT HERE'S MY TRAILER

SO READ ME MAYBE!

Marlin 6th grade students wrote trailers for some of their favorite books.  Then, with the use of iMovie, the students created actual trailers for our Marlin announcement television.  Everyone who visits our school can watch these AMAZING trailers and maybe even read the books!

Book of the Month: Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie

Learning to tell the truth is a difficult lesson to learn for everyone.  At school, teachers are handling those social situations where the truth cannot be deciphered from a lie.  Students are understanding which friends are the friends that can be trusted.  We are all finding ways to determine how we know when someone is being truthful with us.  Yet, what is most important about truth and lies is how we deal with it within ourselves. 
  
Our December Book of the Month is titled Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin.  The story is about a quiet, happy girl named Ruthie who discovers a treasure to add to her collection.  The problem is that Martin claims the treasure belongs to him.  The story is simple, but much can be taken from the story’s lesson.  All of us have been faced with situations like Ruthie’s, but what we do about it is where is learning begins with this book. 
Have fun reading this tiny book with a HUGE lesson!       

Book of the Month: Those Shoes

We are pleased to introduce Those Shoes as the first book of our Marlin Book of the Month series. Each month, a brand new book will be given to the classrooms. When the month is over, the book can be added to the classroom library. Books will be given to classrooms for the remainder of the 2012-2013 school year. We will also have a Book of the Month bulletin board indicating our focus book of the particular month.

Once the monthly book is given to the room, we can start to foster book talks around the school. The goal is to have a Marlin school-wide reading community. Through the books, all Marlin students will have a connection to one another. Similar reading strategies taught in the classrooms will allow for collaboration among all students (and teachers, too). Classroom book buddies will have relevant conversations when meeting together. Marlin visitors could look at the Book of the Month bulletin board, enter a classroom, and begin a conversation with a student about our book.  Videos and photos will document the classes sharing the books together (whether it be reading, writing, or creating).  The intention is to have the videos or photos displayed on our Marlin announcement television.

There are many reasons for choosing Those Shoes as our first book. One, with our anti-bullying focus, this book shows how one boy will do just about anything to conform and avoid being different from others. Two, the book expresses the joy of giving to someone in need. Most importantly, the powerful lesson is determining the difference between want and need, especially in a time of economic struggle. The book illustrations complement the story and help bring this meaningful message to life.

Lace up “those shoes” and let’s start building a Marlin reading community!

 

Thinking about Those Shoes with Mrs. Harding's class  

Team Cream versus Team Crimson

Beginning November 1, Marlin will be having a friendly reading competition. Classrooms will be divided up into two teams. For the entire month of November, we will be tracking which team brings in the most scales each day.   We will count each day as a "game" and the team with more scales for that day wins the game.  The winning team will color a square on a graph.  The graph will help us determine our overall winner.   

Below are the teams.  Signs are placed outside each room identifying the teams, also. 

Team Cream
Mrs. Somers-Glenn's class 
Mrs. Fisher's class                         
Mrs. Harding's class 
Ms. Hobbs' class 
Mrs. Rollins' class                       
Mrs. Melnick's class

Team Crimson
Mrs. Lewis' class
Miss Stillions' class
Mrs. Melwid's class
Mrs. Blacconiere's class
Mrs. Hammersley's class

Let's go, Team Marlin!  Keep up the excellent reading! 



Flat Mr. Hudson

In the spirit of Flat Stanley, Marlin had Flat Mr. Hudson travel from classroom to classroom.  Flat Mr. Hudson had the opportunity to see many activities going on in the rooms, including reading, writing, math games, recess, gym, and even birthday celebrations.  All classrooms recorded Flat Mr. Hudson's visit by taking pictures and reading the book, Flat Stanley.  Some classrooms have even created "flat" versions of the students and sent them to family and friends all over the world.  We have had fun seeing where all the flat Marlin people have traveled! 

Take a peek of our collection of Flat Mr. Hudson photos:

Fluency Through Poetry

This school year, Marlin students are working on becoming more fluent readers.  Students are building their fluency by reading poems—lots and lots of poems.  Classrooms are using Dr. Tim Rasinski’s Fluency Development Lesson to focus on fluency, adding word work and comprehension to the lesson.

Reasons for using the Fluency Development Lesson:

·      Is an instructional routine.

·     Combines elements of effective word decoding and fluency instruction.

·      Relatively quick and easy to administer.

·      Allows for school and home reading.

·      Allows for students to read more challenging materials.

·      Allows students to develop a sense of accomplishment through the mastery of a text.

·      Is research-based.

Fluency Development Lesson:

Time Requirement:  15-25 minutes per day.

Texts:    A brief text (poem, song, story segment).   Make two copies for each student.  Make a display copy for whole class reading. 

PART 1       

1.     The teacher introduces a new short text and reads it to the students two or three times while the students follow along silently.   The text can be read by the teacher in a variety of ways and voices.

2.     The teacher and students discuss the nature and content of the passage as well as the quality of teacher’s reading of the passage.

3.     Teacher and students read the passage chorally several times.   Reading variations are used to create variety and maintain engagement.

4.     The teacher organizes student into pairs or trios.  Each student practices the passage three times while his or her partner listens and provides support and encouragement.

5.     Individuals and groups of students perform their reading for the class or other audience such as another class, a parent visitor, the school principal, or another teacher.

PART 2

6.     The students and their teacher then choose 4 to 5 interesting words from the text to add to the individual students’ word banks and/or the classroom word wall.

7.      Students engage in 5-10 minutes of word study activities (e.g. word sorts with word bank words, word walls, flash card practice, defining words, word games, etc.)

PART 3

8.     The students take a copy of the passage home to practice with parents and other family members.

9.     The following day/week students read the passage from the previous day/week to the teacher or a fellow student for accuracy and fluency.   Words from the previous day/week are also read, reread, grouped, and sorted by students and groups of students.  Students may also read the passage to the teacher or a partner who checks for fluency and accuracy.

10.   The instructional routine then begins again with part #1 using a new passage.

Helping Your Child Pick a Good Fit Book

Have you ever asked yourself, “How can I help my child choose books that he or she can read?”

One important piece of reading instruction Marlin teachers assist their students with is choosing a GOOD FIT book.  A GOOD FIT book is a book that students can read and are interested in reading.  To choose these books, the teachers model IPICK.

IPICK is an acronym that stands for the following: I choose a book to read, Purpose (Why do I want to read it?), Interest (Does it interest me?), Comprehend (Am I understanding what I am reading?), and Know the words (I know most of the words). 

Here are a few steps that you and your child can follow in order to choose GOOD FIT books:

1.  Have your child choose a book. This is the first I in IPICK.

2.  Ask your child, “What is your purpose for choosing this book?” You may also want to ask, “Is it for fun or to learn something?”  This is the P in IPICK.

3.  Ask your child, “Is this a book you are interested in reading?” This is the second I in IPICK.

4.  Have your child read a page of the book.  After your child reads the page, ask your child, “Who or what did you read about and what happened?”  This is the C in IPICK.  If it is a GOOD FIT book, your child should be able to answer your question.

5. Have your child read another page (or use the same page) and ask, “Did you know the words?”  This is the K in IPICK.  Your child should know all or almost all of the words in order for it to be a GOOD FIT book.

Going through the steps of choosing a good fit book should only take a couple minutes.  Once children are familiar with the IPICK process, they have an easier time choosing GOOD FIT books.  Children may need more guidance from mom or dad as they choose good fit books. This is an ongoing process and takes practice.  We will continue to learn and practice choosing GOOD FIT books at school.

Adapted from The Good Fit letter for parents written by Alicia Darby from www.thedailycafe.com

Marlin Staff Favorites

Recently, Marlin students had the opportunity to guess which Marlin staff reader was behind their favorite book.  The guesses sparked conversations among students, teachers, and school guests.  The favorite book list consisted mostly of children's books, but some adult titles were included.  Check out the list.  See if your favorite book is there, or find a new favorite to read!

Favorite book list:
The Velveteen Rabbit
A Light in the Attic
Ruby Holler
How Are You Peeling?
Skippyjon Jones
Once Upon a Summer
Memoir of a Goldfish
Rainbows, Head Lice, and Pea-Green Tile
Out of the Dust
Rabbit's Gift
Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life
The Devil's Arithmetic
Good to Great
So Cold the River
The Boxcar Children series
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun
Where the Wild Things Are
A Wrinkle in Time
Something Borrowed
No, David
Roxaboxen
The Little Mermaid

Start a Reading Streak!

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma

 

When Alice Ozma was in 4th grade, she and her father decided to see if he could read aloud to her for 100 consecutive nights. On the hundredth night, they shared pancakes to celebrate, but it soon became evident that neither wanted to let go of their storytelling ritual. So they decided to continue what they called "The Streak." Alice's father read aloud to her every night without fail until the day she left for college. In the book called The Reading Promise, Alice approaches her book as a series of vignettes about her relationship with her father and the life lessons learned from the books he read to her.

Interested in starting your own Reading Streak? Here are some books they read and loved, organized by grade level. If your child shows a keen interest in being read to, or has been read to regularly before you begin a Streak, you may want to bump him or her up a grade level or two.

Grades 1 and 2: Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, Dot and Tot in Maryland by L. Frank Baum, The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo by Beverly Cleary, Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Cornerby A.A. Milne, Mr. Popper's Penguinsby Richard Atwater.

Grades 3 and 4: Alice's Adventures in WonderlandandThrough the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes, Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes, The Bears' House by Marilyn Sachs, The Encyclopedia Brown Series by Donald J. Sobol.

Grades 5 and 6: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, Surviving theApplewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan, The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, It's Like This, Catby Emily Cheney Neville.

Grades 7 and 8: The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling,Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles, Esperanza Risingby Pam Munoz Ryan, The Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz, Holesby Louis Sachar.

Grades 9 and 10: Up a Road Slowly and Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt, Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton, Wish You Well by David Baldacci.

Grades 11 and 12: The Pigman by Paul Zindel, The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig, Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare, Great Expectations and The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Why Your Child Should Read for 20 Minutes Every Day

As parents we have all heard this cry, "WHY CAN'T I SKIP MY 20 MINUTES OF READING TONIGHT?"
Reading is the basis for all learning SO…
LET'S FIGURE IT OUT – MATHEMATICALLY!

Student A reads 20 minutes, five nights, every week;
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week. Student A reads 20 minutes x 5 times a week = 100 minutes/week Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes
Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month. Student A reads 400 minutes a month. Student B reads 80 minutes a month.
Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year. Student A reads 3600 minutes in a school year. Student B reads 720 minutes in a school year. Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year. Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.

By the end of 6th grade if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits, Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days. Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days. One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably, and so, undoubtedly will school performance. How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?

Some questions to ponder:

Which student would you expect to read better?
Which student would you expect to know more?
Which student would you expect to write better?
Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?
Which student would you expect to be more successful in school....and in life?

(Source: U.S. Dept. of Education, America Reads Challenge. (1999) "Start Early, Finish Strong: How to Help Every Child Become a Reader." Washington, D.C.)

Fire Up with Reading

Welcome back Marlin students and families! 

This school year, Marlin students are getting “Fired Up with Reading.”   

To promote reading at Marlin, students are reading and recording their minutes of reading.  Marlin’s school goal is to read for 1,000,000 minutes this year.  As students are reading, they are earning dragon scales to build the body of our Marlin dragon. 

Each student has a FIRE UP WITH READING Student Reading Log to track those minutes.  As a student reads a total of 500 minutes, the log is given to the teacher.   Every completed reading log earns one dragon scale.

500 minutes of reading =
1 dragon scale

Once we have read for 1,000,000 minutes, Marlin will have a school-wide celebration.

Let’s work on reading, completing reading logs, earning scales, and building our Marlin dragon.

We can do it!  Happy reading, Marlin!  :)