Welcome! This class is best for students in grades 3-5 and learners in grade 6 who could benefit from a review to master concepts. In this course learners will be supported with explicit instruction to make sense of the reading details to then explain it in writing. 

Your student needs to bring the same notebook to each session. I share screen to present the strategies, provide reading passages from online resources, such as readworks.org and show brief videos and illustrations to support comprehension. 

The class environment is structured as well as encouraging and supportive. Your learner will always be supported through regular check-ins through the Zoom chat box and whiteboard features. The focus of this class is to give students strategies to help them comprehend a reading passage and write an answer with confidence. Please see the syllabus and message if you have any questions. 

Week 1: Learn acronym RACE - restate the question, answer, cite, explain 
-Students will succeed by using sentence frames to correctly answer a short answer response question. 

Week 2: informational text, writing citation using 'According to'
-Students will succeed by using a sentence starter to prompt them to explicitly refer to the text as the basis for their answer. 

Week 3: supporting details, writing transition words 'For example, in addition, furthermore'
-Students will combine sentence starters and sentence frames to include provide reasons and proof for their answer. 

Week 4: informational text, writing explanatory 'This means, such as, which is' 
-Students will demonstrate expertise by supplying definitions and examples to expound in writing. 

Week 5: compare, writing comparison words 'both, similar to, also'
-Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills by using keywords to write about comparison topics. 

Week 6: contrast, writing contrast words 'however, but, on the other hand, 
-Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills by using keywords to write about differences. 

Week 7: compare/contrast reading and writing exercises
-Students will synthesize learned concepts by making real life application by writing an informational 3-paragraph paper. 
 
Week 8: sequence of events (biographies), writing organization 'timeline', capitalization
-Students will identify key life events and illustrate their learning by using a graphic organizer.

Weeks 9-12
Week 9: sequence of events (historical) , writing organization 'webbing', proper nouns
Week 10: sequence of events writing exercises
Week 11:  problem - solution, conflict, writing descriptive adjectives 'comparative/superlative'
Week 12: cause - effect, writing 'sentence structure - learn acronym FANBOYS - focus 'and, but, or, so' (enrichment) SWABI - since, when/while, after, because, it

Extension activities will include the development of a thesis to prepare for essay writing.