Join my weekly reading and writing class where we dive into an article from a recent Scholastic News magazine. Articles will be shared digitally. (I also have a 2nd and 3rd grade level of this class and a 5th/6th grade level.)

Scholastic News is one of the top-selling current events magazines for elementary school children. Teachers' #1 choice for current, cross-curricular nonfiction texts, Scholastic News helps elementary students explore the world from wherever they're learning. The kid-friendly stories, skill-building activities, videos, audio and more bring excitement to science, social studies and reading. (from Scholastic) 

Here is what two Outschool parents had to say about this class:
💬"My child had an incredible experience. The teacher was truly amazing! My child learned a lot, made it to the A/B honor roll, and is now reading above her grade level. We're planning to return after the Christmas break and explore another course. Thank you for helping our child's development. "

💬"My kids have taken this class for two weeks. As a parent I am happy how the class is ran...the pace is right on. I am happy with how the kids get a chance to read out loud, hear others read/listen, answer comprehension questions verbally and do get some worksheets done. We plan on staying enrolled, as I think my kids will acquire some great skills!"


English and Language Arts curriculum standards have shifted to create a strong emphasis on exposing students to informational texts and non-fiction texts. Informational texts include literary non-fiction, historical documents, scientific journals, technical manuals, biographies, autobiographies, essays, speeches, and information displayed in charts graphs, or maps digitally or in print.  We will explore many of these types of informational texts in Scholastic News magazine.


Take a look at the wide range of English Language Arts skills that we'll focus on while reading Scholastic News :
🎯Main Idea and Key Details
🎯Compare and Contrast
🎯Author’s Purpose
🎯Cite Text Evidence
🎯Determine Word Meaning
🎯Context Clues
🎯Parts of Speech
🎯Cause and Effect
🎯Make Inferences
🎯Problem and Solution
🎯Summarize Texts
🎯Text Features
🎯Vocabulary Acquisition
🎯Integrate Multimedia

Our time together will be as follows:
5 minutes:  Welcome and Community Building
5 minutes: Introduction to the Article for the Day (slides, picture, short video clip, discussion); Activate Prior Knowledge; Set a Purpose for Reading; Vocabulary Building
25 minutes: Read the Article Together (a mixture of reading aloud together, reading silently, and listening to me read aloud.) Complete a "skill-builder" written activity together. Respond in writing to what we read.
10 minutes: Summarize the Article; What Did We Learn? Game/Comprehension Quiz; Wrap Up


Examples of Scholastic News Lessons:
📖 "He Led The Way" Seventy-five years ago Jackie Robinson changed the game when he became the first Black Major League Baseball player.
Vocabulary: segregation; magnified
Featured Skill: supporting responses with text evidence
Featured Strategy: chunking text using subheadings
Text Structure: profile and sequence

📖 "Battle of the Brains" Many animals show amazing signs of intelligence. 
Vocabulary: nervous system; invertebrate
Featured Skill: main idea and details
Featured Strategy: using headings to set a purpose for reading
Text Structure: description

📖 "Are You Old Enough to Have a Smart Phone?" Let's read and debate. We'll learn to support our opinions with reasoning and evidence.
Featured Skill: supporting opinions with text evidence; OREO opinions
Featured Strategy: setting a purpose for reading
Text Structure: debate

📖 "Meet the Kindness Kid" Orion Jean is helping others and making the world a kinder place. He wants you to join him!
Vocabulary: surpassed; ambitious
Featured Skill: identify problem/solution
Featured Strategy: using headings to guide our reading and summarize text
Text Structure: chronology, problem/solution

📖 "How 3D Printers Are Changing the World" 
 Vocabulary: manufacturing; complex
Featured Skill: vocabulary acquisition
Text Structure: description and comparison

Here are some of the topics we'll read about this school year:
SEPTEMBER
• National Hispanic Heritage Month
• Constitution Day
• Remembering 9/11
• Election 2024: The Road to the White House

OCTOBER
• National Bullying Prevention Month
• Saving Endangered Animals
• Media Literacy: Don’t Be Fooled Online
• Civics in Action: Kids Helping Their Community

NOVEMBER
• Native American Heritage Month
• Election 2024: America Picks a President
• Honoring Our Veterans (Veterans Day)
• Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Turns 100

DECEMBER
• 2024 Year in Review
• Space Exploration: NASA’s Latest Discovery
• Kids Celebrate Giving Tuesday
• Big Debate: Should Kids Be Banned from Social Media?

JANUARY
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Election 2024: Presidential Inauguration
• STEM: How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing the World
• History’s Biggest Mysteries

FEBRUARY
• Black History Month
• Celebrating Lunar New Year
• Coming to America: The Immigrant Experience
• Early Explorers: Discovering New Worlds

MARCH
• Women’s History Month
• Nutrition: Changing School Lunch Menus
• 20 Years of YouTube: Did the Site Change Our Lives for the Better?
• Big Debate: Do We Need Daylight Saving Time?

APRIL
• Earth Day
• Extreme Weather: Surviving a Tornado
• 250th Anniversary of the Start of the American Revolution
• Safety in Sports

MAY/JUNE
• Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Month
• Top Stories to Watch This Summer
• Celebrating Juneteenth

*I have obtained permission from Scholastic to use Scholastic News in this Outschool class.


🌟Leaves of Learning Academy is rated "Popular" by Outschool because we are in the top 10% of all teachers on Outschool. This means we offer classes that are in high demand that fill up quickly! 🌟


*Leaves of Learning Academy is an organization on Outschool with about 18 teachers. Occasionally, the teacher for this class may not be able to teach and a substitute teacher from the organization will take her place. Only teachers trained to teach this class will serve as a possible substitute for the class. A message will be posted in the Outschool classroom before the class takes place in the event a substitute will be teaching. I am happy to offer a refund to any learner who prefers not to attend the class with a substitute. Please send a message through Outschool in that event and I will issue a refund. Thank you!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Outschool policies regarding refunds for classes:

✅If your learner misses a class meeting, you are not entitled to a refund. Your teacher may, however, transfer your learner to another available section, or provide a class recording, at their discretion.
✅If your learner has not joined the meeting 10 minutes after the class’s start time, the meeting may be cancelled, at the teacher’s discretion. This is considered a missed meeting and you are not entitled to a refund.
✅Refunds are not guaranteed in the event that your learner misses a past or future class meeting due to a schedule conflict, and will depend on the class-specific refund policy.
✅If your learner’s meeting time changes because of daylight saving time starting or ending for several world regions, you are not entitled to a refund if they’re unable to attend. Please review your learner’s schedule ahead of time to ensure you know when classes are meeting.