Who Is/Who Was? Weekly Book Club and Reading Comprehension Camp

This class is taught in English.

In this class, students will:
-Draw upon a variety of strategies to comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate what he/she reads.
-Make predictions, infer, draw conclusions, analyze, synthesize, provide evidence, and investigate multiple interpretations.
-Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
-Provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.
-Apply strategies to determine known, unknown, and multiple-meaning words, phrases. 

I have enjoyed 26 years in the public school system and have the following experience:

Middle school English Language Arts teacher
Elementary Education--certified (with preschool, elementary, and middle school teaching experience)
Preschool Special Education--certified
Gifted and Talented Endorsement
Reading Endorsement
Education Administration

Students are asked to complete their assignment if they do not finish before class is over.  Students/parents are welcome and encouraged to send me the student's work through Outschool if they would like it proofread and/or would like some additional feedback on the student's writing.  

Parents can also practice reading comprehension strategies at home:
1. Be sure you have your child's attention.
2.  Minimize distractions.
3. As you read, have students repeat phrases back to you.
4. Ask yourself questions while you read…”I wonder why…”
5.  Use “wait time.” Give students a minute to think before repeating your question.
6.  Check for understanding. Ask them to repeat the question back to you.
7.  Help students make connections between the book and their own experiences!
8.  For emergent writers, always pair writing and drawing together!  Draw and write with the story in mind!

Students will be assessed informally through participation, questioning, and by completing a written response and drawing based on the book we read.  (Note: We will review pre-writing strategies for young writers who do not yet write words.)  Students are asked to complete their assignment if they do not finish before class is over.  Students/parents are welcome and encouraged to send the student's work to me through Outschool if they would like it proofread and/or would like some additional feedback on the student's writing.  

Students are asked to complete their assignment if they do not finish before class is over.  Students/parents are welcome and encouraged to send me the student's work through Outschool if they would like it proofread and/or would like some additional feedback on the student's writing.  

Parents can also practice reading comprehension strategies at home:
1. Be sure you have your child's attention.
2.  Minimize distractions.
3. As you read, have students repeat phrases back to you.
4. Ask yourself questions while you read…”I wonder why…”
5.  Use “wait time.” Give students a minute to think before repeating your question.
6.  Check for understanding. Ask them to repeat the question back to you.
7.  Help students make connections between the book and their own experiences!
8.  For emergent writers, always pair writing and drawing together!  Draw and write with the story in mind!

45 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 1 - 2 hours per week outside of class.

The following books will be used in our weekly camp.  Because the excerpts from the books are posted for students to read during class, students will still benefit, even if they have not read the book.  However, students will gain the most benefit from reading the book independently prior to class.

Week 1: Who Were the Wright Brothers?
Week 2:  Who Was Steve Jobs?
Week 3: Who Was Annie Oakley?
Week 4: Who Was Milton Hersey?
Week 5:  Who Was Harry Houdini?
Week 6:  Who Was Queen Elizabeth?
Week 7:  Who Was Paul Revere?
Week 8: Who Was Sacagawea?
Week 9:  Who Was Blackbeard?
Week 10:  Who Was Albert Einstein?
Week 11:  Who Was Louis Braille?
Week 12:  Who Was Henry Ford?
Week 13:  Who Is Pele?
Week 14:  Who Is Jane Goodall?
Week 15:  Who Was Neil Armstrong?