The Kitchen Sink for the Week of 10/29/12

Readers’ Workshop

This week we continue our exploration of characters.  We will be recognizing how our personal experiences can help us understand and relate to characters on a deeper level.  It is important that students are not making superficial connections like “I have a dog, too,” or, “I’ve been to Texas, too.”  In this unit we are pushing students to recall a time when they have experienced a similar situation in order to draw upon their emotional memories.  This emotional connection to characters is what will help students empathize and connect to the text.  Student connections may begin, “This reminds me of…” and should transition into, “This makes me realize…(something about the characters thoughts/feelings/motivations).”  Have your child practice this skill in the strategy paragraph of their Reader’s Response.

Writers’ Workshop

We will begin drafting the rising action in our story (building up to the climax, or main problem).  Students will first complete a character map.  The character map will ask students to describe the physical appearance of their main characters, as well as the way they act and treat other characters.  We will then use the details off of this chart as we draft our story.  We are learning that readers will not want to read our stories unless they are invested in our characters (really like or dislike them).  In order to get readers invested, we need to sprinkle in details that paint a picture of the character and make them come to life.

Skills Block

Students will be tested on spelling List 8 this week.