Outlining non-fiction

We have been working on summarizing and determining importance this week. Yesterday I showed them how to make an outline to take notes. I explained to them that this will help them in history and science and generally anything that may be difficult to read and understand. We have been practicing these skills with our story this week-”Ancient Greece” in the Scott Foresman Reading Street series. It is a non-fiction story that is PACKED with facts and information!

Determining importance is HARD for them to grasp. They understand what it means, but it’s hard for them to pick out the important things in some paragraphs and sections. I don’t think I worked on this with them this year like I should have-so I will definitely focus on this next year!

When we were working on the outline I had them work in several different ways:

1. I read some paragraphs out loud and we figured it out together

2. I had them work in groups

3. I had them work with a partner

4. I had them read silently and then we pulled out the important stuff together

We broke this story down CHUNK-BY-CHUNK-BY-CHUNK!!!

We will see if it helped them any when they take the  open book test tomorrow that I am going to create tonight! (Nothing like procrastinating)

More readers theater scripts

I have found more links for some readers theater scripts.

http://www.evsd.org/curriculum/tech/k5tech/teacher/5readerstheatre.htm

http://www.teachingheart.net/readerstheater.htm

http://www.pcboe.net/les/elderweb/readerstheater.htm

http://www.readinglady.com/index.php?module=documents&JAS_DocumentManager_op=viewDocument&JAS_Document_id=9&MMN_position=34:34

Love my chair!!

I bought the MOST COMFORTABLE chair at an antique store yesterday for my classroom!!! I tried not to use it too much today! I have recently started gathering my 6th graders on “the rug” for read aloud, mini-lessons,etc. Some of them sit on the rug, some of them sit in the chairs from the reading table. I LOVE MY CHAIR!!!!!!!