Language Arts

Reading Information

Welcome to my classroom! This will be a year filled with many new experiences for your child. Each day we will be actively engaged in learning. We will incorporate our novels in the reading cafe. Here is a little information regarding the reading cafe.

We have just begun our Daily 5 and CAFÉ adventure! This is the reading and writing program implemented in my classroom.

Daily 5 is the structure we will use to plan our morning. Children will be busy completing meaningful literacy tasks. The choices will be:

  • Read to self
  • Work on writing
  • Word Work
  • Listen to reading
  • Read to Someone

Right now, we are focusing on increasing our stamina to work independently during Read to Self. Within the next few months, the other choices will be introduced. While the students are completing their literacy tasks, I will be meeting with small groups and conferencing with individual students.

Daily 5 is how we schedule our language block. CAFÉ is what we study during this time. CAFÉ is an acronym for the four major components of reading. They are:

  • C for Comprehension
  • A for Accuracy
  • F for Fluency
  • E for Expanding Vocabulary

The children will learn reading strategies within each category. These strategies will become tools for the children to use to help themselves become better readers and writers.

It is going to be exciting to watch your child's reading and writing skills blossom throughout the year.


About Ms. Hensley

I am delighted to have the privilege of teaching third grade at Casady this year! This will begin my twenty fourth year as a professional educator and I look forward to a wonderful experience with each student. It is my goal to not only teach your child Language Arts, but to also develop in them a love of knowledge that will encourage them to be lifelong learners.

My background includes a teaching degree in Elementary Education and an Endorsement in Language Arts from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. In 1999, first year of teaching, I was awarded the Sallie Mae Entry Level Teacher of the Year Award for the State of Oklahoma and was nationally recognized in Washington, D.C.

I have taught elementary school at Quail Creek Elementary in Oklahoma City and also in the Deer Creek School System at Rose Union Elementary, prior to coming to Casady.

Things I enjoy include reading, watching sports, playing tennis, eating out as often as possible, and, of course, shopping. I also enjoy spending time with my: family, friends, and my Yorkshire Terrier Bentley.

Grammar and Writing

Grammar:

  • Write on Track is the program used.
  • The focus is on punctuation, the mechanics of writing, usage, and spelling.
  • Students practice in sentence combining and in correcting common sentence problems.
  • They also identify and practice the eight parents of speech.
  • We will also practice editing and proofreading skills.

Writing:

  • We incorporate writing is with our chapter books in a Literature Response Journal (LRJ).
  • We use the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing).
  • Students will demonstrate proper paragraph structure.
  • There will be daily handwriting practice including print and cursive.
  • Other ways students will write include: creative stories, short stories, poems, letters, research papers, and more.
  • Research skills will also help in generating ideas for writing.

Four-Square method and six traits of writing are programs we use.

More information about the Lower Division at Casady School is available on our main website.