Fifth Grade

What does reading support look like in fifth grade?

We work with students 30 minutes a day, usually during the WIN block.  Some groups focus on phonics and spelling.  Other groups focus more on comprehension.  All of our activities are based on assessment information and students are progress monitored regularly to make sure they are grasping the concepts. 

Comprehension and Fluency

We focus on the following "Fab Four" reading strategies in every lesson:

1. Prediction

Students predict what they think the reading may be about. We skim, look at the title, table of contents, pictures, etc. to make our predictions.  I also tap into their background knowledge on the topics.

2. Question as you go

Students generate questions as they listen and read. We talk about three  three levels of questions: 

Right-There questions (answer in the text)

Between-the-lines questions (inference needed)

Critical Thought questions (require their opinion)

3. Clarify

Students ask themselves what words and phrases are unclear to them. These clarifications may take the form of the following questions:

How do you pronounce that?

What does the word mean?

I think the author is saying…

I’m guessing ‘pie-in-the-sky’ means…

4. Summarize

Students summarize verbally and in writing.

HOW TO HELP AT HOME

READ, READ, READ!

Encourage your child to read for 15-30 minutes a night. Read books with your child. Talk about the stories. Make predictions, ask questions, and summarize what's happened so far, or what the book is teaching the reader.  

Talk about how words work.  Notice prefixes, suffixes, and root words.  Use the Syllable Types and "Reading Big Words" Strategy below to help your child when an unfamiliar word is encountered.  Remind your child of the useful phonics generalizations below.