PASSION! My goal with you all this year is to find a captivating book that you absolutely love (if you are a reluctant reader) and continue your passion by giving you tons of new book suggestions (if you an avid reader). I personally love reading, but to be honest, I wasn't always that way. I understand that not everyone loves reading as much as I do, but I promise to try my best and find those "just right" books with each and every one of you this year.

ENGAGEMENT! I run my reading class in groups called "Roberto Book Clubs". During a typical day, I will review the Greek root, the challenge word of the day/week, a mini lesson that targets a specific skill, and then we branch off into small group book clubs. During book clubs, I read a novel with a small group of students and "think out loud", so that students can begin hearing when I make connections, when I need to go back to reread a challenging paragraph, when I use context clues to determine the meaning of an unknown word, etc. The goal will be for students to eventually take turns to facilitate those book clubs, to create an engaging, student-centered reading class. The overall goal is to take the mini lessons I review and apply those skills to our real-world reading each day with your classmates.

FUN! I try my best to create "assessments" that include choice for each student. Do you love creativity and art? Perhaps you'll do a novel project that asks you to recreate the cover of the novel or decorate a virtual bedroom that you believe the main character may have. Do you love writing? You may choose to rewrite the last chapter of the novel to include your own spin on it. What about the kids who love performing in front of the class? They may choose to create a song that delves into the themes of the novel.

The learning standards listed below are what students will be assessed on throughout the first trimester. These are the priority standards that you will see on the report cards. I will also be working on non-priority standards to build their reading comprehension.

Learning targets listed below refer to a "Level 3" on the scale, meaning 'at grade level'. When introducing a skill, I first explain each level of the scale so that students have a solid understanding of what the expectations are to attain a 2, 3, or 4. I will typically begin with the "Level 2" on the scale as a whole class introduction, and then work my way up to that "Level 3". As students show understanding or need to be challenged, "Level 4" expectations and assignments will be explained and provided.