Retells and Comprehension

Grade 3: In Term 1, we will learn how to 'retell' a story. When writing a retell, we include the beginning, middle and end of the story. We also include the characters in the story and the setting. When we start a retell, we always include the title of the book and the author's name. When writing retells, we are trying to only include the important parts.

Grade 4: In Term 1, the Grade 4 students will try to write a summary, or a more condensed retell that only includes the most important parts.

Making Connections

Text-to-Self: We are also learning how to make 'text-to-self' connections. We try to relate to the characters in the story, or to the story itself! Some questions that students may ask themselves are: Can I relate to the character? How am I like the character? How am I different? Does this story remind me of something that happened to me? How is the story the same? How is it different?

Text-to-Text: Does the book you are reading remind you of another book that you have read? How are the books the same? How are they different? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Text-to-World: Does this book remind you of something that is happening in the world? If so, explain how. Remember to use examples from the text to support your thinking.

Big Idea

What can we learn from this story? What is the author trying to tell us?

Guided Reading

The students will soon be placed into 'Guided Reading Groups'. The students in each group will be given the same levelled book, and they will be asked to read it together with my guidance. Students will be asked challenging questions about the text, and they will also be asked to do activities around the book. While I am working with a Guided Reading Group, the other students will be either reading independently, working on an activity with a partner, or working on their 'taskboard' (a variety of activities in a notebook).

The Importance of Reading at Home

Parents: Students are encouraged to read every night as part of their assigned homework. Students should be read to by their parents or guardians, and the students should have an opportunity to read independently as well. Students in Grade 3 should try to read for at least 20 minutes (or more!). Students should be reading a variety of challenging books (e.g., fiction/non-fiction, poetry, biographies, graphic novels, etc.). If your child doesn't know approximately 3 or 4 words on the page of a novel or picture book, and he/she understands the content, then that book is probably just about right for him/her. Encountering new words is important because it will build your child's vocabulary, and he/she will have a chance to apply some of the reading strategies that they will be learning later this year.

I would encourage you to talk to your child about the book that he/she is reading at home on a regular basis to ensure that he/she has an adequate comprehension. You could ask questions like: Who is your favourite character in the story, and why?; What has happened so far in the story? What was your favourite part? Can you explain why?; What do you think will happen next? What clues in the story make you think that?. Encourage and challenge your child to provide you with examples from the text to back up their thinking! In class, I will always ask the children to back up their thinking with specific examples from the text.

NOTE: Students will be given Reading Logs mid to late October. Please remind your child to use his/her Reading Log every night (if possible). If your child is reading a chapter book, they do not have to log the times that they read each night. He/She just needs to log when he/she started it, and when he/she has finished it. I will ask the students to bring their Reading Logs to school about once a month so that I can monitor what they are reading at home (e.g., the types and levels of books).

1. Recounts

During the First Term, we will be learning how to write recounts. A recount retells something that has happened in chronological order. Remember to include the '5 W's' when writing a recount, along with sequencing words (e.g., then, next, last, etc.).

2. Friendly Letters

We have recently learned how to write friendly letters. The students learned that letters include the date, a greeting (e.g., Dear _____), a body (the part that includes your thoughts and opinions), and a closing (e.g., Your Friend,).

Grade 3: Grade 3 students will be expected to organize their work into short unit that could be used to develop paragraphs. As the year progresses, they should also start writing more complex sentences. High frequency words should be spelled correctly, and they should know how and when to capitalize words.

Grade 4: Grade 4 students will be expected to organize their work into detailed paragraphs. They will also be expected to write more complex sentences using conjunctions). High frequency words should be spelled correctly, and they should know how and when to capitalize words.

Students: Any words that I write in the margin of your Writer's Notebook should be added immediately to your Personal Word Wall. After you add them, you are expected to spell them correctly.

3. Persuasive Arguments

We write persuasive letters to persuade, or to convince someone, to agree with our opinion.

Here's how to write a persuasive letter:

1. Don't forget to include all the parts of a letter (e.g., date, greeting, and closing)

2. First paragraph: State your opinion, and list at least two really good reasons to support it.

3. Second paragraph: Take your first reason and write more about it. Include really good examples to back up your thinking.

4. Third paragraph: Take your second reason and write more about it. Remember to include really good examples to support your thinking.

5. Conclusion: State your opinion again, and your reasons.

Remember to use really good persuasive words in your letter.

I firmly believe that...

It's very important that...

We really need...

We must..