Retells and Comprehension

After I read a book to the class, or after your child reads a book to me, I will sometimes ask your child to write a summary, or a more condensed retell that only includes the most important parts.  When writing a summary, students must include the title and author, main characters, the setting, the problem, and the solution.  This will be modeled in class.

This is what a summary might look like...

• The story ____________________ by _________________ is about ________________________. The story takes place _____________________. The problem is ________________. The story begins when ___________________________. Next ________________. Then __________________.  At the end of the story, _________________________.

Making Connections

Text-to-Self: We are learning how to make 'text-to-self' connections.  We will 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?  Use examples from the story to support your answer.

Text-to-Text: Does the book we 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?  Give examples from the story to justify your thinking/answer.

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.

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.).