Weekly Updates: 

Week 1, 2, 3, and 4: Students are learning the difference between main idea in a narrative nonfiction text (using the summarizing model somebody, wanted, but, then, so) and the moral the story. 

They are learning to write responses using the model RAP (restate, answer, and proof). Students will begin with paragraph writing about Nasreen and Rain School

Week 5: We will focus on context clues. This is a challenging skill for students, so it may take them some time to master it. 

Week 6: As a class, we will read a nonfiction text about how some students in Kenya get books. Students will write a paragraph including information such as the geographical features, problem, solution, and importance of the library. 

Week 7: Students researched a new country (Thailand, Canada, or Indonesia) and learned about how some kids get books in those different places. They wrote a paragraph on what they learned. 

Week 8: We read More Than Anything Else about Booker T. Washington and discussed the historical context. Students reviewed a test on Mongolia (focused on main idea and context clues) and made corrections. They also independently wrote a paragraphs on Mongolia. 

Week 9: Students wrote essays on the challenges and solutions related to reading around the world. 

Idioms: Each Monday, students are learning a new idiom. Idioms are a type of figurative language that are sayings not meant to be taken literally. These can be challenging for students because they have to memorize what they mean. They're also fun for them to learn since they can sound silly! 

To help your student(s) get a better handle on the expressions, I will list them here as we learn them and you can use them at home too!

• When pigs fly 

• Time flies

• On cloud nine 

• Two peas in a pod

• All ears/ I'm all ears

• Catching some z's