Homework Helps and ELA Reminders Read your book every night Write your think-mark about something you were thinking while you read. Bring your think-mark and book to class each day and then back home for nightly reading. (until your book is finished) Write on the top of your reading log every time you read.

Keeping track of your reading Write on your reading log….EVERY time you read. Work to meet your page goal that was set. Make sure that you figure out the number of pages that you have read. This will make evaluating your goal easier. Write on your think-mark!

How to write my think mark Put the title of my book at the top of the page. Put the date of my reading. Put the page number that my thinking came from. (text evidence - proof). Write my thinking. When reading at home for HW

Prediction Think box I am predicting……(Book) I am predicting this because…..(text evidence) I think….. (opinions/ conclusions) I think this because….(text evidence)

Connection Think Box Text to Self I can connect to ….. (Book) I can connect to this because….(you) I think….(back to the book) I think this because…… EX: I could make a connection with the boy in the book being afraid to go to his tree house in the dark. I could connect to this because when I was little I used to play in my father’s building in our back yard. When it got dark I never wanted to go out there and play by myself. I felt scared to be there all alone in the dark. I think this is why the boy would not go into the tree house. Text to Text I can connect to….(Book) I can connect to this because…..(other book) I think (back to book) I think this because….. EX: I can connect the story “Fireflies”, where the boys are competing, to the book “Eggs”, by Jerry Spinelli. In the book “Eggs” there is an Easter egg hunt that the children in the neighborhood participate in, trying to find the most eggs. In the story “Fireflies” the children are also competing, but they are trying to catch the most fireflies. Text to World I can connect to ….(Book) I can connect to this because….(World) I think….(back to book) I think this because….. EX: I can connect the story “Fireflies”, where the boys are hunting fireflies to the tradition of Easter egg hunting. I can connect this because on Easter, the kids in my neighborhood would get together and hunt for eggs. It was fun and exciting and we all tried to gather as many eggs as we could. This is just like the excitement and the competition in the story “Fireflies” when they are in search of lightening bugs.

Questioning Think Mark (HW) Ask a question….One of the 5W’s or How? Leave several lines and keep reading. When you answer your question….go back and put it in the space by the question. Don’t forget to mark your page numbers. I wonder……(My question with details) I am wondering this because…..(text details) I think……(My opinions) I think this because…. (text evidence to support your claims) Questioning Think Box (CW)

Summarizing (SWBST) Write a SWBST statement I think…. (opinions/reactions) I think this because…..(text evidence) Ex: Boris, a man in prison, wanted to escape but the night guard caught him. So the guards placed him into solitary. Then Borris thought he had found a tunnel to freedom when it was really a trap. S ombody -Character W anted something B ut.. What stands in the way? S o…. What was the result/ outcome? T hen… How was it resolved/ end?

Envisioning I can see…. (hear, touch, taste, or smell) I can see (or other sense) this because…. I think…. I think this because…. Good Readers use their 5 senses to better help them understand the story. Readers give their text evidence and include their personal experiences to add to their thinking.

How to write a Think Box (in class) Using your think mark…. Look for something you read that fits the “Focus Strategy” Begin your writing with the name of the book…. In my book, ___________, Next tell what the character did….. Now tell what you are thinking. I am thinking…. Now tell why you are thinking this. I am thinking this because….. (give your text evidence). Wrap it up by telling why this is important, what lesson can be learned. I think this is important…. OR I can learn the lesson….. Write my opinions /conclusions (reactions)