Teacher Note: Make sure to read p. 13 “Getting Ready”. This session requires quite a bit of prep work, including making folders with blank recording logs for each student. You also need a chart of reading partnerships designating who partner 1 is and who partner 1 is. You also need to have books ready for students to read. The part about a gallery of effective 5th grade reading could be confusing, so make sure you look closely at that before doing this session. All in all, lots of prep work before doing this session.

Session 2 Writing Well About Reading

Minilesson I have made a reading pocket folder for each of you that has a reading log in it. I have also paired you with a reading partner, and made each of you a partner 1 or partner 2. Go ahead and get with your partner and open your folders to look at your reading logs. Look them over as I explain some things.

Minilesson In 5th grade, you will need to be working on your reading at least 40 minutes every night and keeping track of it on your reading logs. You will take your folders home with you every night.

Minilesson “Working on your reading” means that you may not be reading the entire 40 minutes every night. Sometimes you will need to be doing some thinking and writing about your reading.

Goal Today I want us to answer the question, “What does good writing about reading look like?”

Air Writing Let’s get started on how to write about reading by looking at an example from the book, Home of the Brave, which is a short intense book about a boy named Kek who comes to Minnesota from Africa after many years of living in an African village where his father, brother, and many others were killed. (read p. 17, italicized) With your partner, air write a terrible description of what you just read… Now air write the best description you can….

Good Writing About Reading You probably were unsure of exactly what to write to make your writing about reading good. So to help you understand what good writing about reading looks like, I have placed some chart paper around the room with some good writing about reading attached to each piece of chart paper.

Activity In a moment, I will split you into groups. Each group will go to their assigned chart paper with good writing on it. When you get to your chart paper, read the good writing about reading on the paper. Then use the markers at your station to write things you notice about what makes the writing about reading on your chart paper good. I will give you a few minutes to finish. Then we will rotate clockwise to the next station until we have all written on each piece of chart paper.

Time to Read! Now it is time to read. Instead of discussing what we read today during our share session, we will be writing about what we read. As you read, keep in mind some good things you can write about during share time.

Conferencing I will be conferencing individually with students to do running records.

Share Think back to what you have learned about what good writing about reading looks like. Keep those thoughts in your mind and use them to do good writing about what you read today.