Mrs. Steffens
Language Arts
Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking Skills:
Predicting
Clarifying
Questioning
Summarizing
Inferencing
Determining Main Idea
Determining Text Structure
Analyzing
Evaluating
Synthesizing
Vocabulary Aquisition and Application
Monthly Reading Focus Strategies:
Guided Reading:
All students will participate in a guided reading group and literacy centers throughout the year, based on individual student need. Students will be reading a variety of fiction, nonfiction, and poetic text according to their instructional reading level (which is continually assessed throughout the year).
This small group time is my favorite time of the day and especially crucial to student learning. I am able to differentiate instruction according to student skill level, strengths and weaknesses, as well as get that special one on one time with my students as readers.
Literacy Centers:
While I meet with guided reading groups, students not working with me will be rotating through literacy centers. These centers will address word study (vocabulary building, word work, spelling, etc.), independent reading, responding to reading, skill practice and technology use.
Writer's Workshop:
Fifth grade is a critical year for developing creative, sophisticated, and organized writing skills. We run a Writer's Workshop model in our classroom from day one. Students will each keep a Writer's Notebook, in which they will brainstorm ideas, record thoughts, work on rough drafts, edit and revise. We will be addressing three main modes of writing throughout the year: narrative, informational, and argument writing, while infusing lessons on grammar and conventions.
