Thoughtful Reading Response

Today, as usual, was very busy during Language Arts. It was also the last day for modeling how to complete a Thoughtful Reading Response. 

Yesterday students were each given a copy of chapter one from Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli.  They were asked to read the chapter and track or flag their thinking.  Since this was a copied chapter they were able to highlight and jot their thoughts in the margin, or right on post-it notes like they are used to doing.  

Today I passed out copies of a Thoughtful Reading Response I completed for chapter one's Fourth Grade Rats.  I displayed it on the Smart Board and gave each child a copy to tape into their Reader's Notebook (Letters section).  Additionally each child was given the steps to writing a Thoughtful Reading Response to keep as a guide in their Reader's Notebook.  Finally I passed out the rubric for how Ms. Higgins, Mrs. Bolton, and I will be grading each response.  As a class we went through the rubric so each child knows exactly what is expected of them.  Then we took notes and highlighted on my example response to make sure I included all of the requirements.   

After Gym, students finished up their snack and tackled their Thoughtful Reading Response (TRR) on Fourth Grade Rats.  By next week students will have a schedule for when their TRR will be due.  They will always have two weeks to complete their response on their choice reading book. 

Here are a few pictures from yesterday's Writer's Workshop.  Students used their Let's Get Organized prewrite to begin writing their rough draft.   Each bullet on their prewrite represents a "page" in their rough draft booklet.  This is a way for students to make sure they s-t-r-e-t-c-h out their small moment.