It never ceases to amaze me how similar upper grade students are to lower grade students. Just like young students, most 4th and 5th grade students love being read to, and still enjoy having a picture book read aloud. Pair that with a cut-and-paste activity and, suddenly, you have everyone hooked in.
To get students thinking as they read, try doing a word sort. Prior to reading aloud, choose words from the story for students to cut out for sorting. Either make a sorting mat to copy, or have students draw it in their reading notebooks. All they need is to divide the paper into 4 boxes and label each box: Setting/Characters/Problem/Solution.
Before starting to read, show them the book and title. Students predict by sorting the words into the set categories. As you read aloud, make stops throughout the story for students to make changes to their original sort and talk to a partner about why they are making changes. Ask for some volunteers to share their new thinking and continue reading the story. When the story is finished, students can make final changes and glue their words down. They, also, need to write a response to the book discussing how their thinking changed.
Dandelions by Eve Bunting is a book I've used because it ties in to our 5th grade's study of western expansion. These are the words for the sort: WELL, WATER, WAGON, KNEE-HIGH GRASS, MAMA, PAPA, ZOE, SISTER, NEW BABY, TRANSPLANTED, DANDELIONS, FORKED TREE LIMB, BEETLES, FLAT LAND, ROCK PILE.
Try it and see how it works for you.
To get students thinking as they read, try doing a word sort. Prior to reading aloud, choose words from the story for students to cut out for sorting. Either make a sorting mat to copy, or have students draw it in their reading notebooks. All they need is to divide the paper into 4 boxes and label each box: Setting/Characters/Problem/Solution.
Before starting to read, show them the book and title. Students predict by sorting the words into the set categories. As you read aloud, make stops throughout the story for students to make changes to their original sort and talk to a partner about why they are making changes. Ask for some volunteers to share their new thinking and continue reading the story. When the story is finished, students can make final changes and glue their words down. They, also, need to write a response to the book discussing how their thinking changed.
Dandelions by Eve Bunting is a book I've used because it ties in to our 5th grade's study of western expansion. These are the words for the sort: WELL, WATER, WAGON, KNEE-HIGH GRASS, MAMA, PAPA, ZOE, SISTER, NEW BABY, TRANSPLANTED, DANDELIONS, FORKED TREE LIMB, BEETLES, FLAT LAND, ROCK PILE.
Try it and see how it works for you.
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