Dear Families, 
 
My apologies for not sending you an update over the past two weeks. Time has a way of getting away from me. When I think there is only one more week in the first grading period, then I truly feel as if time has flown. 
 
Sometimes when we are in the midst of all the work we do each day, we do not stop to reflect on what is being accomplished. This blog is good for me, as well as you, because it helps me reflect on the many parts that make up the hours, days, and weeks of our school life. I hope you are finding it helpful to to have a glimpse of the goals your child pursues each day. 
 
Independent reading continues to rock along with students completing books on their level on a regular basis. By the end of the nine weeks, each student will have read at least 6-7 fifth grade level books, or more if they are reading below grade level. It has been our goal to read from several genres over the nine weeks. If your child seems stuck in only wanting to read fantasy books, talk to him or her about trying a new genre like historical fiction. Miss Cairns and I are good at helping students find books in a variety of genres that are on their level.  
 
We will be continuing to complete a word study each week. For this past week, we covered compound words and one syllable words that make a long vowel sound. We work on vocabulary development every week. Your child writes down unfamiliar or interesting words from their reading. The words are looked up in the dictionary and written in the reading journal, along with a letter that tells me about what they are thinking about their reading.  
 
Students are completing their personal narratives in the next few days. They are learning to organize their ideas and to give their writing a style through the voice and the details. I am so pleased to see them incorporating similes and other types of figurative language into their writing. Unfortunately, I cannot let their writing pieces come home until the end of the year but if you would like to see their Writer's Notebooks, just come by! 
 
Our focus once the personal narratives are complete is to work on an essay in response to the literature being read. The goal is a five paragraph essay about a book recently completed. This will be worked on entirely in class. 
 
As you come in for the first semester conference, we can talk more about any of these projects, and you can see your child's Writer's Notebooks. 
 
It is hard to believe our first nine weeks is coming to a close. By now, your child has a rhythm for what each day brings. I feel fortunate to share in the accomplishments of each day. 
 
Until next time, 
 
Karen Persinger