This week we are going to begin reading our first novel, Caleb's Choice by G. Clifton Wisler. To prepare for it, we have been building background knowledge about the West African slave trade, the Underground Railroad, and the Emancipation Proclamation. We read articles, watched videos, and discussed these historical events in depth, in order to have a better understanding of the setting of the novel and of the characters. I was impressed by the level of thinking exhibited during class discussions, as well as the questions asked and opinions shared. I am working with some amazing children this year!
I have one class set of novels, so students will not be able to bring them home. In the case of extended illness, I will make arrangements for a novel to come home in order to catch up, but I just don't have enough for everyone to have their own copy.
I explained to my classes that we will be reading in a stop/start fashion, which some of them expressed annoyance at! I totally understand! However, I explained that it's important to be able to talk about our thinking while we read the story, and that they'll have a deeper understanding if we periodically stop and share, rather than read for extended periods of time and try to remember all of the details.
I discourage children from reading ahead because they become "accidental spoilers" for the rest of the class. Even if they promise not to tell other students what's ahead, it's hard to distinguish what they read versus where the rest of the class is in relation to the text. There are millions of books to read at home, if they're really drawn to Caleb's Choice perhaps they could find other historical fiction from the same time frame. I'm sure our librarian would be willing to help students who would like to investigate further.
I'm very excited about our unit for Caleb's Choice and I think the students are too!
Side note: If you have not signed up for Parent Portal yet, it's an easy way to see your child's grades. If you signed up in previous grades, you don't need to do it again. Let me know if you need a form from the office!
I have one class set of novels, so students will not be able to bring them home. In the case of extended illness, I will make arrangements for a novel to come home in order to catch up, but I just don't have enough for everyone to have their own copy.
I explained to my classes that we will be reading in a stop/start fashion, which some of them expressed annoyance at! I totally understand! However, I explained that it's important to be able to talk about our thinking while we read the story, and that they'll have a deeper understanding if we periodically stop and share, rather than read for extended periods of time and try to remember all of the details.
I discourage children from reading ahead because they become "accidental spoilers" for the rest of the class. Even if they promise not to tell other students what's ahead, it's hard to distinguish what they read versus where the rest of the class is in relation to the text. There are millions of books to read at home, if they're really drawn to Caleb's Choice perhaps they could find other historical fiction from the same time frame. I'm sure our librarian would be willing to help students who would like to investigate further.
I'm very excited about our unit for Caleb's Choice and I think the students are too!
Side note: If you have not signed up for Parent Portal yet, it's an easy way to see your child's grades. If you signed up in previous grades, you don't need to do it again. Let me know if you need a form from the office!