Happy November!

As we launch into our new non-fiction reading unit, I am so excited by how motivated students are to immerse themselves in the work of learning. Our discussions on "coding" non-fiction texts and understanding the difference between narrative and expository pieces during ELA instruction really calls on them to use everything they ever learned about the art of reading.
Knowing that narrative non-fiction has the characteristics of "stories", while maintaining factual understanding can be challenging for kids. While expository fiction requires students to find ways of learning and retaining information on groups of things often housed under one topic. It can be a demanding, yet stimulating endeavor.
Not only must students read and comprehend the information, they must also find ways of retaining what they are learning. To do this, they must identify the text structure and select an appropriate organizer to help them hold on to new ideas.
These are skills that will be valuable to them as learners throughout their academic careers, and it is thrilling for me to be a part of this process with your child.
Below, please find some links that I think you will find interesting. They will help you have a deeper understanding of some of the work we are doing, and how to be an informed part of the learning going on in our classroom.

Best -
Vivian

Understanding Text Structure I
The Importance of Teaching Text Structure