INDEPENDENT Reading:
"Once students begin to read, they learn to read better by reading -- just reading." - Mike Schmoker, Focus Here are 10 Benefits of Reading. (Click the subheading for the original source of this list.) 1. Kids who read often and widely get better at it. 2. Reading exercises our brains. 3. Reading improves concentration. 4. Reading teaches children about the world around them. 5. Reading improves a child’s vocabulary, leads to more highly-developed language skills, and improves the child's ability to write well. 6. Reading develops a child’s imagination. 7. Reading helps children develop empathy. 8. Because reading does all the things I’ve mentioned above, children who read do better at school. 9. Reading is a great form of entertainment! 10. Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind. |
INDEPENDENT Writing:
“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” - Tom Stoppard (Read Write Teach, Linda Rief) These 5 beliefs about writing have been adapted from Linda Rief's Read Write Teach. 1. Writers do their best work when they are given choice about what they write and time to craft their writing. 2. Writing is reading. The more students write, the stronger they become as writers and readers. 3. Writing grows out of many different purposes and many different audiences; therefore, writers do their best work when they have a real reason to write for a real audience. 4. Writers learn to write by writing. 5. Writing is thinking. |
STEMS STUDY:
"Students aren't truly mature readers until they can read and recognize about 50,000 words." - Mike Schmoker, Focus Learning Greek and Latin stems will help students decipher unfamiliar words and infer their meanings. If students recognize the Greek root words and know what they mean, they'll be able to figure out the definitions of new words, even if they've never seen them before or see them out of context. English is based off Latin and Greek, so these root words are the building blocks of our language. Greek root words make up much of our medical and scientific language, so these root words are particularly helpful for science classes, too. |