Reading Update by: Maverick

Today we learned to ask questions while we read non-fiction books.  We learned to stick sticky notes down on the page and then write the question we had or what we were thinking.

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I was reading about snakes and what they eat. I learned that they like to eat small animals like mice and chipmunks. I made the sticky note because I was surprised that snakes only eat 30 meals a year.

Non Fiction Writer’s Celebration

Today we ended our non-fiction writing unit with a wonderful celebration.  Each child constructed a non fiction text that taught readers all about their topic.  We used teaching pages, diagrams, how tos, indexes, glossaries, surveys, fun facts and learn more pages to help connect our readers to valuable information.

At our celebration, each child presented to the classroom the main idea of their text as well as shared an important text feature.  We then extended our celebration into our Reader’s Workshop time by using our classmates texts to practice retelling non fiction.  Children read 4 non fiction books from cover to cover and wrote down what they had learned from the text.   This was a great opportunity to celebrate with each other!  Our second graders have such big hearts and really try to build each other up and make them feel special :).  I am SO PROUD of each and every one of them!

 

Non Fiction Writers

Our second grade writers are learning how to write  non fiction books of their very own.  We have immersed ourselves in non fiction text and observed many text features that we have incorporated into our own books.   Here are a few of the important strategies that we have learned to teach our readers everything we know:

* Think a Fact, Write A Fact… PERIOD!  ( We are focusing on complete sentences as we write our facts.)

* Using mentor texts to help guide our chapters and text features ( table of contents, labels, captions, more information pages, big bold writing, how to’s)

* Conducting a survey to gather data about our topics to include in our book.

*  We continue to add strategies to our growing list every day as writers!

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Reading Non Fiction

This week our second graders have been  diving into non fiction books.  It has been amazing to see the new learning that has occured as well as the  non fiction comprehension strategies that are being used.

A non fiction retell is different from a fiction retell in that we retell the facts that we have learned not a sequence of events.  For that reason,  we use a very important tool called a sticky note ( fancy tool huh? :)).   As we read from non fiction text, we leave our thinking tracks by writing on the sticky note our “learnings” and what we could teach others.  We talk about our learning with our reading partners, Mrs. Kuieck and our class.   I am so proud of our little readers!  Check out this sticky note FULL of learning :).