1. Every day we started class by enjoying 15 minutes of Supported Independent Reading.

During or after the reading your self-selected books, you may have

• written a short response to your reading

• conferred with your teacher

• discussed your book with a partner or with your book club members

2. Throughout all units, we encountered new vocabulary words and learned their meaning

by using

• roots, prefixes, suffixes

• context (reading around the word) and sentence structure

• synonyms and antonyms

• cognates (words that are similar in other languages)

• word reference materials (dictionary, thesaurus, glossary)

Our Daily and/or Repeated Learning

TERMS

Denotation – dictionary definition of a word

Connotation – feeling the word suggests

Etymology – study of word origins

Cognate – words that sound similar in different languages

(impossible/imposible, restaurant/restaurante)

Synonym – word that has a similar meaning

Antonym – word that has opposite meaning

Homonym – two words having the same spelling but

different meanings and origins (ruler-king / ruler-math)

Homophone – each of two or more words having the

same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or

spelling, (new and knew)

Context Clues – hints the author gives to help define a

difficult or unusual word.

STUDY GUIDE – WORD STUDY

PREFIX ROOT WORD SUFFIX

a word part added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning

the smallest part of a word that has meaning and can stand alone

a word part added to the end of a word to change its meaning

mis understand ing

re place ment

Common Prefixes & Meanings Common Roots & Meanings Common Suffixes & Meanings

un-, dis-, non- not cred believe -able, -ible able to

in-, im-, il-, ir- not scrib, script, graph write -er, -or, -ist one who

super- over Spec, spect see -ness, -tion, -sion The quality of

sub- under tact touch -less lacking

co- with therm heat -ful full of

mal- bad dict speak -ship art or skill of

bene- well, good ver truth -ism practice of

mis- wrong man hand -logy Study of

pre- before ped foot -ment condition of

post- after bio life -y, -ious, -ous characterized by

WORD REFERENCES

DICTIONARY a book or electronic resource that lists

the words of a language (in alphabetical order) and gives their

meaning, often also providing information about pronunciation,

origin, and usage

THESAURUS

a book or electronic resource that lists words in groups of synonyms

and related concepts

GLOSSARY

an alphabetical list (located at the end of a book), with meanings of the words or phrases in the text that are

difficult to understand

3. Throughout all units, we processed our thinking by participating in and contributing

to conversations, group discussions, and oral presentations.

4. Throughout all units, we recorded our thinking by

• taking notes

• using graphic organizers (charts, Venn diagrams, 4-squares, etc.)

• response writing

• summarizing

5. And, of course, you took unit tests to prove how well you mastered the skills and

objectives!

Reciprocal Teaching 4 - Square

Venn Diagram – Compare/Contrast

After reading, please share your thinking by using one

of these sentence starters or one of your own!

I think … I wonder …

I noticed… I realized …

I’m surprised that … I was reminded of …

I predict … I’d like to know …

I used to think …, but now I think ….

I think the main character is changing because …

The big idea (theme) in is the story is …

I like the way this book is written because …

Sentence Starters for Reading Response

Unit 1 – Getting the Big Ideas from Text

We started off the year determining the author’s message/meaning in both fiction and nonfiction

selections

In fiction, we introduced story structure and how these elements of fiction combined to help

readers understand the big ideas or themes (messages) in a story.

(Remember, Flocabulary – 5 Things?)

Our Learning Within Each Unit

THEME

Universal message or moral of the story which can usually be stated in a sentence.

Examples:

Love conquers all. There’s no place like home. Crime doesn’t pay. Violence never solves problems. Learning to forgive is part of becoming an adult. To err is to be human.

OTHER LITERARY TERMS

Point of View: 1st Person = told by narrator; uses the pronoun ‘I’ 3rd person limited = the narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character: uses pronouns, such as 'they', 'he', and 'she'. 3rd person omniscient= the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all the characters; uses pronouns, such as 'they', 'he', and 'she'.

Author’s Purpose – (PIE) Persuade, inform or entertain

Foreshadow – hint about something that will happen in the future

Flashback –a transition in a story to an earlier time, that interrupts the normal chronological order of events

Mood – Overall feel of the story

Tone – quality of author’s voice (humorous, sarcastic, solemn)

Irony – unexpected twist (usually at the end of a story)

Genre – a category of literature based on format (For example: mystery, science fiction, realistic fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, etc. )

In nonfiction, we explored the author’s use of text features as well as fact, opinion,

supporting details, and examples to convey the main idea of their topic. We used these ideas

to write summaries of the texts.

MAIN IDEA AND SUPPORTING DETAILS

The MAIN IDEA is what the text is mostly about.

To find the main idea look for clues:

1. Look at titles and headings. 2. Look at pictures, photos & graphics. 3. Look for key words or ideas that are repeated. 4. Reread the first and last sentence of paragraph or section. Ask yourself, “What is the big idea?”

SUPPORTING DETAILS give more information about the main idea What? When? Where? Why? How much/many?

SUMMARY:

A summary is a shortened version of an original text

which contains the main idea or theme.

When you write a summary remember to

1. Keep it short.

2. Paraphrase (use your own words)

3. Include the main ideas and the important

supporting details

(Think: Who? What? When? Where? Why?)

4. Use only facts and not opinions.

Fact & Opinion

A fact is a statement that can be proven

true or false.

Example: Fred Lynn Middle school is located in Woodbridge, VA.

An opinion is an expression of a person's feelings

that cannot be proven.

Example: Fred Lynn Middle School is the very best!

TEXT FEATURES:

Text features are found outside of the main body of

text.

They refer to how the text looks.

Text features provide information that may not be

written in the text itself.

Text features help us find information efficiently.

Important text features in nonfiction magazines and articles include:

Titles Photos Boldface

Headings Captions Italics

Subheadings Maps Underlining

Sidebars Diagrams Type Color

Bullet Points Tables/Charts

Unit 2 – What the Author Says…What the Author Means…

During this unit, we continued to work with both fiction and nonfiction to examine the way

authors give us enough information to make inferences and draw conclusions from text.

In fiction, we focused on how authors use both explicit and implicit information to establish

well-rounded characters as well as the theme (or lesson the character learned) in the story.

S Speech What does the character say? How does he/she say it?

T Thoughts What does he/she think?

E Effects

on Others How do others react to this character? What do they say about him/her?

A Actions What does the character do? Why?

L Looks What does the character look like? (physical appearance)

Making Inferences

An inference is a conclusion that a reader makes while reading or after reading.

This conclusion is based on what the reader knows outside of the text plus

information that is presented in the text.

(Background Knowledge) (Textual Evidence)

Signal words that alert the reader to make an inference:

imply conclude decide indicate predict

suggest seems most likely probably assume

What I

already know My inference What I learned

from the text

Then, we used our knowledge to write personal narratives explaining a time in our lives when

we learned something or changed as a result of the situation. While using the writing process

to create a polished personal narrative, we focused on

• Indirect characterization (what the characters say, think, do & how they interact with others)

• Dialogue and correct punctuation

• Paragraphing

• Spelling

DIALOGUE RULES:

There are 3 parts to a quotation:

Quote Speaker Speaker Tag

“Are you sure?” Jeremiah asked his teacher.

1. Start each quote with a capital letter. Place a period at the end of the sentence – not the quote.

“Yes, I will do that!” exclaimed the author.

2. Place quotation marks around the actual words of a speaker.

“Yes, I will do that!” exclaimed the author.

3. Place punctuation (, ! or ?) inside the quotation marks and before the speaker tag.

“Yes,” exclaimed the author. “I will do that!”

4. Start a new paragraph each time a different person speaks.

“Yes,” exclaimed the author. “I will do that!” “Of course, you will,” replied his editor.

Unit 3 – How Characters Change and What We Learn from Them

This short unit focused on how authors use cause and effect, plot and conflict to develop

characters, resolve the problem and imply the theme of the story.

Unit 4 – Reading and Writing with Cause and Effect

Building on our last unit, we continued to explore how cause and effect (which is just one of the

many organizational patterns of text) is used in nonfiction.

After studying how authors organize information using the structure of cause and effect, we

began researching and writing our own nonfiction piece using the same text pattern. While

using the writing process to create a polished paper explaining the causes and effects of a

specific natural disaster, we focused on using

• Effective introductions, organization (especially transitions), and conclusions

• Purposeful elaboration using facts and anecdotal information

• Correct punctuation when citing information found in other texts

• Consistent tone and verb tense

CHARACTERS

people (or animals) in a narrative

• Protagonist – main character

• Antagonist – secondary characters

• Dynamic – character changes

• Static – character remains the same

CONFLICT

Problem to be solved which usually leads to theme

INTERNAL EXTERNAL

Individual vs self Individual vs individual

Individual vs nature

Individual vs supernatural

Individual vs society

Individual vs technology

Describe the character (TRAITS) at the beginning of the story.

Textual Support:

Describe the character (TRAITS) in the middle of the story.

Textual Support:

Describe the character (TRAITS) at the end of the story.

Textual Support:

Character’s name:

STUDY GUIDE - ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERNS OF TEXT

Text Structure Signal Words Graphic Organizer

Concept/Definition A topic described in full detail.

refers to, thus, in other words,

described as, equals,

Description

A set of characteristics, such as

attributes, facts, and details

about a general or specific

topic

for example, to begin with, in

front, beside, near, has/have,

is/are, eats, lives, looks, some

characteristics are, for instance

List or Enumeration A series of items presented in a numbered or bulleted format; the order of the items does not matter

Numbers (one, two, three, etc.)

or bullets

Sequence/Process A sequence of events or

ordered steps in a process

first, second, last, before, until,

on (date), not long after, after,

at the same time, at (time), by

then, following, finally, by,

lastly, 1, 2, 3

Chronological Order A main topic supported by

details presented in a specific

time order

first, second, last, before, until,

on (date), not long after, after,

at the same time, at the

beginning, in the middle, at the

end, by then, following, finally,

by, lastly

WINTER SPORTS:

-Basketball -Hockey -Wrestling

STUDY GUIDE - ORGANIZATIONAL PATTERNS OF TEXT

Text Structure Signal Words Graphic Organizer

Compare-and-contrast

Two or more

things/subjects/people are

described, pointing out

similarities and differences.

both, like, unlike, in contrast, on

the other hand, also, too, as well

as, likewise, similar to, same as,

as opposed to, different from,

nevertheless, in like manner,

alike, resembles

Cause-and-effect

The results of something are

explained or the reasons why

something happens or exists

since, because, this led to /

leads to, on account of, due to,

may be due to, as a result of, for

this reason, consequently, then,

so, therefore, thus so that, in

order to

Problem-and-solution

A conflict (problem) including

its causes is described, and a

response or resolutions is

proposed.

one reason for that, a solution,

try, attempt, have solved this

problem, by, has caused, so, to /

in order to

Generalization

Categorizing everyone or

things into the same group,

even if not every person or

thing fits within that category.

all, none, most, many, always,

everyone, never, usually, few,

generally, in general, overall

CAUSE

EFFECT 1

EFFECT 2

EFFECT 3

Unit 5 – How Poets Use Language to Create Meaning

This unit took us down a different path to discover what tools the poet uses to create meaning.

We read, analyzed, discussed and wrote a variety of poems focusing on

• Word meaning – denotation and connotation

• Word choice

• Figurative language

• Sound devices

• Literary devices

• Forms of poetry

When working with each

poem, we considered both

craft and meaning and how

they worked together to

create the theme.

We asked ourselves:

• Why did the poet

choose the form, words,

images, and devices?

• How did these choices

contribute to the

meaning of the poem?

• What is my response to

this poem?

A poem is a little path

That leads you through the trees.

It takes you to the cliffs and shores,

To anywhere you please.

Follow it and trust your ways

With mind and heart as one,

And when the journey’s over,

You’ll find you’ve just begun.

-Charles Ghinga

TERM DEFININTION EXAMPLE

Rhyme repetition of sounds at the ends of words in a poem

“Flecks of diamonds catch my eye As they sparkle in the sky.”

Rhyme Scheme a specific pattern of rhyme (represented by letters)

aabba

Rhythm overall pace or tempo of the poem “Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere”

Repetition repeated use of sounds, words, or ideas for effect and emphasis

“And miles to go before I sleep And miles to go before I sleep.”

Alliteration repetition of initial consonant sounds; tongue twisters

Ralph really wrecked the roof!

Onomatopoeia words whose sounds suggests its meaning Buzz, crash, bang!

Simile a comparison of 2 things using “like” or “as” “Day is like a new paper to write on”

Metaphor a comparison of 2 things frequently uses “is” “Day is a new paper to write on”

Hyperbole extreme exaggeration for dramatic effect I’m so tired I could sleep forever!

Personification applying human characteristics to inanimate objects

The telephone poles stretched their arms across the sky.

Idiom an expression that does not have literal meaning

I totally lost my head!

Imagery use of sensory details (sight, sounds, smell, taste, touch) to describe & help readers visualize

The white fluffy clouds bounced across the bright blue sky

Symbolism something that stands for more than just itself Flags symbolize countries

Irony an unexpected twist at the end of a poem or story

Foreshadowing a hint of something which will happen later

Haiku a 3-lined Japanese verse (17 syllables) about nature

Limerick a humorous, 5-lined rhyming poem

Ballad a poem telling a story usually about a legendary hero

Free Verse a poem with no specific structure or rhyme

Stanza a grouping of poetic lines; similar to a paragraph in prose

Couplet 2 lines of poetry that are about the same length & rhyme

Quatrain a stanza or complete poem with 4 lines

WORD CHOICE

Almost every word has two different kinds of meanings...

DENOTATION - the straightforward dictionary meaning of a word CONNOTATION - the ideas and feelings associated with a word There are 3 types of connotations:

Positive: ++ good Neutral: not good or bad; indifferent; used when you or the author don’t want to show strong emotion either way Negative: - - bad

TONE - Word choice helps establish the tone--the poet’s attitude--about the subject. Here are some different types of tone:

enthusiastic humorous objective solemn serious sarcastic disapproving hostile

Sizzling

Hot

Warm

Cold

Frigid

Unit 6 – Putting It All Together

In our last unit, we used paired passages to compare and contrast forms of a variety of texts as

well as the information within them.

By reading, discussing, and analyzing texts on the same topic, we began to appreciate

choices that authors make to deliver their message. Specifically, we were using our Reciprocal

Teaching 4-Square and discussion to process our thinking.

In addition, the Comprehension Check following the paired passages included the following

types of questions:

Questions about each passage:

• What was the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

• What is the message/theme?

• Who was the author’s audience?

• Why did the author choose this genre/format?

• What facts/opinions did the author present?

• What would be the best summary for this passage?

• What stylistic choices (words, images, viewpoint)

did the author use? Why?

Questions to compare/contrast the passages:

• How are the two passages similar?

• How are they different?

• Which passage do you find most effective? Why?

Passage 1

.3

Passage 2

Paired Passages

Mr. Beatty Ms. Rodriguez

Mr. Blake Mrs. Rice

Ms. Kopstein Mrs. Carr Mrs. Seeman