A deep love of reading has been a tradition here at Sharon. Teachers and students alike love reading, sharing their thinking about books, watching characters grow, and watching each other grow as readers.
This year, we have started using the Fountas and Pinnell program in all classrooms. The classroom books and minilessons provide access to a variety of leveled texts geared for all readers. Additionally, we will do book clubs throughout the year. In particular, we will participate in a shared read-aloud of "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" starting in late November. We will connect the text with writing through the process of journaling. Other key texts that will be used in book clubs/shared read-alouds include "90 Miles to Havana," "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," and more. Fourth graders also have the opportunity to listen to a wide variety of read-aloud texts. During read-aloud times, students are invited to relax and get cozy while they listen to the story. We kick the year off by reading "Wonder." This book talks about important life skills such as kindness and empathy, while opening up the discussion around bullying, standing up for what's right, and more. Other possible texts we will read this year include: "Fish in a Tree," "White Elephant," "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind," "Out of My Mind," "Because of Winn Dixie," and more. Additionally, we read lots of non-fiction and historical fiction texts to connect to our ongoing Vermont/U.S. history studies. I will add our "Books We've Read" here as soon as possible. |