Novel Study & General Reading Update

This week, our class started their Independent Reading Novel Study. Students have chosen a novel and every morning they read for 10 mins. Then they are completing 3R Reflection & Picture journals. These questions (retell, relate, reflect) and the picture section address these curriculum points:

Gr. 7
1. 3 identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies (such as visualization)
1.4 demonstrate understanding of increasingly complex texts by summarizing important ideas 

1.5 develop and explain interpretations of  texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts to support their interpretations 

1.6 extend understanding of texts, by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them  

Gr.8
1.3 identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies 
1.4 demonstrate understanding of increasingly complex and difficult texts by summarizing important ideas

1.5 develop and explain interpretations of texts using stated and implied ideas from the texts to support their interpretations 

1.6 extend understanding of texts, by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other texts, and to the world around them 

The benefit of making this task independent is that students get to select their own reading material. Reading preferences are intensely personal and students should be allowed to read what honestly interests them rather than always 'assigned' texts.

The other areas of reading in class currently are: Nikolas & Company whole class read aloud with Visual Doodles (which models reading strategies, connections to text, the making of predictions, summaries, character/setting etc), music lyrics for connections to text (see my poplit lyrics website) and short video 'stories' on my poplit.net to explore summaries/retells, character/setting/plot.

Also, we have read one of Chris Simon's news report in the Innisfil Scope as a way to explore report writing.

Coming up soon! Poe's Tell Tale Heart, the use of lyrics/poems to determine 'main idea', and, once I have finished my individual reading assessments (I am meeting individually and reading with each student to confirm reading levels), guided reading practice!

Please let me know if you have any questions!