re:

Home

Chat

Blogs

Collection

Directory

Home : 2004 : December : 27

re:
By Mary

Symbolism means one thing representing another. In chapter 10, Brian finds and eats the turtle eggs. Eggs often symbolize life, especially new life, which makes sense if you think about it. All life starts out as an egg.
In this chapter, eggs are used to symbolize new life. The question is, whose new life? Explain.
That was from The Hatchet.
On page 94, Maime Trotter says, “Sometimes, Miz Ellis, you got to walk on your heel and favor your toe even if it makes your heel a little sore.” What does she mean? Use the context (and your noodle) to figure this one out.
That was from The Great

Gilly Hopkins. Those are grade level texts.

“Finally, a sort of grin slithered across McNab’s lips.” (page 24) What does that sentence mean? What kind of grin was it? Use the context to figure it out.

That was from Maniac Magee. That's a below grade level text.

Look on page 102, third full paragraph: “I’m not killing anyone, the Rock is killing them……” Mark gives a two or three sentence argument here, trying to justify what he’s about to do. What do you think of his argument? Why?

That was from Remnants, which is an above grade level text.

And of course, sometimes I ask a simpler question, just to be sure. In Sarah, Plain and Tall (low level) I ask "Who is telling the story?" long about the third chapter or so, because a surprising number of them have no idea.

While kids are working independently, they are doing the day's reading assignment for their group and their response sheet (which contains these questions). I usually have either one reading group going with me, with the rest in independent work till I call them, or I have one group at a time going with me and the lit. circle going independently, with me eavesdropping to make sure they're on task. Often, I'll have the lit. circle bring their questions (the ones they've written) to group, written on a sheet of paper. I look for questions that ask "what would you do" "what do you think" and I also like find the simile or the metaphor or whatever literary device. Then they pass their papers to the right every five or six minutes, answering the questions that come to them. When I'm ready for them to stop, I just have them read out the question and the answers to the one in front of them. This sparks pretty good discussions, because they own the questions more than if I ask them.

I have read all the books we do in reading groups and lit. circles. I also have a gifted and talented section, and I do reader's workshop with them. They self-select their books, so I have as many books going as I have kids. In GT then, no, I haven't read them all, nor do I try, but in my regular lang. arts classes, I have read them all.

And please don't think that all of this works perfectly every time. There are times that I interrupt reading group to yell, "Adam! Do your work!" or "Brandon, do you need to come in after school to do this?" This is, after all, sixth grade. :-)