The author Cynthia Rylant is in the spotlight this week for our second and third grade PA students. Having written more than 60 children's books, her work has been honored with numerous awards, including a Newbery Medal. She writes both picture books and novels for older readers, and several are on display this week in our classroom. We will begin by learning about the author's life and early experiences in the mountains of West Virginia, and discuss how these experiences have come to shape her writing. Click on the following link to learn more about Ms. Rylant, from the author herself http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-rylant-cynthia.asp. An Angel for Solomon Singer will be our second graders first novel study. We will read for meaning and understanding, make connections and comparisons to our own lives, and explore Rylant's use of imagery and figurative language. Having thoroughly enjoyed her short story Shells, the third graders will review several of Cynthia's Rylants picture books, and write their personal "Rylant Reflections" to share with their classmates...and hopefully you at home as well! They will end their literature unit with the science fiction novel The Green Book by Jill Paton Walsh, before beginning their study of Ancient Egypt. Don't worry, we will return to Journeys and Destinations later in the year!
The core of this years fourth grade literature unit involves students interacting with literature while they enhance their reading comprehension and textual analysis skills. This week they will begin their study of the classic novel The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. If your child has already read this wonderful book, they will have an opportunity to experience it in a new and exciting light, as they are introduced to new and rich vocabulary and discuss the complexities of the story and unforgetable characters. Autobiographies is the literary theme for fifth grade PA students. Thursday I began reading a chapter from the autobiography of a well-known author of children's literature, and will conclude the chapter tomorrow. I am wondering if they can guess who the author is; it lays the groundwork for their first novel study of the year. Ask your child to tell you who the mystery author is (I'm sure it's a familiar name) and what her school experience was like. They enjoy comparing school "in the old days" with their own experience, and my, how things have changed! They are also busy completing a personal inventory regarding their interests and disposition. You will see several of these inventories throughout the year, as they prepare to compose an autobiography of their own in the spring.
As you can see, we are very busy in Project Arrow.....exploring new ideas from one another, and through great literature. I imagine your children will be creating great literature of their own own day. I can't tell you how much I enjoy spending time with each and every one of them.
"We are all traveling through time. Let us make the future a place we'd want to visit." Stephen Hawking
