Martin Luther King, Nonfiction, How-To Writing and a Challenge!

This week we started new units in both Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop. In Reading Workshop we are learning how to read nonfiction and to use the text features to help us with our reading. We are learning that text features have different purposes in the book and we can use them to learn new information. We are also learning that we can get our minds ready to read nonfiction just as we do with fiction - by previewing the book and photographs as well as thinking what words we may come across in the book. Students are really enjoying checking out nonfiction books and noticing the different features through their reading.

In Writing Workshop we are learning how to write "How-To" books! The students are learning that they are all experts at something and can put their knowledge into a book to teach someone how to do something. It can be something as simple as making toast, brushing teeth, or blowing a bubble with bubble gum! The kids got to work thinking of possible topics and have now chosen a topic and have written down the steps in order. Today we practiced sharing these steps with a partner to see if we were clear enough or if we needed to do some revising! Ask your child what their first "How-To" book is about! Next we will put these steps into a booklet.  Here is a video clip of one student telling some beginning steps for "How To Make a Snowman".

Writing steps for our How-To books

We learned a lot about Martin Luther King, Jr. this week and why he is so important to our country. We read several nonfiction books and wrote short thank you notes to him to thank him for what he has done. They made a cute little MLK, Jr. person to go with it. They are all hung in the hallway for now.  Here are a few pictures!

Here is a challenge! Please email me your child's answers. If they get 2/3 correct they will get a little prize!
1. When others said "seperate", Martin said _____________.
2.  Name two features of nonfiction text.
3. Where did Martin give his famous "I have a dream" speech?
Good luck!