ELA Homework to Boost Rigor & Reading Stamina

Do you know what's MISSING from the "newly adopted" ELA curriculum my district bought last year?  A LOT!! If you're struggling with supplementing resources to align what your students practice with to how they will be assessed on ELA standards, then changing up your homework routine may be the answer like it was for me!

I began using this weekly homework format with my 4th grade class at a Title 1 school, and the parents loved the consistency.  Compared to other years, I saw an increase in oral reading fluency (ORF) progress, and confidence while taking computerized reading tests.  My students also showed WAY MORE stamina when it came to the LOOOOONNNNGG reading passages they were assigned!

First of all, I assign my weekly homework by passing out the new packet on Monday and making it due on Friday.  If there's a holiday at the beginning of the week, I just send it home on the first school day of the week.  There are several families who appreciate having the flexibility of getting homework done around their schedule and not tied down to such a tight deadline.  As a result, I've experienced a higher completion rate of homework when it's checked on a weekly vs. nightly basis.

Here's HOW It Works:

The front cover page serves as a checklist for students to complete throughout the week.

• Fluency : Repeated Readings  If you're a fan of close reading, then you know the importance of having repeated reads.  Each weekly homework pack requires students to read the high interest text three times during the week.  After the student has read on 3 separate occasions, then they get to check off the Fluency box.  The parent initials/comments box is helpful for me to see which words the student may have struggled with and holds the student more accountable for reading the text aloud to a family member or guardian. 
• WIDE Reading Choices  This part of the weekly homework routine allows for student choice.  There are 9 reading activities a student may choose which range from independent reading to writing a letter from the point of view of the main character in the assigned text, or even researching some new information.  Typically I just have students staple any of their WIDE reading choices to the back of the packet.  Like before, the student has to complete 3 of the activities to check off the WIDE reading box.

• Comprehension Check  I typically recommend for my students to respond to the questions only AFTER they have read the text for a second time.  This will have helped them to gain a better understanding before attempting the questions.  Similar to the ELA tests my students take in the spring, there are trick questions and they are text-dependent, so they must refer back to the passage to verify they have chosen the BEST answer!  I created the layout to position the text page next to the questions page because it bothers me when I have to flip the page in order to respond to questions. #theSTRUGGLEisREAL Fortunately, it just takes away one more barrier to success and gives students a bit more consideration.  With practice, students become really good at the test prep strategies involved when answering the 5 multiple choice questions.   After, students must respond in complete sentences to the FIVE "Get the Gist" prompts provided.  There's even a column for students to record the paragraph #s in which they located their answer.  This helps to train them to show their work even in ELA!

• Focus Skill Enrichment Page  I like to sprinkle in heavy-hitter RL, RI and L standards as a way to spiral in the ELA curriculum.   There's normally an example given so students have a greater level of support to be successful, especially if completing the assignment independently without an adult nearby.  As a kid, I recall my working parents busily prepping dinner, cleaning the house, and/or relaxing on the couch from an exhausting day.  They were never doting on me to help me complete my homework because that was MY responsibility.  Overall, the rule of thumb I share with families is each separate page shouldn't take more than 15 minutes for their child to complete as long as they are working without distraction.

Are you ready to implement a CONSISTENT homework resource aligned to ELA standards which will allow students the opportunity to grow as readers, and boost rigor along the way?  After implementing this homework system along with tracking student data, my class scored 96% proficient on the end of year ELA test!!

If you still aren't convinced, maybe these ACTUAL TEACHER REVIEWS of how this Common Core Reading Homework bundle improved their class' success & even changed their mindsets about homework may help!

Making Test Prep FUN!

I use a class review game called SCOOT where task cards are put at each student desk and then after the allotted time (varies based on the concept from 40  - 90 seconds) I say "SCOOT" or after we've played for a while, I can just ring my bell/set my phone timer and they know what to do!  This is perfect for TEST PREP because I can assign multiple problems on a specific concept and see how well they're doing.  It allows me to focus more of my instructional time on concepts they're struggling with and skim through those that are a breeze.  If you teach 4th grade, and are interested in my fractions set pictured above, it is available here!

So what makes SCOOT fun for kids?  Well, first of all, they're getting to move around the room!  Second, if they finish early and have double-checked their problem they get to SILENT READ (something there's not much time for within our daily schedule)!  And, I entice them with some motivational SCOOT prizes for excellent accuracy and/or behavior throughout the review!  Who isn't motivated by food?  Well, I know I certainly can't resist a free sample at the stores, so I keep a bag of snacks stocked with food to pass out to the lucky winners! If that isn't your style, free rewards also work well (sit in the teacher chair, lunch with teacher, 10 minutes of free tech time, etc.)!

If you're interested in trying this out in your room, try this simple ELA Test Prep set out by clicking the image above!  The skills covered are rather basic but are a great way to introduce this format to your class ...
Or, if you need to review 4th grade fractions concepts and are looking for a fully editable set where you can customize the names to include students in your class or are in need of more than 24 cards, try my math task card set below!  Or, if you're not a techie, it includes a matching blank template to print and create additional cards by writing them in!  Hopefully you'll give this way of reviewing skills a try if you haven't already.  SCOOT is a HOOT!

:)

WAIT (Text-Based Writing PLAN)

Help your students develop a prewriting plan for on-demand writing!  If you're in a similar boat, there are only 4 school days left until end-of-year testing, I knew I had to develop a game plan to better prepare my students for the writing exam this year.

Luckily a game plan using the mnemonic WAIT came to me during writing instruction last week which touches on all of the essential elements students need to focus on to write a substantial essay. Additionally, I can joke with my class--- WAIT a sec?!? What do I need to do before writing?  Make my WAIT prewriting plan of course!

What does WAIT stand for?
W = writing type (ex: informative or opinion essay)
A = about... (have students copy down the writing prompt / aka "what they're writing about")
I = Information I Must Include (if there are 3 articles, then there should be 3 bullets listing a 3 or 4 word title for how the student personally remembers each article)
T = Text Evidence / Examples (key details from the text that help support the topic and/or personal beliefs and examples from real life that help develop your opinion)

Since I teach at a Thinking Maps school, I modified a circle map to be sectioned into fourths to serve as our WAIT plan.  The titles of the passages could go outside the circle as part of the "Frame of Reference."  If you don't already use thinking maps, this is just a simple way to organize ideas!

**FREEBIE BELOW**

A couple of months ago, Scholastic NEWS featured a DEBATE article about dogs being allowed into restaurants.  I figured this would make a high-interest OPINION WRITING assignment.  Grab the freebie writing prompt with sample WAIT writing plan and exemplar essay for use in your class!

WAIT!! If you like what you see, pick up my TEXT-BASED WRITING set to help prepare your 4th/5th grade students for on-demand informative and opinion essay writing assignments!