Daily Agenda
1. Supplies and Procedures: Come to class on time, quietly sit at your assigned desk with your notebook paper-filled binder, your spiral notebook journal, your reading logs, a pencil or pen, sticky notes, and two or more just-right books for independent reading. Start reading until I start the daily reading lesson.
2. Reading Workshop: You must read 90 minutes per day (40 minutes in class and 50 minutes or more outside of class). Record your daily in-class reading progress on your reading log every day.
3. Writing Workshop: Write at least one full page in your personal journal every day of class. If you do not finish in class, your journal is considered homework. You may write about anything you choose, and I have lots of suggestions. Journal writing is the only writing that belongs in your spiral notebook journal. Remember to date every journal entry. Everything else assigned in my class belongs in your language arts binder.
Writing Ideas:
Create a personal diary. Record your thoughts about the day, your friends, your family, your hobbies.
Write about your interests. Write about your dreams.
Draw a scene on one page and tell a story to go along with the picture on the opposite page.
Try writing a poem, or two, or three, or even a whole book of poems. I can help.
Write a book of essays about things that matter to you. Write about things you want to change. Write about things you love. Write about things you can't stand.
Ask yourself a good and difficult question and explore your thoughts and ideas with writing.
Describe something beautiful, exciting, fun, or scary in vivid detail. Describe something from your amazing imagination.
Write short stories.
Write letters to friends and let them read them.
Write down the words of poems, songs, stories, and speeches that inspire you. Write a note telling why the words are important to you.
Write book reviews about the books you have read. Share them with the class.
If these don't interest you, I have more ideas. Just ask.
Classroom Rules:
1. Listen and follow directions.
2. Raise your hand before speaking or leaving your seat.
3. Keep your hands and feet to yourself.
4. Respect your classmates and your teacher.
Consequences:
1st time a rule is broken: Warning
2nd time a rule is broken: Time-Out
3rd time a rule is broken: Letter Home
Sample Parent Letter
Dear Parents,
(child’s name) broke the following rules today (date)
:
___Listen and follow directions.
___Raise your hand before speaking or leaving
your seat.
___Keep hands and feet to yourself.
___Respect your classmates and your teacher.
Classroom rules must be
followed in order to protect the rights of every student to learn and enjoy
school. By choosing not to follow them, your child interfered with those rights.
Therefore, tomorrow he/she
will spend the entire language arts period in an in-class time-out.
Please sign your name at the
bottom of this letter and have your child return it to me tomorrow.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Mr. Chaney
Parent Signature___________________________________
Note: Your son/daughter will
stay in an extended time-out until the letter is returned.