Nico read reading passage suitable for his grade level and answered text evidence questions. He was prompted to underline where he found the answers in the text. There weas one inference question that was not directly answered in the text for which Nico used clues from the text to make an educated guess. There was also a response question to facilitate self-connection. Niko's responses on the exercise were indicative of good inferential reasoning skills, synthesis and integration of information, and comprehension.
Nico was tasked with reading a passage about fraternal twins and answering comprehension questions that involved higher-order and inferential reasoning skills. Nico answered the questions accurately. He asked that his notes on Rosa Parks be left on the board in order for him to prepare for an upcoming test. He excitedly informed me that he is going to the movies with two of his classmates and he was given permission because he earned good grades this past semester.
Nico read a reading passage that required him use inferential reasoning skills to answer comprehension questions. He read the passage out loud and articulated effectively, using decoding skills to figure out how to articulate and figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words. He then was permitted to come up with some April Fool's pranks to play on his friends tomorrow after we figured out it is April-1st. Nico was encouraged to come up with a few harmless but fun/funny pranks he might consider but needed to and write them out correctly in a list. He was assisted with spelling and the ideas were vetted to insure they'd be well-received. .
Nico comprehends content satisfactory and has demonstrated excellent recall and retrieval skills. He responded to queries about the material with accuracy. We are supplementing our reading with additional material about Rosa Parks to further enrich and consolidate Nico's knowledge and gains, respectively.
Nico worked on a fifth grade reading passage about the composer Beethoven. He knew who Beethoven was from prior knowledge. We addressed reading comprehension and vocabulary. Nico answered four multiple choice questions and one open-ended question based on its content. He referred back to the passage to determine the meaning of the word 'impediment' based on context clues. Nico has good ideas and comprehends content but would benefit from work on expressing his thoughts on paper clearly using standard conventions of grammar. I pointed out how the first letter of sentences are always capitlaized and how and where to add periods at the conclusion of thoughts. I also suggested how he could better word his sentences and link his thoughts to express himself more clearly. He read well and figured out unfamiliar words efficiently using effective decoding skills. We will work on improving his fluency in addition to grammar.
This morning, Nico read a 4th grade reading passage and answered comprehension questions which consisted of 3 multiple choice and one short answer. He would benefit from additional reading out loud but used good decoding skills when encountering unfamiliar words. Nico was reminded to capitalize the first letter in sentences, apply standard language conventions, and edit his work.
We read another book to supplement and enrich the knowledge recently acquired about Rosa Parks. We reviewed subject-specific vocabulary and Nico is to prepare for a test on the words Thursday, 3/13.
We discussed how the theme of stereotypes is explored in S.E. Hinton's "The Outsiders." We discussed how stereotypes are unfair and one cannot judge an entire group of people based on prejudices. Chris made a connection to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany, which was an excellent and relevant connection.
We explored the concept of 'herd mentality' as it applies to 'The Outsiders.' We defined the term and discussed how the two different gangs in the novel conform to social norms and expectations. Via supportive prompts and guided reading, Chris was encouraged to engage in reflective thought to cite possible reasons why one gang might be more strongly influenced by herd behavior than the other; we noted privileged status and social standing as two logical possibilities.
