News from Mrs. Graves

Upcoming Events

Monday, 9/22
Tuesday, 9/23
Wednesday, 9/24 Early Dismissal, 12:30 pm
Thursday, 9/25
Friday, 9/26

Monday, 9/29
Tuesday, 9/30  Progress Reports Go Home
Wednesday, 10/1  School Tour, 9:00 a.m.
Thursday, 10/2  PTO Meeting, 8:10 a.m.
Friday, 10/3  Fall Holiday - NO SCHOOL

Friday, 10/10  Altered School Day - Dismissal 12:30; International Festival 3:00-6:00


Many Thanks...
As always, the Roberts community has come out strong to support the incredible things that happen everyday in our classrooms.  We had a remarkable turn out last week at our first Spirit Night fundraiser at JerryBuilt, and 20% of the receipts that night will go to our 5th grade fund for exciting 5th grade promotion activities at the end of the year.   Teachers enjoyed a really yummy lunch on Friday at the Staff Appreciation Lunch, hosted this month by the PTO Board and organized by Christine Robins.  And, wow!   The RE community is breaking records with more participation and more funds raised through the 100% Participation fundraising drive to raise money that goes directly to support classrooms, instruction, professional development and technology upgrades on our campus. Thank you for being partners with us in enriching the educational experience your children have every day!


Early Dismissal
This week we will have our first early dismissal this year.  We will be dismissing 815 students all at the same time.  We are working on plans for making this as safe and as efficient as possible.  Tomorrow, you will receive a request for information regarding your child's plans for going home on Wednesday.  We need that information no later than Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, in the weekly folder, you will receive a detailed plan for dismissal to help you plan accordingly.  We expect the dismissal process to take longer than usual.

You will be asked to choose one of the following four options:

1. Bus Rider - HISD bus service or private day cares will pick up at the early dismissal time.  Your child must already be served by bus service.
2. Independent Walker - Children identified as independent walkers will be released to walk home alone.  This option is not for parents who are picking up their children. You should be confident that your child can navigate traffic and can get home safely with no support.  You must already have information on file with the main office to choose this option.  Children in Kinder and 1st grade are not eligible for this option.
3. Pick-up: Car Rider Line - You will have your assigned car tag hanging and visible in the windshield. Your child will be called and loaded in your car by a Roberts teacher.
4. Pick-up: Parent Walks up - You are walking from home or parking in the area and walking to the defined dismissal area to get your child.  Your child will not be released until you arrive.

On Tuesday, we will review the information you provide and develop a dismissal plan.  We are considering a staggered dismissal and potentially varied dismissal locations.  You will get information about the plan in the Tuesday folder.  

Stamina, The Glue for Reading Development

For a long time reading teachers talked about the Five Pillars of Reading (Phonological Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension), the five areas that we must develop to grow strong readers.  I wrote about those five pillars in The Principal's Page long before we moved to the digital format.  Although the work we do with children hasn't changed, they still need the same skill work to develop as strong readers, we have learned more about a component missing from the pillar structure, stamina. 

We now define the work of developing reading skills under the CAFE framework.  It is easier to understand, and because the skill areas are all taught within the context of authentic reading, children can own their improvement as readers.  They know what they do well, and what they need to do to improve.  They have a menu of strategies to support their improvement.  The CAFE framework (and related work, The Daily 5) touches on stamina as a component, and I believe it is critical to the work. 

Whether discussing the Five Pillars, or discussing CAFE, the same foundation is necessary for building the capacity to be a strong reader, and what we know is that each pillar, or skill area, is interdependent on the others.  It is a cycle.  As a reader develops accuracy, their comprehension is improved, they learn more vocabulary and their fluency increases, making them more ready for more challenging texts. No one develops as a strong reader with only one of these skill areas.

Readers must be able to decode words with accuracy, they must understand that letters are symbols and that these symbols often represent more than one sound.  They must be able to fluidly move between sound options and identify the word within the text.  There are a variety of skills necessary to do that well, beginning with phonological awareness, or the ability to identify and manipulate units or oral language, and then move that understanding from the context of oral language to written language as they begin decoding (reading) and encoding (writing).

After children have the skills to read words accurately, they must make sense of the words they are reading.  That is where the development of comprehension skills and vocabulary play a critical role. Under the CAFE system, students are given the opportunity to add skills and strategies to their reader's tool kit for developing these skill areas.  

Fluency is sometimes the most time consuming of the skill areas for reading development. There are no quick tricks of the trade, it just requires practice.  Building fluency takes time and effort.  Readers must recognize words with automaticity, and must use the context to anticipate what will come next. Fluency is important because transitioning to more difficult text requires that readers are efficient with their work.  A voracious reader will power through Harry Potter in short order, but a slow reader will often give up when the joy of reading is overwrought by tedious and painful word-by-word decoding.  

Now some readers have well developed decoding strategies (accuracy), they have a ready toolkit of strategies for ensuring strong comprehension, have a deep vocabulary and read with fluency, but they still wouldn't be categorized as a voracious reader.  I believe that is about stamina.  Stamina for reading is the ability to stay focused on the reading for longer periods of time.  Stamina, just like physical strength, is developed over time as we practice.  It is not a skill we practice in isolation, though.  Building stamina to stay focused on the text gives readers an opportunity to get hooked on the reading.  It allows readers to become enveloped by the story. As we build stamina, we set into motion a cycle that allows accuracy, fluency, vocabulary development and strong comprehension to flourish.   Stamina, in my opinion, is the glue that keeps the cycle of reading development going.  

Learn more about how we are developing stamina on Ms. Rivers' blog at http://carivers.blogspot.com/ 

Name That Book, Grades 3-5

What is Name That Book (NTB)?

NTB is an academic competitive team that reads 30 books each year from the published list, and competes to identify the source of quotes read aloud. This year, Mrs. Graves will serve as the team sponsor, with the support of Ms. Heemer (4th grade), Ms. Proch (3rd grade), Ms. Berens (5th grade), Ms. Ballard and Ms. Miller.  All students in grades 3-5 are invited to prepare, and then participate in the qualifier test for a place on the competitive team participating in the District Competition in the spring.

What are NTB Reading Days?

Reading Days are designed for students to check out books and read quietly while they eat. Reading days are in the Principal's Office, and students stop in with their lunch on the way to the Cafe. Students will not miss class time for Reading Days.  Our first Reading Day will take place this week, Friday, 9/26.

What is NTB Book Talk and how does it work?

Book Talks are opportunities for us to talk about the books on the NTB list. We will discuss characters, plot, significant events, things that make the book unique, and similarities between the books. Book Talks are not required, but it is highly recommended as preparation for the qualifier test and the official competition. All Book Talks will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays beginning October 31st. To participate, students must have parent and teacher permission, and must make up any work missed while at Book Talk. We will eat lunch during Book Talk, so students should bring a lunch, or get one from the cafeteria. The Book Talk schedule and permission slip will be available during Reading Days from Mrs. Graves.