December 2007
Dear Families of Room 206,
When we return from winter break, we will be embarking on a new and exciting themed literature unit based on the theme, “Persevering despite Obstacles. The unit is based on our social studies unit on Discovery, in that the early American colonists faced many hardships but persevered in order to succeed. During this five week unit, students will form literature circles of about five students each.
Each group will read two out of the five picture book biographies I have chosen for this unit. The biographies include stories on Ghandi, Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, Buzz Aldrin, and Helen Keller – all of whom have amazing stories on “Persevering despite obstacles.”
Throughout the unit, we will be exploring the central questions of:
1. What does it mean to persevere despite obstacles?
2. What qualities or traits does it take for a person to persevere despite obstacles?
3. How do we learn to persevere despite obstacles in our own lives?
In exploring these questions, we will have whole class discussions, small group discussions (in literature circles), an artistic expression project, and some independent writing activities including an autobiography of students own personal stories of perseverance. In addition, I will be assessing and giving feedback on how well students are working in, and contributing to their literature circles. Finally, students will do a self-evaluation at the end of the unit where they can reflect on how well they think they worked in their literature circles.
You can help support you child during our literature unit at home by making quiet time for reading at night. This will help them stayed motivated about reading. In addition, being an adult role model for reading will also motivate your child as a reader and lover of literature. Finally, exploring the theme of “Persevering despite obstacles” through discussions at home will further deepen your child’s understanding of the theme, as they can relate to it by personal stories.
For more information in support of this unit, the following websites are excellent sources:
http://www.litcircles.org
I am really looking forward to our literature unit. Please call or email me with any questions or concerns you may have. You can reach me at 206-930-4482 and email me at hallals@seattleu.edu. And of course, your child is always welcome to talk to me about any concerns or question they should ever have. Thank you for your endless support!
Sincerely,
Sara Friend (Teacher intern to Mr. Langley)