5.+Class+Expectations

=Class Expectations: Readers + Writers at Work =

All students are expected to...
 • keep an ongoing Literacy Notebook with Readers' Notes (RN); Reading Work, including Reading Responses and Artifacts (RW); Writers' Notes (WN); and Writing Work (WW). Over the course of the year students will probably fill between 4-6 composition notebooks.  • update a Reading Portfolio that includes a Lit List of the books they've finished.  • grow their writing pieces and publish them in a Writing Portfolio. • have their current independent reading book in class each day and at home each night.

Reading Expectations
Students are expected to read for extended period(s) of time each night in their independent reading books. Students should set a minimum goal of reading 30+ pages a night, although there isn't a set time limit. We anticipate that many of our Sweet Home readers will complete 50+ books this year! Readers are required log their reading on bookmarks and to respond to their reading (Reading Work - RW). Students should update their Lit Lists whenever they finish a book.

Writing Expectations
Writing entries in the Writer's Notebook will grow organically out of the projects we are exploring in class. These will often be seed ideas in the forms of lists, webs, prose, drawings, graphic representations, etc. Writers will also revisit their ideas and develop them in the notebook. Our budding authors will be prompted 2-3 times a week to work with ideas in this part of the notebook. The bulk of any projects will be completed in class. Students will keep drafts, works-in-progress, and final masterpieces in a Writing Portfolio in the classroom. Parents and guardians are invited to request peeks at the portfolio, while student writers are welcome to take drafts to and from school and are always encouraged to print two copies or more when they'd like to share their work. The best way, though, for writers to share their work with the world is through publication. We will always pursue opportunities for authors to enjoy this authentic experience.