The Importance of Daily Reading for Fifth Graders: A Mathematical Perspective

1. Fifth Grade Language Arts

2. Why Should Students Read TwentyMinutes Every Night? LET’S FIGURE IT OUT---MATHEMATICALLY

3. Student A reads 20 minutes five nights every week; Student B reads only 4 minutes a night....... or not at all

4. Step 1: Multiply minutes a night X 5 times each week. • Student A reads 20 minutes X 5 times each week = 100 mins./week • Student B reads 4 minutes X 5 times a week = 20 minutes

5. Step 2: Multiply a week X 4 weeks each month. • Student A reads 400 minutes a month. • Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

6. Step 3: Multiply minutes a month X 9 months/school year. • Student A reads 3,600 minutes a school year. • Student B reads 720 minutes a school year. • Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year. • Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.

7. By the end of 6th grade, if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits , • Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days. • Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days. This information was shared by Emmy Ellis

8. So what should my child be reading? Books on their reading level! Expository Text • newspaper/magazine articles • various genres • “how to” manuals • poetry • nonfiction text Narrative Text • stories

9. What is happening at school? • Shared reading • Guided reading • PRTs (Primary Reading Teachers)

10. Skills Covered • Main Idea • Sequencing • Compare & Contrast • Fact & Opinion • Cause & Effect • Literary Elements (author, setting, character, mood, illustrations, ect.) • Inferences

11. Word Study • prefixes • suffixes • roots • derivatives • context clues • vocabulary study • etymology (the study of words)

12. Grammar Topics • capitalization • punctuation • verbs • pronouns • prepositional phrases • transitions • conjunctions

13. Genres • Tall tales • Myths • Expository Text • Narrative • Poetry: lyric, cinquain • Skits • Plays • Schedules (newspaper…)

14. Writing Topics • research reports • news articles • business letters • letters to the editor • poetry • clarification papers (why?)

15. How can you help? • Have your child read ALOUD to you daily! • You read ALOUD to your child. • Let your child see you reading daily. • Talk about what is being read daily. • Use e-readers for variety • Make sure books are available for kids to read!