Fourth Grader readers are diving deep! Our first unit on Realistic Fiction has begun, and we are using the mentor text of The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo. This complex story about loss and friendship revolves around a boy named Rob who discovers a caged tiger in his back woods. Rob and his new friend, Sistine, face a difficult decision about whether to free the tiger or leave it caged. This choice has far reaching consequences.
Our students are learning to recognize character traits and use that information to develop predictions on how the characters will behave. The students are using the techniques of Turn & Talk, Stop & Jots, and notetaking with graphic organizers (Story Mountain, Character Web) as tools to deepen their comprehension skills. A crucial component of Reading Workshop is learning to transfer the skills learned during mini-lessons to their own independent reading. Stay tuned for the fate of the tiger …
