Reader's Workshop Weekly Roundup: Week Eleven

So, with the Easter break over, we're all back for the longest term of the year. Not all fun and games of course, with our national testing right smack bang in the middle, and report cards due at the end of the term, but it is shaping up to being a good reading term.

It's not easy getting back into school after a holiday, and even harder, I discovered, when you've just come back from an overseas holiday! But we all knuckled down and began the term off with some new books and good reading. We were thrilled that our holiday reading took us up over 400 books read since February.

Our first task of the term was a book letter, to allow the students to reflect on last term and make goals for this term. A lot of the students want to try harder books, while some want to try a different series or genre. Some have made goals to make more time for reading.

We've also begun our test preparation, with students in Grade 5 and 7 required to take this test in May. Although they all did well in the practice tests, there's always room for improvement, so this week we covered active reading, reading directions and rereading.

The Percy Jackson series remained popular this week, and the girls finally got their hands on The Hunger Games. There are definately more students reaching for informational texts, as well as an increase in interest in the Looking Glass Wars (probably associated with the Alice in Wonderland movie). Another interesting development is the number of students who are now borrowing from the local council library, as well as students talking about visiting book shops with their families!

Next week brings more test preparation as well as the first of new books I've ordered coming in - now I just need to get through the big pile of books I have here!