A regular part of our fifth grade routine will be doing an assignment called "Take Home Tom" each Tuesday. It is a series of short stories about a boy named Tom, along with reading comprehension and word-study questions. Having this for a weekly homework assignment is an important way for students to grow in responsibility. It's also a valuable assessment. I can tell how students are doing in various skill areas and plan for new instruction.
For the first few weeks of school, I am planning to do Take Home Tom together in class as a guided practice activity. I think that will help students understand the format of the stories, text features, and pattern of questions. In a few weeks, I will start giving these to the class on Tuesdays to complete independently as homework. At that point, these assigments will be graded and part of their total reading grade.
Many planners came back to school signed today. Having parents check planners really helps the students develop their organizational skills and grow in responsibility. Thanks for helping us get off to a great start!
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