Reading for the

Imagination!
This newsletter is about me, Tori Shanders, and my expectations for my
students. I have my contact information listed, a class calendar, class
projects we will be doing, a supply list, test taking tips, and activities that
parents can do with their children at home. It is also to inform parents and
students of my reading website called, Reading for the Imagination
(torishanders.weebly.com). It is a website to help parents to guide their
children in becoming more accurate, fluent readers and to better
comprehend what they read.

My Educational Autobiography
I choose to teach elementary school because I have always loved kids. I love
seeing the smiles and the gleam in a childs eye when they get an answer
correct and I have a passion for helping the children that need a little extra
help. But it wasnt until my junior year of high school that I discovered that I
wanted to teach. At the time, I was on the varsity soccer team and we had
put together a fundraiser to earn money for the soccer program. It was a one
day childrens soccer camp. Our coaches were supervising and we had the
boys and girls varsity teams along with the boys and girls junior varsity

teams there to lead and coach the little ones. We divided the children up into
groups and had different stations to take them to. I feel that God put that
experience in my life to direct me to what I am supposed to do. That day is
one of my favorite memories. I was doing something that I loved to do and I
was able to help little kids that loved the same thing.
When I hear the word learning I think of a child and when you can see they
really understand something, as if a light bulb goes off in their head.
Learning means to completely understand how to write letters or to solve a
math problem and of course more complex thing as a person gets older. A
person never stops learning. I will motivate my students to be the best they
can be, and encourage them with kind words especially when they are
struggling. I think the environment the students are in has a big impact on
their learning as well. I want to have a classroom that is inviting and
comfortable for the students. I want the desks arranged in a large square to
where I can get easily see each student and they are not as tempted to act
out.
According to the dictionary, teaching means the act or profession of
a person who teaches. But I see teaching as so much more. I think of a
student sitting at a desk and a teacher standing beside them helping them
write letters. I think of a student sitting in a high school history class and the
teacher is using a funny video as a tool to help the students remember a
certain event. I think of a student sitting in a college class and listening to
the professor talk about not only the lecture content but connecting it to life
outside of the classroom. I want to do each of these things in my future
classroom and to come up with new and inventive ways to teach the
students. I dont want to be one of those teachers who just goes through the
motions. I do, however, have a weakness of not being tough enough at times
and I get frustrated. I want to get better at that before I have my own
classroom.
When I start teaching, Im sure I will have ups and downs but I will learn from
the mistakes I make and be a more effective teacher as the years go by. I see
myself in the front of a classroom trying my best to make the children feel
smart and important. One of my goals is to make them believe they can do
anything they put their minds too. I hope to make an impact on the children
and I want them to remember me as their favorite teacher. I want to be the
type of teacher that the students remember as being encouraging,
spontaneous, and well respected.

Contact Info!
Email: [email protected]

Class Rules/Expectations
My students are expected to follow 3 simple rules for my class:
1. Be Respectful
2. Be Responsible
3. Make Good Choices
At the beginning of the year we will discuss as a class how to be respectful,
responsible, and how to make good choices. Here are a few examples of how
to be respectful and responsible:

Being Respectful
1. Use kind words
2. Wait your turn
3. Share with others
4. Walk quietly in the hallways
5. Say "Please" and "Thank you"

Class Projects:

Being Responsible
1. Return your
homework and library books on time
2. Put away supplies when you are
finished
3. Keep your hands to yourself
4. Complete your assignments
5. Make a lunch choice in the
mornings

For the first project the students are going to complete is going to be a
Fluency Workstation Voice Jar. Students will need:

Book of choice
10 index cards
A way to record
Jar
Writing utensil

With help from parents, each student will:

choose a favorite book

pick out phrases from the story (4 phrases with periods, 3 phrases
with exclamation points, and 3 phrases with question marks)
write each phrase on 3x5 index cards
video the student reading each phrase with as much emotion as they
can based on the phrase (for example: they would read a sentence
that ends in a question mark differently than they would read a
sentence with an exclamation point)
put all the index cards into a jar to turn in, along with a copy of the
video (can be emailed or any other electronic mode)

We will be doing one project for each month. The project names and
directions for each project will be given out at the beginning of each month
that they will be do. So our next project instructions will be given out at the
beginning of next month!

Class Calendar

This calendar shows which standards we will be covering each day for the
first month of school. My subject area that I teach is English/Language Arts
so there are only ELA standards are listed.

Dates

August
1st-5th

August
8th-12th

August
15th19th

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

ELAGSE2RL1:
Ask and answer
such questions
as who, what,
where, when,
why, and how to
demonstrate
understanding of
key details in a
text

ELAGSE2RL2:
Recount
stories,
including fables
and folktales
from diverse
cultures, and
determine their
central
message,
lesson, or
moral.

ELAGSE2RL3:
Describe how
characters in a
story respond
to major events
and challenges

ELAGSE2RL5:
Describe the
overall
structure of a
story including
describing how
the beginning
introduces the
story, the
middle
provides major
events and
challenges, and
the ending
concludes the
action.

ELAGSE2RI9:
Compare and
contrast the
most important
points
presented by
two texts on the
same topic.

ELAGSE2RL6:
Acknowledge
differences in
the points of
view of
characters,
including by
speaking in a
different voice
for each
character when
reading dialogue
aloud.
ELAGSE2RF3:
a. Distinguish
long and short
vowels when
reading regularly
spelled onesyllable words.

ELAGSE2RI6:
Identify the
main purpose
of a text,
including what
the author
wants to
answer,
explain, or
describe.

ELAGSE2RI7:
Explain how
specific images
(e.g., a
diagram
showing how a
machine
works)
contribute to
and clarify a
text.

ELAGSE2RI8:
Describe how
reasons
support
specific points
the author
makes in a
text.

ELAGSE2RL7:
Use information
gained from the
illustrations and
words in a print
or digital text to
demonstrate
understanding
of its
characters,
setting, or plot.

ELAGSE2SL6:
Produce
complete
sentences
when
appropriate to
task and
situation in
order to
provide
requested
detail or
clarification.
ELAGSE2SL5:

ELAGSE2W7:
Participate in
shared
research and
writing projects
(e.g., read a
number of
books on a
single topic to
produce a
report; record
science
observations).
ELAGSE2RF4:

ELAGSE2SL2:
Recount or
describe key
ideas or details
from written
texts read
aloud or
information
presented
orally or
through other
media.

ELAGSE2W6:
With guidance
and support
from adults, use
a variety of
tools to produce
and publish
writing,
including digital
tools and
collaboration
with peers

ELAGSE2SL3:

ELAGSE2RF4:

ELAGSE2W1:

Write opinion
pieces in which
they introduce
the topic or book
they are writing
about, state an
opinion, supply
reasons that
support the
opinion, use
linking words
(e.g., because,
and, also) to
connect opinion
and reasons,
and provide a
concluding
statement or
section.

August
22nd26th

With guidance
and support,
create audio
recordings of
stories or
poems; add
drawings or
other visual
displays to
stories or
recounts of
experiences
when
appropriate to
clarify ideas,
thoughts and
feelings.

d. Recognize
and read
gradeappropriate
irregularly
spelled words.

Ask and
answer
questions
about what a
speaker says in
order to clarify
comprehension
, gather
additional
information, or
deepen
understanding
of a topic or
issue.

Read with
sufficient
accuracy and
fluency to
support
comprehension.
a. Read on-level
text with
purpose and
understanding.

Fluency
Workstation
Voice Jar due!

Supply list:

8
5
1
2
2
2
1
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
1

spiral notebooks (One Subject 70 pg.)

Folders with brads & pockets (2red, 1 yellow, 1 blue and 1 green)
package of construction paper
boxes of crayons (24 count)
dozens #2 pencils
large erasers
box of (pencil-topers) erasers
pair of scissors (pointed)
bottles of glue
(1 1/2in.) ring notebook
bottles of liquid hand soap & 2bottles of hand sanitizer (germ-x)
large boxes of Kleenex
gallon size Zip-lock bags
quart size of Zip-lock bags
roll of Bounty select- a- size paper towels
bottle of Clorox wipes
pair of ear buds for computer lab use

Standardized tests and test taking tips:

1.

Analyze how you did on a similar test in the past.

Review your previous tests and sample tests provided by your teacher.
Each test you take prepares you for the next one!

2.

Be comfortable but alert.

Choose a comfortable location with space enough that you need
dont slouch; maintain good posture.

3.

Stay relaxed and confident.

Keep a good attitude and remind yourself that you are going to do your
best.
If you find yourself panicking, take a few deep breaths
dont talk to other students right before: stress can be contagious.

4.

Read directions carefully!

And avoid careless errors.

5.

Review! If you have time.

Resist the urge to leave when you complete the exam-check if you have answered all the questions,
and not made any errors or miss-marked any answers.

A fun activity that you, as a parent, can do with your children is read to and
with them. There is a website called StoryLineOnline.net, and it is a website
that has famous actors and actresses reading childrens books. It is really
interesting because they do different voices for the characters and it is really
engaging for the kids. This shows students what it should sound like when
you read fluently.