trevordayschool

historical fiction as part of their "long-ago" unit. In this study, students learn interviewing skills such as how to ask questions that inspire their interviewee to tell stories about their past. rough interviews with their own family, students learn to make meaningful connections with their historical reading assignments. e increasingly rigorous 3rd-grade curriculum requires that students use all these skills to acquire knowledge at a new level of sophistication. ey are also becoming more independent readers, able to read for longer periods. ey develop a better understanding of story structure (setting, character, plot, conflict, resolution) and the ability to compare books (finding common themes, recognizing similarities and differences). Students begin keeping a Writer's Notebook and use it as the springboard for expanded writing—memoir, realistic fiction, poetry, information writing—all the genres that they have encountered in their reading. At the beginning of 4th grade, students review strategies such as visualizing, questioning, predicting, and drawing inferences in the books they read. ey write about their reading, using examples and evidence from the text to support their ideas. At Trevor, literacy means genuine understanding… USING the information, making sense of it in a way that complements a student's constantly growing understanding of oneself. e classes all read the same books from several genres: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup in realistic fiction (in the fall); Number the Stars in historical fiction (in the winter); and Poppy in animal fiction (in the spring). ey then choose other books within the same genres to compare themes and other elements. A favorite 4th-grade unit is reading the collection of prizewinning and honored Caldecott books from the 1940s through the present. Students analyze each book's theme and artistic style, and theorize why this particular title may have won or been honored by the Caldecott. With this acquired judgment, they vote for the book they expect to win in the current list of nominees. An opportunity to compare ideas comes into full play when the entire 5th grade reads the same two books. Early in the year, they read Seedfolks, by Paul Fleischman, an example of realistic fiction with short vignettes from each character's perspective. Students learn how to assess characters' actions from multiple points of view. In the spring, they read Roll of under, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor, a searing novel about racism in America during the Great Depression. Reading historical fiction allows students to extrapolate what they have learned in social studies and history. eir understanding of characters and themes, and their ability to use the text to support conclusions, reaches a new level of sophistication. In addition to realistic and historical fiction, reading units include fantasy and dystopia to ensure that students are exposed to a wide range of writing. As each student's competence can only expand through frequent and voluminous reading, every student chooses an additional 20–40 books to read independently—choice is viewed as a powerful key to developing a love for reading. roughout all grades, students have read extensively across different genres. At Trevor, literacy means genuine understanding. It is using the information one has acquired through books, making sense of it in a way that complements one's constantly growing understanding of oneself. Since reading has been an essential component to their personal development as curious, compassionate individuals, it is unsurprising that Lower School students joyfully become lifelong readers. 0 7 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n S U M M E R 2 0 1 5 – 2 0 1 6

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