This document provides information and announcements for a literature circle meeting on a novel. It includes: 1. Potential April Fools' Day pranks and jokes to play on others. 2. Information about assignments due soon, including a literature circles reflection paper due April 15th and practicum projects due April 20th. 3. Details on the requirements for the literature circles reflection paper and practicum project, including length, formatting, and content that must be included.

1. READ 3204 April 1, 2010 Literature Circle #3: Novel

2. Need some April Fools Jokes? Replace deodorant with cream cheese Fill some disposable cups about halfway with confetti (or paper, or whatever.) Turn off the ceiling fan. Gently lay the cups (on their sides) on top of each of the fan blades. Tape or rubber-band them in place. Wait for someone to turn on the fan! Take some nail polish and coat a bar of soap with it. Let it dry. Then put it in the bathroom shower. When your victim tries to use it, he or she will go nuts trying to get it to lather up. Put a balloon on the tail pipe of an car (make sure the car isn't started), when the person starts the car, they will hear a POP and assume the tire had blown out. Put salt in someone's toothpaste. Gross! Cut holes in straws, so when they go to drink their beverages the drink won't go up the straw and it will squirt everywhere. Put a for sale sign on your friend’s car with a low price and his/her phone #. She/he will be flooded with phone calls!

3. REVIEW Word study (word sorts) Making words Decoding strategies Vocabulary (4-square)

4. Announcements Tar River Reading Council is on Are you a fan yet? Literature circles reflection paper is due on April 15th. Practicum projects are due on April 20th. Scholastic book orders have been placed.

5. Literature Circles Reflection Paper The reflection paper is due on April 15th by 9:30 a.m. and is worth a total of 12 points. It should include three sections: a description and reflection of (a) reading each of the three books, (b) discussing the books in the literature circle group, (c) completing response activities, (d) what this experience means for your future teaching. Include references to the course textbook and/or articles from the coursepack.Your paper should reflect professional writing and should utilize correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. If this is not your strength, please ask a friend to edit your paper or take it to the Writing Center (free) at Joyner Library.

6. Practicum Project After completion of your practicum visits, submit a paper describing your experience and how it relates to what you're learning in READ 3204. Practicum Project 20 points possible 2 points: (a) introduction with purpose statement 6 points: (b) a thick description of your observations related to reading instruction This includes a description of everything you observed while in the classroom, especially those observations related to reading/literacy instruction. Might include a description of the school, classroom setting, materials, events, teacher behaviors, student behaviors, student and teacher interactions, anything you did while there. 4 points: (c) the results of your interview Describe where you were when the interview took place, the questions you asked, the answers the teacher provided, any additional questions or conversations that occurred. 6 points: (d) a reflection of how your experiences/learning (refer to required readings) in READ 3204 connect to the classroom environment you observed. Include specific connections or contradictions to information you’ve read for READ 3204. For example, “I observed independent reading time in which students … This is similar to what Cunningham and Allington (2007) describe on page X …. 2 points: (e) submission of complete/signed practicum verification form Your paper should reflect professional writing and should utilize correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. If this is not your strength, please ask a friend to edit your paper or take it to the Writing Center (free) at Joyner Library.

7. Literature Circle Meeting: Novel

8. VIDEO http://www.learner.org/resources/series162.html?pop=yes&pid=1730 7. Connecting Skills to TextLearning to read in Charmon Evans's first-grade classroom in Port Hueneme, California is skills-oriented and fun. Students interact with a talking puppet or are contestants in the Word Wall Game Show. Ms. Evans balances skill development—phonemic awareness, phonics, and sight word identification—with authentic reading and writing tasks to encourage a love of learning. Students revisit poetry charts, read decodable texts in guided reading groups, and write in their journals about a challenging, read-aloud chapter book.