Our 5th-grade class is very diverse. We come from a variety of social, economic, religious, and racial backgrounds. We speak different languages and perform on a variety of different academic ability levels. We all come to school each day with a wide range of gifts, talents, interests, issues, hopes, and fears.
Despite these differences, there are so many more ways we are alike and connected.
None of us have been in classrooms since March. We finished the year virtually and are adjusting to a new "normal." We are uncertain about what this school year will look like, but we know we will not be using and sharing materials as we would have during lessons on a typical school day in years past. We are all, however, excited to get back to learning and we cannot wait to share what we know. We are still curious, will ask a lot of questions, and will celebrate when we are successful at learning new things. Most importantly, we will work hard while appreciating everyone's unique voice and talents to support our varying needs in order to succeed. We know our teamwork is what will make our dreams work!
My Project
Our school works hard to develop not only reading skills but a love and passion for reading in all our students. We strive to provide them with books that act as "mirrors, windows, and doors." Our aim is to provide books that reflect our diverse student population and interests from a variety of different genres into our instruction. What my students really need is exposure to current, high interesting chapter books to excite these more mature, upper elementary readers.
In fifth grade, I frequently find that many of the great materials selected for our readers have already been utilized in the lower grades, or have been gobbled up by students through their independent reading pursuits.
My goal with this project is to build a collection of new books that will be introduced and discussed virtually with the whole class through a reading of the first chapter every Friday. It will then be made available to students as a choice during independent reading rotations once we are back into our classrooms.
For example, books like The Dream Keeper and Other Poems will be shared during distance learning during our study of poetry. The Virginia Mysteries will be incorporated during our weeks of fiction lessons on story elements. Several of the Rick Riordan Presents titles highlight diverse folklore from around the world and can easily be compared and contrasted to students' prior knowledge. Another key element in the selections is to bring an element of fun, so books like the Hamster Princess and The Terrible Two series have made the list. I feel introducing students to stories like these every Friday will support our students and promote their love of reading and learning.
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