Here is where you'll find the resources for fifth-grade classrooms.

Setting the Stage for Historical Fiction (VIDEO) Aimee Buckner In this demonstration lesson from a fifth-grade classroom, Aimee Buckner works with students to construct an anchor chart for understanding the genre of historical fiction. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Intermediate Read-Alouds (VIDEO) Melanie Quinn, an instructional coach, is looking for some new read alouds for 4th and 5th grade classes. Read-alouds are important at any grade level,and the books we choose are critical if we are to foster thoughtful conversations. When I read middle grade novels, I am always looking for new titles to add to my list of read-aloud possibilities. I want books that will engage the variety of readers in an intermediate classroom. Here are some of the newer titles I've found that could make great read-alouds for this age group. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Teaching Theme in the Intermediate Grades Cathy teaches fourth grade and is looking for books to teach theme. Many of us find it challenging to find books for teaching this complex idea to children. I've discovered that picture books often work best. I spend a great deal of time talking about theme with picture books before I try to transfer that understanding to chapter book reading. . . . more 5th Grade Room Tour (VIDEO) Karen Terlecky Karen Terlecky's classroom tour focuses on the anchor charts and wall displays she uses to promote literacy with her 5th grade students. Two of the books Karen discusses that have influenced her literacy wall displays are Max Brand's Word Savvy and Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Texts for 5th Grade English Language Learners Kelly is a fifth-grade teacher with two English language learners in her class who have trouble finding books. These students are reading at a level 16 independently, and have definite reading preferences. Kelly wanted some new ideas. . . . more Assessment and Curriculum Mapping (VIDEO) Jennifer Allen In this video from a new teacher study group for grades 3-5 teachers, Jennifer Allen demonstrates how teachers can use assessment data to develop instructional plans for individual students and create curriculum maps for an entire class of students at the same time. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Helping a Struggling Reader in 5th Grade (VIDEO) Deb is a teacher who works with struggling readers in grades 3-5. She is particularly interested in finding books for one of her 5th graders who is reading at a DRA level 20-24. He is very self-conscious about what he reads, and wants books that seem more like what his classmates are reading. . . . more Reading Conferences in 5th Grade (VIDEO) In this video, Karen Terlecky confers with her fifth grade students during reading workshop. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Point of View Franki Sibberson Jennifer Allen is looking for a new set of books to use with her teachers in her role as literacy coach. She said, "I am working to differentiate the resources that I use with teachers in my study groups.I fear kids will get a similar lesson multiple times. What I would like to do is explore a similar topic with teachers but provide them with different mentor texts. We will soon be focusing in on character development. Can you help me find some mentor texts appropriate for teachers working with intermediate students in grades three through five around the topic of point of view? . . . more Strategy Instruction in Intermediate and Middle School Reading Workshops This cluster is designed to support conversations about reading strategies with tweens and teens. . . . more Helping Readers Focus: The Questions Anchor Chart (VIDEO) In this five-minute video of a book preview of Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor, Franki Sibberson helps students set a purpose for their reading as she guides them through creating an anchor chart of "Questions We Have When We Read." The students have copies of the front matter and first pages of the book to look through and highlight together, as well as individual copies of the book for following along during the read aloud. . . . more Book Matchmaker: A Friendship Theme for Literature Circles Franki Sibberson Recently Joan asked me to recommend some books that dealt with the theme of friendship. She was planning a set of literature circles, and in the past had never had kids all choose books with similar themes. This was something she wanted to try with intermediate readers. . . . more Group Observations in Classrooms (VIDEO) In this six-minute video from a 5th grade classroom, new teachers observe a whole-class writing share session and then debrief afterward with the classroom teacher and literacy coach Jennifer Allen. . . . more Book Matchmaker: Texts for "Outdoorsy" Boys Franki Sibberson I received this request from Carolyn: "Can we tackle the age-old problem of books that get ten-year-old boys jazzed about reading? I had many boys this past year that just didn't get drawn into a book. The boys in my school are outdoors guys. Many hike, hunt, fish, and ride their all-terrain vehicles." . . . more Quick Takes: Advice on Book Hogs from Franki Sibberson In this video quick take, Franki Sibberson gives advice for dealing with "book hogs" - those students who try to grab any new book when it appears in the classroom library. . . . more Getting Started with a Teacher Blog Karen Terlecky Four years ago, my friends and colleagues Franki Sibberson and Mary Lee Hahn started a blog called A Year of Reading. I was fascinated by the idea of putting their ideas and thoughts "out there" on the web to live for others to see. I began to read their blog several times a week, and then I progressed to reading other blogs (mostly the ones Franki and Mary Lee had listed on their blog roll). Visiting blogs became quite addictive. I would find great reviews of books, wonderful teaching points, and terrific reflections on the job we do as educators. These bloggers were people that understood the world I lived in; I wanted to stay connected to them on a regular basis. . . . more 5th Grade Strategy Group on Summarizing (VIDEO) In this strategy group, Karen Terlecky brings together three of her 5th graders to reread a nonfiction article shared in the whole group. They discuss main ideas, and do a writing activity together to build summarizing skills. . . . more Teacher/Principal Conferring: Reflecting on Readers' Notebooks (VIDEO) Karen Szymusiak In this conference, Principal Karen Szymusiak and fifth-grade teacher Liz Cramer discuss the ways Liz uses readers' notebooks in her classroom. Before the conference, Karen spends an evening reading through the student notebooks, looking for patterns of response. Her role in the conference is primarily one of asking questions, helping Liz make sense of the ways the notebooks support students in their growth as readers and writers. . . . more Novels in Verse (BOOKLIST) Franki Sibberson This year several of my students got hooked on novels in verse. A novel in verse is a short novel that is told in a series of poems or verses. The books have become popular quite quickly - I have students who have read every novel in verse that is available in the classroom. . . . more 5th Grade Room Tour (VIDEO) Karen Terlecky Karen Terlecky's classroom tour focuses on the anchor charts and wall displays she uses to promote literacy with her 5th grade students. Two of the books Karen discusses that have influenced her literacy wall displays are Max Brand's Word Savvy and Mechanically Inclined by Jeff Anderson. . . . more Getting Started with Sentence Observations Karen Terlecky If you watched the recent video clip posted on Choice Literacy of a sentence observation in my classroom, you may have noted the sophisticated language and discussion strategies of the students. My students did not start the year with nearly that level of complexity in their language and attention to detail Getting to that point has been a year-long work in progress. In this article, I'll chronicle how we reached the point by mid-winter where students are comfortable and adept at analyzing the structure, vocabulary, and writer's craft in model sentences. . . . more Study Groups, Instant Messaging, and Writing Jennifer Allen I am so out of the loop or should I say SITD (Still In The Dark) when it comes to IM (Instant Messaging). As I sit and write, I even have a cheat sheet next to me of the "Top 50 Most Commonly Used Text Terms." This list was slipped into my mailbox by a young teacher after our last study group, when she realized just how clueless I was about the language of IM. . . . more Beyond Matt Christopher (BOOKLIST) Franki Sibberson Thank goodness for Matt Christopher! I can't imagine how many boys are avid readers because of his books. Every year, I have readers, mostly boys, who become obsessed with reading the great sports novels by this author. Over the last several years, I have tried to find books by other authors that these same readers could enjoy--books to stretch their lives as readers, building on their love of sports reading. I have watched these readers over the years, and eventually, they decide to move on from Matt Christopher. But they never give up Matt Christopher completely. Instead, they read sports books in other genres and by other authors, always going back to a Matt Christoper title now and then. . . . more Staying True to Our Beliefs When Working With Struggling Readers and Writers in Grades 3-6 Franki Sibberson I often find myself wondering how my knowledge about quality reading instruction plays out for my most struggling students. To keep myself true to my beliefs so that these students can make great progress, I think through the four things that hold true for all students and consider how they apply to struggling readers in my grades 3-4 classroom. . . . more Short Genres, Big Messages Franki Sibberson Last year, I moved from a 5th grade classroom to an intermediate multiage classroom with grades 3 and 4 students. I realized quickly that my writing workshop would be different from what it was in 5th grade. Although these students were ready to keep a writers' notebook, there were things from the primary writing workshop that I felt these kids would also benefit from continuing. . . . more To Fart or Not to Fart? Reflections on Boy Writers Jennifer Allen Not everyone around the table agreed that allowing students to write about farting was appropriate. The topic shifted from appropriate topics, to how we each define "quality" in writing, to strategies to motivate boys to write in the classroom. The conversation flowed naturally. Teachers disagreed with one another without any sense of tension. The conversation pushed all of us to think about the boundaries we establish within our classrooms. and the stereotypes we make regarding gender. . . . more Strong Girls (BOOKLIST) Franki Sibberson I have become more committed to finding good books for my boys over the last few years. So much has been written about the crisis in boys and literacy that I want to make sure that I have books that will hook them as readers. I have found great resources such as Jon Scieszka's website www.guysread.com. But, with the focus on boys and literacy, I do not want to forget the girls in my classroom. Not only do I want to have good books for them to read, I want to make sure they have lots of girls to read about who are strong female characters. . . . more Nonfiction Books for Independent Reading: Moving Beyond Content Connections (BOOKLIST) Franki Sibberson I realized years ago that my 4th and 5th grade students were not choosing nonfiction for their independent reading time. When we discussed this as a class, the kids were honest. They had found many great novels to enjoy and they were hooked. They didn't want to give up reading the fiction that they had come to love in order to read nonfiction. This made a lot of sense to me. When I think about my own reading, I make time for nonfiction reading, but it never gets in the way of my fiction reading. I set aside separate times for each. . . . more From Compliments to Naming the Craft: 5th Grade Writing Workshop Share Session (VIDEO) Jennifer Allen This whole-class share session in Lesley Fowler's 5th grade classroom is the culmination of a nonfiction writing unit. Over the course of the year, we moved from having students compliment their classmates during these share sessions, to writing down specific aspects of the piece they enjoyed or had questions about during the reading. We found adding this brief writing element to the share sessions has made all the difference in helping students connect their writing and that of their peers to the lessons on craft we present throughout the year. . . . more Bookroom Tours Part III (VIDEO) The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) In this six-minute video, The Sisters (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) give a tour of a "choice" bookroom. Unlike many bookrooms organized by level and maintained by teachers, this room of chapter books is organized by author. Students are responsible for sorting, cataloging, and maintaining the books in the room. . . . more Rethinking Word Study: The Sentence Study Routine Franki Sibberson As I continue to think about expanding my word study program to include a broader perspective of how we use words--beyond just spelling--I've realized I've never taken it a step further to think about how authors craft sentences or phrases. We have looked at some things closely---ways that metaphors help us understand what the author is trying to convey, or how strong verbs help us visualize what is happening. But, we have not really dug in to see how authors craft these amazing sentences as a daily part of our work as writers. . . . more Helping Students Find Their Own Mentor Texts Franki Sibberson Recently, I have realized that I have too much control over the mentor texts we study in the classroom. I have built a stack of the best of children's literature, taught my students to read like writers, to analyze great writing and to try new things in their own writing. There is no doubt that quality literature makes a difference in children's writing lives. But, I realize that I usually choose the lessons. I often choose the texts that we will learn from as a class. This coming school year, I am hoping to take the idea of mentor texts one step further. . . . more First Day of School Read-Alouds with Global and Multicultural Perspectives Mary Ann Reilly These are good picks for first day of school read-alouds with multicultural, global perspectives. . . . more Playing with Word Work: Inviting Students to See Playful Language in Books (BOOKLIST) Franki Sibberson Over the years, I have learned that for children to really be attentive to word meanings and spelling patterns, they first need to see the fun in words and language. I often get so caught up in the "skill lesson" I am trying to teach or the fact that I want kids to understand a particular word that I don't show them how much fun words can be. I can be in such a hurry to get through the spelling and vocabulary goals of the curriculum that kids jump through my hoops without being fascinated by words and language. . . . more Jumpstarting Students' Summer Reading: Classroom Strategies and Activities to Promote Independence Franki Sibberson As a teacher of reading, I want to prepare my students for these times in life that invite extra reading time and the ways in which these times impact their reading lives. I have learned that summer is a perfect time to learn to enjoy the extra time. I am opposed to "summer reading lists" and required summer reading. Students usually see summer reading as an assignment and often put off the reading until the week before school starts. I have found that my upper elementary students and my own children respond more positively when they see summer as a great time to catch up on the reading they haven't had time to get to. . . . more Worth a Thousand Words: Teaching with Wordless Picture Books Shari Frost Wordless picture books are a wonderful instructional tool for teachers to use with students of any age. A few years ago when the American Library Association annouched their annual awards, we celebrated in our coaches' meeting by giving each coach a copy of the Caldecott award winning book Flotsam by David Wiesner. This was David Wiesner's third Caldecott award, the second for a wordless picture book. After the ooh-ing and ah-ing, the literacy coaches immediately began talking about how they planned to use the book. . . . more Writing Strengths Anchor Chart Suzy Kaback As a teacher of middle school students, I liked to have kids display their talents as often as possible. While students usually didn't have trouble sharing their social selves, asking them to extol their academic virtues is another story. One way to link the social with the academic self in any student is a strengths chart. On a large piece of chart paper divided into two columns, I write the names of students in the class down the left hand side and the label "My Writing Strength" at the top of the right hand side. Each student is asked to think of a writing strategy they feel comfortable using and offering to others. . . . more Comprehending Graphic Novels: A Primer for Teachers Mary Lee Hahn Graphic novels are book-length works of sequential art. Calling them graphic novels would seem to indicate that their storylines are always fiction. This could not be further from the truth, as I've come to realize. In recent months, I've read graphic fiction, graphic memoir, graphic documentary, graphic nonfiction, graphic fairy tales, and graphic mythology. I've also dipped my toe into Manga, or Japanese-style comics/graphic novels... . . . more Keeping It Simple: Reflections on the December New Teachers Study Group Jennifer Allen I sit reflecting on last week's new teacher group. It's December and we have met together monthly since the start of school in September. The monthly agendas have taken on a predictable pattern and we are starting to build relationships within the group. The uncomfortable silences have been replaced with chatter about books we are reading... . . . more The "All About Us" Board: Linking Literacy and Community Building All Year Long Suzy Kaback One activity that supports our community building and literacy development all year is the "All About Us" bulletin board. In preparation I divide my largest bulletin board into as many sections as there are people in the class using yarn to make the squares. I make sure there is a space for me, and I several empty squares in case a new student is added to our class, or for a student teacher to use. Each child is assigned a square to decorate with objects that will help the class learn more about him or her. I give everyone a week to fill their space, and each day the board grows more colorful and intriguing... . . . more Top 10 New Fiction Read Alouds for the Intermediate Grades Franki Sibberson I am picky about read alouds. A book that makes my list of possible read alouds has to be REALLY good. There is only so much time in a school year. I average about a book per month during read-aloud time. So, during a good year, we can possibly read aloud a total of 10 books. I have to make sure that each book is worth the time... . . . more Reflection Sheets: A Tool for Assessment and Conferring (VIDEO and TEMPLATE) Franki Sibberson I use reflection sheets a few times a month with my third- and fourth-grade students in reading and writing workshops. The students answer a few questions around some issue we are considering related to reading strategies or writer's craft. We then refer to these sheets in individual conferences, talk about the student's growth or needs, and set goals or chat about next steps... . . . more Assessment and Curriculum Mapping (VIDEO) Jennifer Allen In this three-part video from a new teacher study group for grades 3-5 teachers, Jennifer Allen demonstrates how teachers can use assessment data to develop instructional plans for individual students and create curriculum maps for an entire class of students at the same time. . . . more Anchor Books for Modeling Writer's Craft in Workshops Franki Sibberson My students often come in excited about continuing their fiction writing. When given the choice, it becomes clear that many intermediate students will use their free choice writing time to write fiction stories (mostly fantasy). They were not overly excited when I told them that this year we'd each be keeping a writer's notebook. . . . more Inviting Students to Organize Books and Materials Debbie Miller Involving kids in the organization and placement of books and materials is a smart thing for us to consider. Kids will learn a thing or two about thoughtful organization, and because they've been part of the placement process, they'll know firsthand where things are kept, why it makes sense to keep them there, and where to put things back... . . . more Mini-Lessons to Start Conversations with Students About Books Franki Sibberson When I think about my role in a new school, I am thinking about my first days with kids in classrooms K-5. How do I want students to see me? My first step will be to start conversations with students about who they are as readers and/or who I am as a reader. If I can begin my work by talking to the students in the school about our lives as readers, the conversation will continue as the year goes on... . . . more Organizing the Classroom Library: A Dialogue Between Aimee Buckner and Franki Sibberson I thought before moving I gave away a lot of books. It seems I keep unpacking more and more. I realized that I don't think I've weeded out books - ever. So I have more than a decade's worth of books to go through.. . . . more Flexible Grouping: When, How, and Why Max Brand The topic of grouping for literacy, especially any grouping that involves sorting children according to their abilities, is charged politically and can polarize teaching communities. The key in my classroom is to be flexible, basing groups upon the specific skills that will be developed in the group. . . . more Digging Deep: The Power of Rereading Max Brand I encourage my students to reread a variety of texts; picture books, poetry, novels and curriculum content materials. Rereading is just a slice of my reading program, a habit of mind I want my students to adopt... . . . more