5th Grade Readers Rock!

Most novels and stories involve a character with a problem to be solved. What problem is a character you’re reading  about – or one you have read about – about trying to solve?

Write a letter to this character with your ideas about what he/she should do to solve the problem. Be as specific as you can -

• What is the problem?
• Are there other characters who can help?
• What could he/she do to fix things (for example, talk to someone? use super powers? change his/her own behavior) ?
• What do you think the outcome will be if the character follows your advice?

Even if you’ve already finished the book and know how the character solved the problem, you may have a better idea. Share it with us now!

It is often said that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. This expression uses similes to compare the weather in March to a lion and a lamb. A simile uses words such as “like” or “as” to show us that two things are being compared.

Can you write similes about reading? For example, A good book is like a good friend.

OR

Can you find any similes in a book you are reading? If so, write the simile and tell us where you found it.

What is your favorite genre, or type, of book? Do you like adventure? Fantasy? Non-fiction? Write a brief letter to your librarian, persuading him or her to buy more of your favorite genre. Include

• why you and other kids would like to read more of this kind of book;
• why it is a good kind of book for a school to have;
• at least one title or author that would be a good selection for your library.

December 21 is the first day of winter. Below is a well-known quote from Verna M. Kelly:

Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look what they do when they stick together.

What do you think this means? What does Mrs. Kelly want us to learn from this quote? Have you ever had an experience where “sticking together” has made a difference?

What book are you reading now? If you were the author of this book, of what would you be most proud? What would you want to change?

This is a line from a famous poem titled “Little Orphant Annie” by James Whitcomb Riley. You can read the whole poem at http://www.poetry-archive.com/r/little_orphant_annie.html. Riley actually wrote the poem about Mary Alice Smith, a hired girl who lived with his family when he was a child.

October is a great time to enjoy scary poems and stories! What’s your favorite?

Welcome back to the new school year!  5th Grade Readers Rock!  hopes that you had a great summer – and one that included a lot of reading!

This would be a great time to share something about your summer reading with other 5th graders. Did you find a really great book? Where did you like to read – at the beach? In your yard? By a lake? Did you buy new books or go to the library?

Tell us all about your  summer reading experience!