Fifth graders at Seaford Harbor Elementary School are ready to read. On Sept. 9, students in each class took part in a book tasting to inform their reading choices for the next several weeks.
Students were given stacks of books from their classroom libraries and encouraged to read the summaries and few pages of ones that looked appealing. Each pile contained a mix of fiction and nonfiction books, representing different authors and genres. Fifth graders then reviewed and rated the choices to select books for their independent reading.
Teacher Mackenzie Hickey said the goal was for students to find “just right” books. She wants students reading books that are interesting and relatable, and not too difficult but challenging enough to help them grow as readers. The ability to find the right book is a life skill, she added, such as when they are visiting a library or browsing at a book store.
Samantha Mahan gave her students about 10 minutes with each book to help them craft their rankings. In addition to independent reading time in class, students also take books home where they are expected to read each night for 30 minutes and complete a short response based on prompts relating to story elements.
The book selections ranged from decades-old stories like “The Baby-Sitters Club and “Charlotte’s Web” to more modern choices like the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “I Survived” series. Teachers said the nonfiction “Who Was” books are also popular, helping students learn about influential figures of the past and present.
