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Your grandchildren have an increased English workload in the fifth grade. They are responsible for more reading, more writing, and more oral presentations, because teachers are readying them for the transition to middle school. Students this year write detailed book reports that identify the key elements of fiction. In terms of plot, that means exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. Fifth-graders also learn to identify character motives such as loyalty, selfishness, and conscientiousness; and speak to the differences among literary genres: fairytales, folktales, fiction, nonfiction, myths, poems, historical fiction, biographies, and autobiographies. Fifth grade is a year to build research skills, so students write research papers based on work conducted at the library. Much of your grandchildren's lives take place online, but acquiring library skills is still important to their academic future, and teachers will press that point this year. The increased demands of fifth-grade English can intimidate some students, especially those with more of an interest in math or science. To help foster a lifelong love of reading, help your grandchildren select books with subject matter that appeals to their individual interests.
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Paying for Results? In most states, standardized testing, especially in English and math, has become the primary means of measuring the success of students and their schools. In some districts, certain students can earn cash bonuses for achieving high test scores. Supporters of such programs believe the bonuses are a powerful incentive for poorly-performing kids who may otherwise be at risk of failure. Opponents, however, argue that giving young people money for doing well at school fails to teach them the value of doing good work for its own sake.
• If your grandchildren are continuing to read the same series of books they've been reading since third grade, it's time to get them to move up to challenging selections. Take them to the library or bookstore and introduce them to some exciting age-appropriate titles like Pam Muñoz Ryan’s
Esperanza Rising (Scholastic, 2002), Kate DiCamillo's
Because of Winn-Dixie (Candlewick, 2001), and Blue Balliett's
Chasing Vermeer (Scholastic, 2005).
• Help your grandchildren learn to express how they feel about the books they read by sharing author Rodman Philbrook’s
tips for writing a book review with them.
Your Life and Times. Tell your grandchildren about one of your favorite childhood memories. Use as many descriptive details as possible to help the kids understand what the world was like when you were their age. Ask your grandchildren to tell you similar stories from their lives. Then, compare and contrast the stories. How has life changed for children? How has it stayed the same? This activity develops your grandchildren's listening and speaking skills, comprehension, and descriptive vocabulary. If they're inspired by your story, encourage them to turn it into a written narrative, maybe for their classroom journal.
Vocabulary Bee. This activity will build vocabulary and speaking skills. Ask your grandchildren or their parents to make copies of their weekly vocabulary assignment. Distribute a copy of the list to each family member. Keeping the list handy and using it as a scorecard, award a point to each family member who correctly uses one of the words in a sentence. Then tally up the points and award a prize to the winner.
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