Fifth-grade students will learn to love reading if they do it every day.
The more students practice reading, the better they get at it. At the fifth-grade level, students should be able to read chapter books and understand the meaning. Although students read at different skill levels and speeds, there are various ways you can incorporate reading into the daily classroom routine. Use activities that help young students along with comprehension and analysis.
Goal Setting
Students in the fifth grade should always have a good book under way. Set aside some time each day for free reading and encourage students to read as much as possible by setting reading goals. Each time a student starts a new book, meet with him to discuss how much of it he thinks he can read each day. Set out a timeline together for finishing the book. You can also make larger goals at the beginning of the year for how many books a student wants to complete before the summer.
Summarizing
While a free reading period each day is important, you can give it some structure by having students write a summary of what they have read that day. Set aside 20 or 30 minutes for students to write about their day's reading. They should be able to identify what happened in the book, what it means and what they learned from it. Also ask students to write any questions they have about the book, or anything they did not understand. Have them hand in these summaries each day so you can read and evaluate them.
Poetry Presentation
Poetry is not taught as much as it used to be. You can revive this art with a daily poetry activity. Assign one poem to each student. Set aside 10 to 30 minutes each day for each student to read and analyze his poem. Help students think about what the poem says and uncover hidden meanings. Set aside some time at the end of the week for each student to read the poem to the class and give his interpretation of it.
Assigned Reading
Daily activities can also be used for texts that you are studying as a class. Each day, assign one chapter from a novel or one short story to read. Give students time to read it individually. Distribute a worksheet or set of questions for them to answer. Ask students specific questions about the plot to help them understand it. Ask larger questions about theme and meaning. Use these sheets as the basis for a discussion about the book.
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