Dear Fourth Grade Families, 

 

As the School year comes to end, we wanted to let you know about the summer reading requirements for students entering fifth grade. 

 

All incoming fifth graders should read Ms. Bixby's Last Day  by John David Anderson, as well as one fiction book and one non-fiction book of their choosing as a way to encourage independent reading. We are aware that some students might have encountered this book in one way or another and we encourage them to reread it so that are prepared for group discussions in the beginning of the year. It is our plan to use John David Anderson as our platform for a novel study project that we will be conducting in the Fall in preparation for our NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) unit.

 

Using a novel from The New York Times Notable Children's Books of 2016 author, John David Anderson, helps create a conversation on how authors develop their stories and the business of writing. The story itself told from the point-of-view of more than one protagonist, gives the students a chance to be inspired by this story of students' love for their teacher who has fallen ill and  has to leave the classroom. As the author states, " through the three very different stories they tell, we begin to understand what Ms. Bixby means to each of them-and what the three of them mean to each other. "  The students are also able to reflect on the importance on being true to oneself and the importance of kindness, which is one of our BB&N values.

 

The more students read over the summer, the more prepared they will be for fifth and sixth grade. We encourage them to take a book with them wherever they go! In addition, a great way to keep up with the writing skills is to journal about summer adventures. 

 

Students should be ready to explore the plot and characters upon arrival in school in September. Please have them bring the book to school with them. 

 

We hope you all have a realizing and safe summer and we look forward to getting to know all of you soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

Gabrielle Mbeki 

Fifth Grade HR                           

[email protected] 

 

 

Ms. Bixby's Last Day

[Paperback]

by  John David Anderson

 

ISBN-10: 0062338188

ISBN-13: 978-0062338181