Name:
Date:
Monthly Genre Study
Grade Five Great Genre Challenge
*Information for Families to Keep at Home*
Dear Fifth Grade Families,
To encourage reading from a variety of genres this year, fifth graders are asked to be part of
our “Great Genre Challenge!” Each month, fifth graders will read at least one book from a
teacher-selected genre. Your child will have a chance to select a book (that they have not
read previously) by looking through our classroom library and the school library. You may
also wish to bring your child to any public library. On the back of this page, we have
compiled a list of places where you and your child can look for books.
Your child may read this book along with another that they are currently enjoying or perhaps
they would like to read only the selected genre during the given month. Your child can read
this book in school, at home, or both. It’s up to them!
Our goal is to give fifth graders the opportunity to explore each genre more closely and
practice responding to questions that match the assigned genre.
December:
Biography/Autobiography
January:
Mystery
February:
Non-Fiction
March:
Traditional Literature
April:
Historical Fiction
May:
Poetry
June:
Choice
The expectation is that two responses are written each month. Every two weeks, responses
will be checked on the due date written above each response question. Responses may be
completed before the due date but will not be checked until the due date.
Student responses will be scored using the reader’s response rubric, which can be found on
the next page.
Genre Study created by: Alison Wong, 2016
Helpful Resources
1) Scholastic
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/
2) Newton Free Library
http://www.newtonfreelibrary.net/
3) Minuteman Library Network Booklists
http://www.mln.lib.ma.us/booklists/index.htm
4) TeachingBooks.Net
https://www.teachingbooks.net/
username: (leave blank)
password: Newton
Name:
Assigned: Monday, December 5, 2016
December
Genre Study
*Biography/Autobiography*
During the month of December, you will read a biography or autobiography that you have
not read before.
The expectation is that two responses are written each month, which will be checked on the
due date written above each response question. Responses may be completed before the
due date but will not be checked until the due date.
Please look over the rubric in this packet as you complete your response. Then, give yourself
a score before passing it in to your teacher.
Book Title: Jackie Joyner-Kersee (article)
Author
Due (in class assignment done together)
Response 1: What two words best describe the person this book/article is
about? How does the author show you what type of person this individual
is/was? Remember to echo the question in your response and include
evidence from the text to support your answer.
Book Title
Author
Due Friday, December 23, 2016
Response 2: What is one challenge the person in the book faced in his/her
lifetime? Describe how this person was resilient in the face of this challenge.
Remember to echo the question in your response and include evidence from
the text to support your answer.
Name:
Assigned: Tuesday, January 3, 2017
January
Genre Study
*Mystery*
During the month of January, you will read a mystery book that you have not read before.
The expectation is that two responses are written each month, which will be checked on the
due date written above each response question. Responses may be completed before the
due date but will not be checked until the due date.
Please look over the rubric in this packet as you complete your response. Then, give yourself
a score before passing it in to your teacher.
Book Title
Author
Due Friday, January 13, 2017
Response 1: How does the author build suspense and excitement? Find two to
three examples from the text and discuss how the author accomplished this.
Was it through the author’s descriptions? The characters’ thoughts and actions?
Remember to echo the question in your response and include evidence from
the text to support your answer.
Book Title
Author
Due Friday, January 27, 2017
Response 2: What part of the book did you find to be the most suspenseful?
Include evidence from the text to support your answer. Remember to echo the
question in your response and include evidence from the text to support your
answer.
Name:
Assigned: Monday, January 30, 2017
February
Genre Study
*Non-Fiction*
During the month of February, you will read a non-fiction text that you have not read before.
The expectation is that two responses are written each month, which will be checked on the
due date written above each response question. Responses may be completed before the
due date but will not be checked until the due date.
Please look over the rubric in this packet as you complete your response. Then, give yourself
a score before passing it in to your teacher.
Book Title
Author
Due Friday, February 10, 2017
Response 1: Locate at least 3 different text features in this text. Then, explain
how these text features help you understand the information you are reading.
Include the names of the text features to support your answer.
For example: headings, insets/sidebars, captions/labels, pictures, maps, bullets, diagrams,
graphs/charts, timelines, etc.
Sentence starters:
• One helpful text feature from this text is ______ (name the text feature). This text feature helped me to
understand information about ______ because…
• This book used ______ (name the text feature), which helped me to understand the information better
because…
Book Title
Author
Due Monday, February 27, 2017
Response 2: What new information have you learned from this text? What were
the most interesting parts to you? Remember to echo the question in your
response and include evidence from the text to support your answer.
Name:
Assigned: Monday, February 27, 2017
March
Genre Study
*Traditional Literature*
(folktales, legends, fables, fairy tales, tall tales, and myths from different cultures)
During the month of March, you will read traditional literature that you have not read before.
The expectation is that two responses are written each month, which will be checked on the
due date written above each response question. Responses may be completed before the
due date but will not be checked until the due date.
Please look over the rubric in this packet as you complete your response. Then, give yourself
a score before passing it in to your teacher.
Book Title
Author
Due Friday, March 17, 2017
Response 1: How does the narrator of the story influence/effect how events in
the story are described? Remember to echo the question in your response and
include evidence from the text to support your answer.
Questions to guide your thinking:
• What point of view is the story told from?
o First Point of View: someone is telling you his or her story
o Third Point of View: the person who is telling the story is not in the story
• How does the narrator’s point of view change the story?
• Does the narrator know the how the characters are feeling?
• Does the narrator have an opinion on the story?
• Does the narrator help you better understand the story’s message?
Sentence starters:
• The narrator of the story influences the events in the story by…
• In this story, the narrator is _____ (in the story/not in the story). He/She influences how the events are told
by….
Book Title
Author
Due Friday, March 31, 2017
Response 2: What purpose do you think the author had in writing this story?
Remember to echo the question in your response and include evidence from
the text to support your answer.
Author’s Purpose: The author’s reason for writing
• To teach a lesson
• To entertain or tell a story
• To inform by explaining how or why something happens
• To persuade readers
Name:
Assigned: Monday, April 3, 2017
April
Genre Study
*Historical Fiction*
During the month of April, you will read a historical fiction text that you have not read before.
The expectation is that two responses are written each month, which will be checked on the
due date written above each response question. Responses may be completed before the
due date but will not be checked until the due date.
Please look over the rubric in this packet as you complete your response. Then, give yourself
a score before passing it in to your teacher.
Book Title
Author
Due Thursday, April 13, 2017
Response 1: What kinds of struggles or problems has the main character faced?
Discuss two or three problems and explain how the main character has solved
these problems. If there has been no solution, explain why you think the
problems haven’t been solved. Remember to echo the question in your
response and include evidence from the text to support your answer.
Book Title
Author
Due Friday, April 28, 2017
Response 2: Make a text-to-text, text-to-self, or text-to-world connection using
the historical fiction text you are currently reading. Describe the connection
you have made and give reasons to support your answer. Remember to echo
the question in your response and include evidence from the text to support
your answer.
Name:
Assigned: Monday, May 1, 2017
May
Genre Study
*Poetry*
During the month of May, you will read poetry that you have not read before. You may read
a book of poems continuously through the month or select a poem from a different author
each week.
The expectation is that two responses are written each month, which will be checked on the
due date written above each response question. Responses may be completed before the
due date but will not be checked until the due date.
Please look over the rubric in this packet as you complete your response. Then, give yourself
a score before passing it in to your teacher.
Book or Poem Title
Author
Due Friday, May 12, 2017
Response 1: What is the theme of this poem? How do you know? Remember to
echo the question in your response and include evidence from the text to
support your answer.
Book or Poem Title
Author
Due Friday, May 26, 2017
Response 2: Identify at least 4 different “poetic devices” from within one or
more poems. Write each example on the lines below.
• Simile – comparison using like or as (i.e. Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what
you’re going to get!)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
• Metaphor – a direct comparison without using like or as (i.e. Life is a dream)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
• Personification – giving human qualities to nonhuman things (i.e. The clouds cried.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
• Alliteration – repeating the same letter (i.e. Please put your pen away.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
• Onomatopoeia – words that sound like their meaning (i.e. Sizzle, Buzz, Hiss, Zap)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
• Hyperbole – an extreme exaggeration to make a point (i.e. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
• Rhyme – repetition of vowel and consonant sounds at the end of words
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Name:
Assigned: Tuesday, May 30, 2017
June
Genre Study
*Your choice*
During the month of June, you will read a genre of your choice. Be sure the text you choose
is one that you have not read before.
The expectation is that two responses are written each month, which will be checked on the
due date written above each response question. Responses may be completed before the
due date but will not be checked until the due date.
Please look over the rubric in this packet as you complete your response. Then, give yourself
a score before passing it in to your teacher.
Book Title
Author
Due Friday, June 9, 2017
Response 1: What makes this book interesting to you? Give three examples
(using quotes/page numbers) from the book where the author really grabs your
attention. What is it about these parts that interest you so much? Remember to
echo the question in your response and include evidence from the text to
support your answer.
My Reflection
on our Fifth Grade
Genre Study
*Your thoughts*
After many months of reading and responding to 6 (or more) different genres, you should
feel incredibly proud of yourself! Balancing your reading diet is no easy task. Now that you
have digested a healthy amount of books (J), we want to hear your thoughts!
Due Friday, June 16, 2017
Response 2: What did you enjoy about our fifth grade genre challenge? Give
specific examples. 2) What challenges did you encounter over the past 7
months? Again, give specific examples. 3) Finally, what do you think the
purpose of this genre challenge was?