Grade 5 Requirements

For Rising 5th Graders
The ACDS Reading and Response Journal project is required summer work. Students may choose to keep either a hard copy journal, an online blog, or a combination of the two.  The requirements are the same for blogging or journaling; it is just the format that is different. Students should view the journal as a way to chronicle their summer and to share their personality with their classmates and teachers in September. Students will not receive a grade on this project, but will receive teacher feedback, and the journal will provide the basis for conversations that will allow teachers to get to know students better. Everyone will want to keep a journal that helps them document a great summer and one that makes them proud.

Required Journal or Blog Entries (You must complete each of these)

Remember:  all journal entries should include the date the entry was written.  (It is okay if you create multiple entries on the same date.). Don't forget to use complete sentences, correct capitalization, punctuation and spelling.
1.  Create a cover for your journal or login to the ACDS summer blog here.

2.  Read our 5th grade community read:
​The required book for rising fifth graders is The Greatest Kid in the World by John David Anderson.

Select one of the following questions and answer it in a paragraph in your journal or on your blog. Use evidence from the book to make a strong argument. Pay attention to grammar and spelling.

1. Zeke learns some important life lessons through his experience in The Greatest Kid in the World contest. What life lessons does Zeke learn? Provide evidence for each lesson and how this lesson could apply to your life.

2. Zeke might not have been a clear candidate for The Greatest Kid in the World competition, but through the process, he becomes a greater kid. How does Zeke change and grow over the course of the story? Provide evidence for how Zeke was at the start of the story and evidence for how Zeke has changed by the end of the story.

3. Zeke's relationships with his family are important to his growth in the story. Choose one of his family members (Mom or Jackie) and describe Zeke's relationship with his family member. Does his relationship with this person change over the story? How does this family member help Zeke grow?



Additional Activities:
POSTCARDS FROM DAD
Everyone loves getting mail! Find a local postcard and write a message to someone. It doesn’t have to be someone far away!

DAD JOKES
Dad ends his postcards with “Dad Jokes” when he writes to his family. Compile a list of cheesy jokes you like and share them with others! For added flair, illustrate the jokes in comic style panels in your journal.
 
YOU’RE GREAT, TOO!
Celebrate your own greatness. Design a poster, or create a video, promoting yourself as The Greatest Kid in the World. What would you highlight about yourself?

This book is available at the Alexandria Public Library, Old Town Books and elsewhere.
 3. Choice Books ( 3 or more)
 Read: Three books of your choice. Please select books that you have not read before. It can be any book-- fiction, nonfiction, biography, graphic novel, etc. Some resources when picking books:
​    *   Suggestions organized by grade level  After you finish each book, write two response journal entries for each book. 

  • Entry #1 – When you are about half-way finished with the book, provide a reflection.  What is the book about?  (Make sure you include the main character and the setting.)  Who is the narrator?  What is the conflict?  What do you think is going to happen?
  •  Entry #2 – After you have finished with the book, provide a reflection.  What did you like most about the book?  What was your favorite “quotation” from the book?  Would you recommend the book to a friend?  (Why/why not?)   

Optional Entries (Complete as many of these as you would like)

Students are encouraged to try some of these journal prompts, ideas from the Summer Ideas blog, or to use the rest of the journal to pursue other projects of interest. Be sure to click on the hyperlink in each task to see the specific reflection questions to inspire your answers. The reflection questions are a guide to help format your answers-- you may address other questions that interest you instead or as well. ​