Corry Area fifth-graders get a taste of literary genres

Our students live in a very different world than the one most of us grew up in. Theirs is one full of high-tech toys and media filled with all kinds of activity and excitement. While not all concepts can be made to match this intensity, it is important to adjust our teaching styles to raise the bar for student engagement.
In fifth grade at Corry Intermediate School, students start the year off with a genre study. In Mrs. West’s fifth grade ELA classes, this study looked a little different than the typical school day. Mrs. West transformed her classroom into “Cafe West” for a two day book tasting. The classroom was transformed to resemble a restaurant where each table was set up to represent a different genre. Students had five minutes to sample a few pages of a book from a genre, then used their menus to reflect on the cover art, sample they read and the author’s hook. Student discussion of book reviews followed each segment. Students then rotated through the various restaurant tables, sampling the different genres. Students were also treated to guest readers which included the principal, director of elementary education, a school board member and the superintendent.