Reading Enrichment Group 

Reading Enrichment Groups

Reading enrichment groups meet for 50-60 minutes twice a week during students' typically scheduled reading blocks. Third grade students and fourth grade students are taught separately. 

Students are expected to complete reading assignments outside of class time, as our group time is most productively spent discussing and analyzing the text. If a student has not completed a reading assignment, they will be given the opportunity to do during reading enrichment group class time. Students and families are welcome to email sarah.scordino@fivetowns.net to learn the reading assignment if a student is absent.

Priority placement is offered to students who are formally identified as Gifted and Talented in Reading, although if space allows classroom teachers may offer additional students the option of participating.   

To be identified as Gifted and Talented in Reading, a student must go through the CRES screening and identification process, which is explained in greater detail on our home page.   

Students identified as Gifted and Talented in Reading will continue in the reading enrichment groups as long as they are in good academic standing. Grades of 3 or higher in reading AND in CRES Core Values qualify as good academic standing. Teachers may recommend student placement changes if these criteria are not met. 

Third Grade Curriculum

In grade 3, we focus on deliberately interacting with different types of text to extend student exposure beyond choice reading. That said, the class is structured so that students vote between two different books, thereby exercising some choice in the direction this course takes each year.

We read folktales from around the world in the Junior Great Books series, such as “Thank You, Ma’am” by Langston Hughes and “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” from Arabian Nights. We read and discuss Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin and Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus. Integrity and personal honor were recurring themes in these texts. We have used these texts to explore questions such as “What factors shape our values and beliefs?”  Students analyze elements of literature, practice analogies, and engage in wordplay to help students begin to connect that the greater precision they have in their vocabulary, the more clearly they can communicate their thoughts and recognize nuances in what they read. To this end, we also learn about Latin and Greek roots of words as well as prefixes and suffixes. 

Literary Elements and Techniques

Throughout the year, this class will touch upon the following literary elements and techniques as we explore meaningful themes.  Students will:

• Explore similes and metaphors  

• Evaluate the theme of a text  

• Look at the frame of nonfiction articles 

• Analyze elements of literature including plot, setting, characters, imagery, metaphor, simile, symbolism, theme, and tone. 

Examples of Essential Questions:

• What factors shape our values and beliefs?

• What is the relationship between freedom and responsibility?

• What makes a good person?

4th Grade Curriculum

In grade 4, the focus is on using literature to explore increasingly weighty questions.  

This class is intended to develop critical thinking skills and to challenge students to deepen their thinking. 

The class is structured so that students vote between two different books, 

ultimately co-creating the course with the instructor  each year.

In a typical year, the class analyzes a number of novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction articles.

In the past, students have chosen to collaborate on projects with local and international nonprofit organizations. 

Students have also elected to write research papers, create slideshows, and present their findings to their peers.

Students continue to practice analogies and engage in word play to refine and acquire new vocabulary so students learn to communicate their thoughts more clearly and recognize nuances in what they read. 

Literary Elements and Techniques

Throughout the year, this class will touch upon the following literary elements and techniques as we explore meaningful themes.  Students will:

• Explore differences between literal and figurative language.

• Evaluate how the connotation and denotation of words impact the tone of written work 

• Interpret authors’ word choice. 

• Analyze elements of literature including plot, setting, characters, imagery, metaphor, simile, symbolism, theme, and tone. 

Social Justice

This class often votes to explore social justice issues by reading Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, “Liars Don’t Qualify” by Junius Edwards, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia and poems by Pablo Neruda. These pieces launch our conversation into discussions on injustice and different expectations for behavior based on race and gender. To balance the heavy nature of some of our conversations, we will explore creative thinking with improv acting warm-ups and reflections on creativity. 

Immigration 

 In the past this class has discussed reasons for immigration after reading I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosín, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz, "The Perils of Indifference" by Elie Weisel, and/or  “The Scholarship Jacket” by Marta Salinas. Students have also chosen to research and write their own personal family immigration histories, to conduct research on different countries, to write poems and essays on the topic on immigration, and to create poster presentations on this theme. 

Examples of Essential Questions:

• How do you build community?

• When should an individual make a stand against what they believe to be an injustice? What are the most effective ways to do this?

• What is changeable within ourselves? 

  • • How does what we know about the world shape the way we view ourselves?

    • How do our personal experiences shape our view of others?

• What is the relationship between language and power?

• In what ways are all narratives influenced by bias and perspective?

• How can literature be a vehicle for social change?