A Peek Inside the Classroom: Mrs. Walkenhorst's Grade 5

The rain was gently falling, temperatures were starting to drop, and the essence of fall was finally in the air. What a wonderful day for book club in Mrs. Walkenhorst’s grade 5 class at Conant Elementary School.

Mrs. Walkenhorst’s classroom book clubs are organized according to students' reading abilities. The teacher selects books specifically for each student group, which consists of three to four members. Today’s club focused on realistic fiction. To begin, students collected the necessary essentials for book club time, including their assigned book, a bookmark, and reading packet. Then the students were given directions, “Today we are going to focus on themes,” stated Mrs. Walkenhorst. “We are also going to complete week two of your book club packet by recording notices and wonderings, come together with your book club to discuss, then finally branch back out to your individual spots to continue your reading.”

The students then directed their attention to an instructional slide defining themes. Mrs. Walkenhorst reminded students that they had already worked with themes when writing their personal narratives. “It’s part of the message, the realization that you had when telling the story or the lesson that you learned,” added Mrs. Walkenhorst. She also asked to think about themes for "Home of the Brave", the book they are reading aloud together in class. Students shared multiple themes and decided which theme could be supported by more evidence. 

Next, students identified two or three themes they had been discussing in their book clubs and then selected one for deeper exploration. They were encouraged to briefly reflect on what their book’s theme might be before pairing up with a partner to share their thoughts. Mrs. Walkenhorst reminded students that chosen themes are universal and can be found in many places and also may vary from reader to reader. “Readers can draw the same conclusion about a story, but can gather many different thematic ideas,” explained Mrs. Walkenhorst. 

Modeling and connections to previous lessons created a sense of belonging and contributed to the smooth execution of this lesson. The students eagerly engaged in their discussions with curiosity and insights. The classroom was filled with conversations as students connected the themes to their own experiences and used their sentence starters to deepen their understanding of the stories and their own thinking.

Mrs. Walkenhorst moved around the room, listening and offering guidance to each small group, posing questions to prompt deeper reflection. The teacher encouraged students to support their ideas with evidence from the text, fostering critical thinking and analysis.

By the end of the session, the students had not only enriched their comprehension of the stories, but also strengthened their ability to articulate their thoughts clearly. The collaborative atmosphere and the excitement of discovering new themes left everyone looking forward to their next book club meeting.