Sharing Book Projects

Throughout the year, independent book projects encourage the fifth graders to explore a variety of genres and practice choosing “good-fit” books for themselves, and provide the opportunity for creative engagement with literature. Sharing projects is just one of the many ways that students practice their presentation skills. The evaluation process for the projects is student-driven: after sharing their projects with each other, students receive written feedback from each other. Peer-to-peer compliments and constructive criticism require the evaluator to think critically and specifically about others’ work. It also allows the project author to hear relevant feedback from an authentic audience. For fifth graders, who are developmentally very in-tune with their peers, it is appropriate for them to get feedback from each other, rather than just their teachers.