Reflecting on Fantasy

For the past two months the fifth graders have been engrossed in fantasy books with their book clubs.  Thousands and thousands of pages have been read and analyzed.  This unit is, without a doubt, a fan-favorite during the school year.  These complex books are engaging, surprising, and full of magical elements.  The students are sad that the unit is coming to an end, but I think it is safe to say that it expanded students' love of reading.

To show their learning, the students completed a FLIP video in which they explained how reading fantasy books changed them as a reader.  Students were very insightful about their learning.  They said the following: 

"I always thought dragons in a book meant monsters, but it could also mean anything difficult that the character faces.

"This unit has taught me to look deeper at the characters, the setting's backstory, and the culture of the story."

"The character Lulu breaks gender norms because she doesn't care what she looks like, she plays with lizards, and she doesn't need saving."

The students also created projects to share with the fourth graders to get them excited about this unit for next school year.  The students were given a variety of products to create that would show their learning from their book.  Some students created a book trailer using We Video, some chose to write a journal as if they were a character from their book.  Other popular prodcuts were a digital "Character in a Bag" and a comic portrayinng an imporant scene.

Whatever the students chose to create, they were expected to hint at the theme of the book, the character development, symbolism, and quests that the characters had taken.  The students worked hard on these projects and it showed!  I'm sad to see this unit come to an end, but love how much the students have grown as readers.