Book Tasting: An Appetizing 5th Grade Library & ELA Activity

In a fun collaboration between Library and English Language Arts (ELA), 5th Graders recently engaged in a “Book Tasting,” in which they sampled genres including historical fiction, novels in verse, short story collections, adventure, mystery, fantasy, and realistic fiction. Titles from each genre were displayed on tables arranged to look like a restaurant, complete with menus and place settings. After selecting a book to check out, students completed written reflections about what drew them to that choice – and had time to settle in and begin reading.

Offerings for each genre were carefully selected by our Librarian based 5th Graders’ Book Bingo Challenge in ELA, which students completed by reading different genres of books from their Book Bingo Board and writing their own book reviews. Following this activity, students reflected on why readers benefit from reading different genres, providing the perfect foundation for a delicious Book Tasting.