Reading buddies!

This week the Kindergarten Water class met their 6th grade reading buddies. Every other week Mrs. Kleffman and the 6th grade will travel to our classroom and read us stories of our choosing. Some students have a Kindergarten buddy and a 6th grade buddy while others may just have a 6th grade buddy.

 During our meeting we discussed different ways to start conversations with our buddies. Some students talked about how they would take turns with their buddies picking books to read. Others were feeling nervous about their older, taller buddies asking, "Will they be nice to us?" We waited in anticipation for the 6th grade to come read!

We watched and listened as the 6th grade read stories about our favorite topic, seeds! Students read stories that were familiar to them and some stories that were new. 

The Kindergarten showed the 6th grade where our books were kept in the library in our classroom. It was their job to help their buddy find a place where the book belonged when they were finished reading their story.

Many students asked numerous times if their buddies could come back everyday. They were excited and overjoyed with meeting their new friends. One Kindergarten student exclaimed "My heart is bursting with joy!"

When our time is up for reading we meet as a group to reflect on our time together. One Kindergarten reading group expressed, "We liked the story our buddy read us. It was a funny story from Frog and Toad." The 6th graders responded with comments including, "They are very attentive" and "They really enjoyed our story." 

The Water class thoroughly enjoyed this new experience. Our worries and nervous feelings were squashed by the kind nature of the 6th graders. The interactions between students is wonderful and both groups left feeling like they had made a new class of friends. A good question to ask your child on Tuesday could be "What is your reading buddies name?" or "What story did your buddy read to you today?"