Each year, 5th grade Upper Elementary students have the privilege of being Reading Buddies to the third-year Primary students. They are assigned one or two Primary children to read with each week throughout the year. Every week, they also exchange letters with their Reading Buddy, which serves to build rapport and reinforce and encourage writing practices. At the beginning of the year, the UE students receive lessons on how to greet their younger friends, how to develop conversations using open-ended questions, and how to reinforce the skills of developing readers.
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The students of both ages enjoy developing these nurturing relationships with each other and they all look forward to their weekly meetings! As a fun surprise, this year UE students were invited to choose a special book from the Book Fair to gift to their Primary buddy. Primary students made cards for their reading buddies.
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