Open House Buddy Books

We are teachers in grade 5 and kindergarten classrooms. We have been teaching a variety of reading, writing, and technology skills through hands on buddy activities for the past ten years. We have previously worked with our students designing books through our school publishing center, power point presentations, and videos. We would like to extend the students technology learning by incorporating digital images into their final projects.


National standard: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

Students use spoken, written and visual language to accomplish their own purposes for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information.

State of Connecticut Standard 3: Communicate with Others

Grade 5 Students produce written, oral and visual texts to express, develop and substantiate ideas and experiences.

Kindergarten grade students communicate through writing by taking part in the interactive writing process.

Detailed Plan:
Open House Buddy Books

A Grade 5 student and kindergartener will create an individual kindergarten book to ease transition to school. It will include photographs of people at the school, how the student travels to school, and the k student engaged in classroom activities and routines. Grade 5 students will photograph their buddy in their learning environment, document the Kindergarteners dictation and incorporate it into a book. This book will be introduced at Open House and taken home to promote literacy, parent involvement and help the students familiarize themselves and others to the school setting. This book will be returned later in the year to be incorporated into an ‘End of the Year’ book.

To further fifth grade learning student’s will design a brochure introducing their parents to their day at school; including pictures of daily routines, supportive staff encountered throughout their day, and classmates. A note will be included for the parents to read and respond to. This brochure will be displayed on each child’s desk at Open House.