Buddy Authors
Phyllis James, Fifth Grade Teacher, Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District

Each August my fifth grade class would become the Buddy Reading Class for a second grade class at our school. To work with each class, the second grade teacher and I would plan activities that allowed the older students to read to the younger students, and in turn the younger would read to the older.

One of the most successful activities undertaken in these classes was a storybook project. The fifth graders were assigned the task of writing an ABC book for their buddy that featured the second grader as the main character, and their family and friends as the other characters in the story. The second graders wrote a class book for the fifth graders.

The project required each buddy to interview the other for information to be included in the story. The fifth graders used their time in writer's workshop and special work time to write their stories and to search for artwork. In the beginning, homework time was used for revising and editing the stories. Later, class time was used to complete the revisions and final drafts. When the stories were completed, students presented them to their buddies during a special celebration time.

The stories were a major league hit. Buddies shared their stories with each other and the reading began. The second graders read the stories to their classmates, the principal, other teachers, parents and anyone who would listen. The class book given to the fifth graders was placed in their library and read several times by each student. The experience of becoming a published author gave these young people pride and encouragement beyond compare. It also provided added incentives for reading that was magical to watch.

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