Junior Great Books Encourage High Level Thinking

Jeanne Paulus was awarded a $1,625 Education Foundation of Wauwatosa (EFW) grant on behalf of all Wauwatosa elementary schools for students to "Get REAL (Reading and Enrichment Activities for Learning) with Junior Great Books". The purpose of this grant is to provide extension and enrichment opportunities in English Language Arts to all district fifth grade students using Junior Great Books materials. Classroom teachers, Reading Specialists, and District Teacher Leaders from all elementary schools may use these materials to provide students with in-depth reading, critical thinking, writing, and creative activities. These materials used in conjunction with the Treasures program and are located in the district's central library system.

Both students and teachers have found the materials to be engaging and effective in providing in-depth and meaningful learning. The stories, teachers guides, graphic organizers, and writing activities extend student learning and require high level thinking. One fifth grader at Washington Elementary said, “We have excellent discussions with the stories in Junior Great Books because the questions are interesting and the discussions are more in-depth.”

For more information on the EFW and our other 15 grants, please visit www.tosaefw.org.