Getting Fifth Graders Involved with Clubs

Getting fifth graders involved with clubs is showing students unique ways to follow their passions.

At Wrightsboro Elementary School, Visual Arts Specialist Bronwen Guthrie believes that students should not be limited, no matter where they live or what resources they have. The Title I school is in a designated high poverty service area. Guthrie and her colleagues developed a program of innovative extracurricular activities outside of regular school hours, allowing students to follow their passion, with concentrated studies on topics they choose.

All fifth graders this year were given a choice to enroll in a club during a weekly free period. The choice between FIT Club, Advanced Art, Choral & Musical Performance, or Literacy Prep was theirs to make.

“The concept of allowing students to choose the learning enhancement class that they would be participating in during the school day began the process of building self-motivation and engagement with the subject,” said Guthrie.