Fifth graders share unique takes on reading at a Literary Food Truck Festival
June 19, 2026 | By Charlotte Rosenthal-Noble and Jane McElroy
George and Liam read 'Peak' by Roland Smith and created The Peak Diner food truck. Photo by Melinda Anderman
On June 11, the fifth-grade Wizard Team at Crossett Brook Middle School held a Literary Food Truck Festival attended by more than 50 family and community members.
The festival was a culminating activity for the books that the students read in language arts class. Students read a book with a partner and then created a food truck to show their comprehension.
The assignment asked the class to make a menu that related to the plot and characters in the books.
Students thought that it was amazing!
The parents enjoyed it, too.
“I enjoyed learning about all the different books, reading the funny names and the creative menu items, and of course all the snacks!” said Crossett Brook music teacher and parent Molly DuBois.
Evelyn read 'Out of My Mind' by Sharon M. Draper, and created Melody's Meals on Wheels in honor of the main character. Photo by Melinda Anderman
Event organizer and language arts teacher Tiffany Michael said that she wanted students to work on a creative and engaging project to end the school year.
“The festival allowed them to present to an authentic audience and share their learning with the community. It was amazing to see the depth of their understanding in the creative elements they included in their projects,” she said. “I’m very proud of my students. They made our first-ever Literary Food Truck Festival a huge success.”
Charlotte Rosenthal-Noble and Jane McElroy are Crossett Brook fifth graders who took part in the Literary Food Truck Festival. They said it was really cool to see other people’s understanding of the different books they read and the creative menu items they chose.
In filing this report to the Waterbury Roundabout, they noted, “All in all, this is the thing we are going to remember from fifth grade.”
