Working with poetry and stories in 5th grade of primary education: action research

This thesis deals with the development of four particular areas related to reading literacy - language and text comprehension, critical thinking, creativity, and emotional and social intelligence. Efforts to develop students' skills in these areas were carried out through reading lessons conducted in two parallel fifth-grade classes at an elementary school. The aim of the thesis was to determine whether these areas can be systematically enhanced through engagement with artistic literary texts and illustrations using RWCT (Reading and Writing to Critical Thinking) methods framed within the three-phase EUR learning model. The research took the form of action research in two classes, which completed a series of five reading lessons, one class focusing on prose and the other on poetry. The level of the areas monitored was measured by a pre-test and post-test based on released PIRLS assessments. The data were evaluated using average scores, percentage success rates, and comparisons of individual areas and the overall results of both classes. The results showed a significant improvement in students in all areas monitored, especially in critical thinking and emotional and social intelligence. In the area of creativity, the shift was more moderate, especially in the class working with poetry, which may be...