I was introduced to book clubs at the beginning of my career, and I have to say, they are one of my favourite things. When the conversations are flowing and students are connecting, it's a highlight in my daily life. Lately, I've been doing a lot of reading about the variety of ways to run a successful book club in the classroom. I've even done some reading from those that believe book clubs are maybe not as great as they seem, but I will continue to forge on. Pernille Ripp comments on the fact that book clubs themselves aren't the problem, but sometimes the rigid way that they are delivered is the problem. I'm interested to see after we reflect on our first book club what students will have to say about them. Will they love them? Will they hate them? Or will they tolerate them? What will they like about them? These are questions that are important to ask at the end of any learning cycle, because how will we, as educators, know what to continue with and what to abandon (within reason) if we never ask our students' opinion? I've started this year with a dystopian book club. The simple reason for starting with this book club is quite frankly, I love a good dystopian text, and I've read a lot of these texts in my own life. I love to dive in with a text set that I feel particularly passionate about, if merely under the hope that my passion will rub off on some of my reluctant readers. Students should have a choice in these book clubs. If you're worried about a student's ability being lower than their book choice, have no fear, as often a students reading ability can be superseded by their sheer desire to read the book out of interest. After all, as an adult reader, I have a choice. I don't read the books I don't want to read. Sometimes I read novels that are a little complicated for my own set of vocabulary (the scientific language in a recent read, Hardwiring Happiness, was a little outside of my English literautre brain, but I figured it out!) "As an adult reader, I have a choice, so why shouldn't our students be afforded the same luxury?" How do I start?I personally start each book club with a speed dating session. Some students giggle about the idea of speed dating with a novel but I love this expression. You're testing the waters, previewing the pages, and determining if this book is the one for you. Students record their thinking in a chart to jot down facts that stand out to them, and gage their general interest in another column. Afterwards, I have students indicate their choices on a Google Forum. It makes it easy for me to see who has selected what, so I can colour code their choices and make notes of those that didn't get their first choice this time around. This year, I will be using The Promise by Nicola Davies as a mentor text to model my thinking, and my hopes for students, as they approach this book club. I will also be engaging students in some standing conversations with quotes from their novels to help get them excited about what is to come (I learned this strategy from a Networking session hosted by the fabulous Kelly Wilder Snow, a WRDSB wealth of knowledge). I will attach the quotes in this blog post for those that wish to use this as an anticipation guide for reading. I try to select quotes that are interesting, but don't give too much away in terms of plot points. Students will engage in standing conversations by meeting with a partner around the room, and discussing their wonders about the quote they have in their hands. What could it mean? How can they connect with it? Does it connect with any of the other quotes that they have heard in their other standing conversations? We will look at our novels through a few lenses over the next few weeks, but truly, each dystopian text serves as a cautionary tale. My student's job will be to determine what the author may be warning us about? How is this society making a comment on our world today? I can't wait to see what their thoughts are as they progress, for some of these novels depict societies that I sometimes feel are only a few years away. Stay tuned for further updates on our progress through these book clubs and a few mini-lessons I will be using to help my students reach their goals. Yours in Education, Mrs. MP
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AuthorHi! I'm Mrs. MP and I teach grade seven English! I'm so excited for you to learn along with me Archives
January 2022
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