Reading about implementing content-area book clubs reminds
me a lot of a reading assignment from my high school AP Literature class. On
top of preparing for our AP test in class, we formed groups for book readings.
It wasn’t a traditional book club seeing as we formed groups of friends before
choosing our reading, and then found a reading that everyone seemed interested
in… but every group selected different books that each member read individually.
We then had to meet with our group for discussion outside of class and prepare
a presentation for the class towards the end of the year. My teacher provided a
massive list of books that were recommended for AP literature students (wise
references to make on the AP exam). Instead of reading several books, we
presented key concepts and themes from our chosen books to our classmates.
Maybe this was my teacher introducing book clubs to us? I,
unfortunately, don’t remember being very interested in this assignment when I
was her student though my book, Slaughterhouse Five, was indeed an interesting
read. Looking back, I think I would have executed this assignment differently
than my teacher, taking advantage of some of Chapter 9’s tips and tricks of implementing
a successful book club. For example, I don’t remember having to meet with my
group during the reading but only once after finishing the books to make
our presentations.
High school might be a little different but I think small
group book clubs are rather fun activities to have during class time! It’s not
that much different than getting together with a group of friends and just
chatting about something. With these tools – connector, questioner, passage
master, vocabulary enricher, illustrator, and researcher - we can avoid
students sitting in awkward silence wasting time while leading them towards
more natural and free flowing discussions. [306 words]
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| Just like Friends talking in a coffee shop. |
Hi Claire! I also read Slaughterhouse Five in AP English. Quite interesting... Anyways, I found it interesting that your teacher expected your "book club" to meet outside of class. I feel that it's important as a teacher to understand and observe the types of connections and reactions the students are having to the text in real time, as opposed to refining your thoughts and making a presentation to the class.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your critique of how your AP teacher implemented the reading circles. For the kinds of books you were reading in AP Lit, students definitely need opportunities to discuss while they're in the process of reading, as there's just too much to cover if you wait until the end. When we read books just for pleasure, meeting only afterwards is fine, I think, but when we read books to understand their complexities, waiting until the end seems a bit misguided. Thanks for sharing!
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