Book Club Plus! Readings: 10/3/10

While reading the Book Club Plus! chapters, I was reminded of a book that my mentor teacher had me read prior to the school year starting entitled, Reading with Meaning: Teaching Comprehension in the Primary Grades, by Debbie Miller. It details many of the same classroom talk and managing tactics that I have seen both in the readings as well as in my classroom. Throughout literacy instruction in my classroom the selection of literature is very important, as was stated in chapter 7 of Book Club Plus! and throughout the Debbie Miller piece. My students greatly range in their reading levels as well as in their interests, thus choosing which types of books we place in the class library is crucial. My mentor teacher has divided books by grouping them by theme, series, and (sometimes) authors. She then places them in their own clearly labeled basket. For example, we have a basket full of the Amelia Bedelia series, one for Dr. Suess books, and another for nursery rhymes and songbooks. Then, to differentiate by level, each student has their own basket that she places “just right” books in order for them to read during independent reading. These books are chosen according to the child’s reading level and their interest, and eventually, the students will be able to chose their own “just right” books. Another technique that my teacher uses that follows the Book Club Plus! and Debbie Miller book is the relevance to curriculum goals. In fact, she uses the curriculum goals to plan her mini-lessons for reader’s and writer’s workshop. Prior to having the students read or write independently, there is a lesson or focus of the day. This lesson may be a comprehension strategy or a way to make meaning of a word when they don’t know. In this way, all of the curriculum requirements are met while being guided by the GLCE’s. Lastly, read alouds are a large component of my mentor teacher’s literacy program. She uses this time to create “opportunities for intertextual connections and opportunities to students to texts they might not otherwise read independently” (Raphael, Florio-Ruane, George, Hasty & Highfield, 2004, p. 117). While she reads she is constantly asking questions to support their comprehension and model how a “good reader reads.” Additionally, when she is finished, she has them make text-to-self, text-to-text connections, and text-to-world connections. This part of literacy instruction is so important to my mentor that we usually read 2-3 books aloud each day!

One aspect of the Book Club Plus! book club that I would like to try in my classroom is the addition of the fish bowl technique in order to inspire a good conversation about a book. We have many high level students, and it is our goal to have them host book clubs while we are working with the students who are struggling (of course, the struggling students would participate sometimes, as well). However, before they began to conduct their own book club, I feel that they would need to have one modeled for them (by adults) in a fish bowl fashion. Once that had occurred, I would give the students time to talk about what they saw, what they were confused about, and how they would do a book club themselves. Then, to add extra support in the beginning, I would have a teacher involved in the initial book clubs. The teacher would ask provoking questions and guide the conversation until the students were comfortable by themselves. Finally, I would have the students do their own book club while a teacher observed. I think this process would be highly beneficial to all students, and I am excited to see how it works in my second grade classroom!