BOOK CLUBS “Reading ought to change us in some way. It ought to teach us more about ourselves, others, or the world around us.” —Dr. Kylene Beers and Dr. Robert Probst, literacy educators and authors
KEY FINDINGS
> > Unique teaching and learning potency arises from a magical alchemy of conversation about books—or shared text talk—as students and teachers come together in collaborative, heterogeneously grouped book clubs to discuss and engage with the books on multiple levels (Sharer, 2018; Serafini, 2011). > > Through reflective, academic conversation about books, teachers and students create the vibrant, literate classroom community that best supports high-level, quality comprehension (Sharer, 2018; Fountas and Pinnell, 2017). > > The collaborative, interactive nature of the club enables all students—including reluctant readers and English language learners—to find the support they need to fully engage with the books (Sharer, 2018; Fountas and Pinnell, 2017). > > Each club member gains access to more expansive, deeper comprehension as he or she participates in an intricate network of meaning-construction through shared talk about books (Sharer, 2018; Fountas and Pinnell, 2017). > > The productive structure of book clubs (also known as “literature circles”) can be reshaped as “inquiry circles” to support independent student reading and research. “Learners must have opportunities to respond to their reading every day by talking, writing, and drawing about their thinking,” write Harvey and Daniels (2009). Book clubs and inquiry circles “demand that kids talk to each other, jot down their thinking, and record information as they collaborate in the pursuit of answers to their questions” (Harvey and Daniels, 2009).
148
CHAPTER 5: TEACH
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs