Reading On a Day Off #sol18

Join Two Writing Teachers and other teacher-writers as we share a slice of life every single day in the month of March.

I just returned from Walmart where I was shopping in preparation for family Easter dinners.  As I was weaving between carts and customers and employees stocking shelves, and screaming kids, I saw the mother of one of my students.

I stopped to say hello, and in our conversation, she asked me, "So did you threatened them?"

I looked at her cautiously, thinking what did her son go home and tell her.  I was relieved when she told me he was up before her today (we are out of school for Good Friday) and he was reading - something he typically doesn't do.  Did I mention we are out of school today?

Inside I was doing a happy dance!  I started book clubs yesterday, and he was home reading his book club selection...on a day off!  This is why book clubs are an important part of my classroom. Student's don't need threats or prizes or points or pizza or competitions or consequences to motivate them to read.

They just need a great book, time to read, and someone to share it with.

Contracts ~ Celebrate 2017 (seventeen)

Each week Ruth Ayres extends an invitation to share the celebrations from our week.  Why don't you join the celebration?

This week I have been reading tweets from the Booth Bay Literacy Retreat and copying many of them down in my notebook.  Many have made me think.  Many have made me nod my head.  And many have made me remember the important work we do as teachers.  This quote made me do all three:

"I feel like we have a contract:  I will tell the best story I can tell.  

And you put it in the hands of kids." ~ Chris Crutcher

Toward the end of the school year I finished Swing Sideways by Nanci Turner Steveson.  It was an autographed copy that I won in a Twitter drawing.  This book introduces us to Annie, a young girl who struggles with panic attacks and who has an overprotective mother.  Annie's parents agree to give her a "summer of freedom," and the three of them head off to the country.

Here, Annie meets California, a young girl staying with her grandfather, and the two girls form a perfect summer friendship.  When California tells Annie that her grandfather is dying of cancer, the two go on a mission to reunite the grandfather with California's estranged mother. This mission is full of adventure and secrets and a summer Annie (and the reader) will never forget.

I closed the book, wiped the tears, and knew exactly to whom I was going to hand this book.  As I handed it to Isabella, I told her to come see me as soon as she finished because I knew I would want to talk to her about it. 

The end of the school year was upon us, and Isabella had not finished the book. I told her what any passionate reading teacher would say, "You can take the book home with you."  She smiled and carefully (she knew it was a signed copy!) placed it in her backpack for the summer.

This week she returned the book along with this note.

 

I knew she would love this book because I know Isabella as a reader.  I spent the year handing her book after book after book.  She would come into my room and ask, "Ok I finished that one. What's next?"  She is the reader every teacher wants in their classroom.

Authors can write amazing books, but if we don't find a way to get them in the hands of our students, we are reneging on our end of the contract.  Today, I celebrate that contract, the trust that authors place in us as teachers, and the joy of placing the right books in the hands of the right readers.

Yes, we have important work to do.

Notes:  After I read Swing Sideways, I immediately ordered multiple copies to use in my student book clubs.  This is the reference Isabella makes in her note about ordering more copies.

Nanci is also the author of Georgia Rules, another amazing heart fiction book which was published in May, and Lizzie Flying Solo about a recently homeless girl who loves a pony she can't have - coming in September 2018.  Nanci is a must-read author for those middle grade students who love books that tug at the heartstrings. 

Book Clubs ~ Celebrate 2017 (eight) #sol17

I believe being a writer is one of the biggest gifts you can give to your students. ~ Stacey Shubitz

This month I am participating in the Slice of Life Story Challenge.  Thanks to Two Writing Teachers for creating a space for me to share my corner of the world.

Today I am also combining my two worlds of writing 

by celebrating my week with Ruth Ayres.  

"Do we have to?"  

"You mean I have to read this whole book?  In four weeks?"

These are just a few of the moans and groans I heard when I told my students we would be starting book clubs this week.  Getting my students to read this year has been a challenge, and I can honestly say that I was not looking forward to beginning this newest endeavor in my classroom.

But then I remembered the comments my students told me last year AFTER we wrapped up book clubs, and I was committed to making this work.

By the end of the week I began to hear this in the halls.

"This book is awesome and I am only on page 27!" says the student reading Masterminds by Gordon Korman.

"I was on chapter four and it just sucked me in!" says the student reading Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart

"I can't believe how much they are reading this week.  "D" who never reads during AP (our enrichment/intervention time) didn't take his eyes off his book today!" says the math teacher.

"Can I read past our assigned chapter?"  asks the student reading A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen.

Music to this reading teacher's ears.  Oh yes, book clubs work, and I am so glad that I didn't give up.

I know in a couple of weeks and after our final discussion days, my students will be celebrating too.  Celebrating the collaboration, the talk, the accomplishment and the fun of being in a book club!

Lessons Learned from Student-led Book Clubs

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this space for me to share my corner of the world.

My students recently completed their first round of student-led book clubs.  Overall, I think they were a big success, but I still have questions and kinks to work out.

Process

Here was my basic process:

1. Students had a book pass where students looked at all book choices.
2. Students ranked three books in order of preference.
3. I put groups together according to book preferences and book availability.
4. Students read books outside and inside of class.
5. Students recorded questions, thoughts, and wonders on a bookmark or sticky notes.
6. Three discussion days were scheduled with reading assigned.
7. Students completed a self-assessment.

Lessons Learned

Keep books in sets of 6 - I wanted to give my students many choices, and I have worked diligently on acquiring book sets to accommodate five periods and over 100 students.  Because I had some popular titles such as Crossover, Circus Miarandus, and The Walk On, I divided my six copies into two sets of three so they could be offered in two periods.  Dividing the books up did not work, because some of the groups were too small, and I had more students who preferred the book than the number of books I had available.

Groups vs. Choice - This first round I had students rank their top three book choices. Then I put the students into groups according to their choices.  The feedback I received mentioned that they wanted to be placed in groups first and then choose books as a group.  I have never tried this because I always thought that the choice in books should be the most important factor.  Since middle school is such a social time, I am rethinking that maybe next round I will try groups first, then let them choose a book.

Focus on Discussion - My students enjoyed the discussion days, and many students asked to have more discussion time.  I had them write questions, thoughts and wonders on a bookmark so they would have specific points to discuss.  I learned I need to model what these discussions should look like.  Many groups answered their questions, but did not know where or how to lead the discussion deeper.

Questions I Still Have

Here are some questions that I still need to answer and research.  Feel free to add your advice, expertise, and wisdom in the comment section.

1. Do you let students read ahead or keep to the assigned reading schedule?
2. Do you require a certain amount of response or questions for discussion?
3. Do you put choice first and then groups, or groups first and then choice?
4. How long do you spend in each group?
5. Do you organize book club selections according to subject/theme/topic?  For example, social justice.
6. If so, what are they?

I do know that I want to continue with book clubs.  Middle school students are social, and talking about books makes reading them even more enjoyable.  Creating those experiences is always my ultimate goal.

Top Five Books for Book Clubs

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating this space for me to share my corner of the world.

Book clubs are something I did as an elementary teacher, but had not tried it as a middle school teacher until last month.

I knew middle school students loved to talk, so I thought book clubs would be a great outlet in which to do this.  I began applying for grants, creating Donor's Choose projects, and purchasing books to establish a book club library.  When I started book clubs, I had over 20 different titles and six copies of each one to distribute to my five classes.

Here are our top five titles for this round:

The War with Grandpa is an older title, but such a fun one.  It is an excellent text for teaching basic story elements for those readers who are not ready for a difficult text.  Wonderful themes of war, peace, making choices, and relationships with the elderly.

Crossover was a hit with both girls and boys...and even another teacher.

Circus Mirandus is just a magically beautiful book.  Most of the students who read this commented on how they normally would not have a chosen a book like this, but really enjoyed it.  That is the power of book clubs.

I Am Number Four is a series that has taken off with my higher readers.  I have not read this, and I normally do not include books that I have not read.  But this has been such a hit, that I knew it would draw some interest.

Absolutely Truly is another book I have not read.  Here is the comment I received from a student:  "It was a mystery that turned out to be a love story!"  

I learned many lessons from our first round of book clubs which will be a future post, but overall, it was a success!

A Big Heart

Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating a place to share our Slice of Life.  Read more slices or add you own here.

I, along with many other teachers, have often expressed our gratitude for Two Writing Teachers and this community.  Last week my gratitude was lifted to a new level.

This year I wanted to start book clubs with my students as a different way to keep reading as a social event.  But in order to have book clubs for 100 students, I needed books.  Many of my fellow teachers have had projects funded through Donors Choose, so I looked into this as a way of acquiring funds to support this endeavor.  

Two weeks ago I submitted my first project for Donors Choose.  They suggested posting the project on social media, specifically Facebook.  I am not on Facebook, so I tweeted the link and wrote a short blog post explaining the details.

A few days later, I noticed a comment on the post.  It was from a fellow slicer asking about how to make a donation.  I sent her the information and it wasn't long after that I received an email that the remainder of my project was completely funded.

Bernadette from Haddon Musings, who I only know from sharing our slices on Tuesdays and our celebrations on Saturdays, opened her heart to my students.  Here is what she said,

"When I was a child, books opened up a world that wasn't known to me or available to me. Books fed my mind, gave me hope, and saved my life. But the ownership of a book was a rare treat. I hope your children aren't as in need as I was but it sounds like ownership of a book is still a treat to them. Enjoy."

Needless to say, my heart is full.  Bernadette does not know me personally.  She only knows me through our shared words from our own little corners of the world.  Because of her generosity, I now have 36 books making their way to my classroom and into the hands of my students.  I cannot wait to share this story with them.

Thank you, Bernadette!

Since my first project was funded so quickly and since it is that giving time of year, it was suggested that I start another project.  Here is the link to part two of my book club project.  

Bloggers note:  Since posting this slice I have had other slicers donate to my project.  I am so grateful for the support my students are receiving from my blogging friends.  Please know, my intention for writing this post was to share the amazing rewards of being a part of this community.  My heart continues to be filled ~ thank you!

Can We Talk?

This week I submitted my first Donors Choose project - Can We Talk?.   I have heard of so many teachers talk about the "wonderfulness" of this organization, and I thought it was time for me to give it try.  Here is a little bit about it.

About the Project

Reading is a social activity, and I want my students to be able to participate in book clubs in order to talk about their reading experiences.  We have many sets of books, but they are old and yellowed and just do not appeal to my students' reading preferences.

I have tried to find a mix of genres, reading levels, and interest levels.  I am asking for multiple copies of the following books:

This is just a start, but hopefully I will find some generous donors to fund this project and continue to build my book club sets.  My goal is to have enough sets of books for each one of my 100+ students to take home and enjoy participating in our book clubs and talking about their reading experiences.  After all, isn't that what reading is all about?

More About My Project

Here is a link to take you to my project if you would like to learn more.