Setting Up a Book Club Discussion for 12th Grade
Rachel Malchow, Champlin Park High School, Champlin, Minnesota
STEP ONE: Choose a book from the book list.
Term 1:
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
When Heaven and Earth Changed Places by Le Ly Hayslip
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
A Place Where the Sea Remembers by Sandra Benitez
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason
Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Term 2:
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
*Please note that because literature is a mirror of human experience, some of the texts on the list may
portray particular situations or contain language that some parents and students might find objectionable.
Please know that your comfort and feelings of safety are of utmost concern to us and that we would be
happy to provide you with more information about your choices if you would like.
STEP TWO: Meet with your group to set up reading schedule.
Meeting #1
Date:______ Chapters due:____________
Meeting #2
Date:______ Chapters due:____________
Meeting #3
Date:______ Chapters due:____________
Meeting #4
Date:______ Chapters due:____________
STEP THREE: Each week, read your assigned chapters, write a response journal for
those chapters and prepare for the discussion.
A) Read: On your own. Be sure to meet the deadlines your group has set!
B) Response journal: Keep a response journal as you read each week’s chapters. Have a
conversation with the text. Here are some prompts to get you started:
* What is your reaction to what’s happening?
* What do you notice if you look through the different “lenses” we talked
about in class (archetypal lens, gender lens, cultural lens, socioeconomic lens, etc.)?
* What personal or real world connections can you make with the story?
* What don’t you understand?
* What would you like to discuss or know more about?
Some people like to write as they read; others like to write a bit after each chapter. Be
specific and thoughtful; this response will show that you have carefully read and thought
about your assigned chapters.
Each response journal should be at LEAST the equivalent of one typed page and will be
due at the time of your group meeting.
C) Prepare for discussion: You’ll also need to prepare for your particular role during
discussion. You will switch roles each meeting. See your “Role Card” for specific
instructions.
Roles:
** Discussion Director
** Multiple Perspective Taker
** Literary Luminary/Cool Quote Finder
* Connector
* Illustrator
* Investigator
* Travel Tracer
* Vocabulary Enricher
* Summarizer
** Role must be covered for every group meeting.
* Role selected based on needs of the book group and talents of the
members.
STEP FOUR: Participate in four weekly book club meetings.
The goal of your meeting is to have a thoughtful 30 minute conversation about your book
in which all members participate equally. During this discussion, you should take on
your assigned role in the group, but remember that this is a conversation, not just report
sharing. Please note, if you are absent on the day of your meeting, you cannot earn credit
for it.
STEP FIVE: Final group presentation.
Your group will plan a presentation about your book. This presentation will utilize the
work your group has done through the term. More specific information to follow.
EVALUATION:
4 book discussions x 10 pts. each =
4 reader response journals x 10 pts. each =
Group presentation =
40 pts.
40 pts.
20 pts.
TOTAL
100 pts.
*This novel project is worth 15% of your final grade in English 12 this term.
Roles for Book Club Discussions
Your book club will be composed of three to five participants who gather to discuss once
a week over the next month. The goal of the book clubs’ discussions is to participate in
free-flowing, uninhibited conversation about the literature. To help facilitate such
conversation, it is useful to take on a particular role and prepare that role for the
discussion. But remember, the goal is a natural conversation not a series of individual
presentations.
The first three roles should be prepared for each discussion.
Discussion Director:
The discussion director prepares a list of questions over the reading. No nit-picking!
Devise questions that help participants talk about the big ideas of the book. In
developing questions, pay attention to your own thoughts, feelings, and puzzlement as
you read. Sample questions might include: “What surprised you in this section?”; “What
are one or two of the most important ideas?”; or “What was going through your mind
when you read?” The better the question the fewer you will need to continue the
conversation, but 5-10 good discussion questions should be sufficient. If the discussion
is working, the discussion director might not be needed much.
Cool Quote Finder:
This person locates 4-7 specific quotations from the text to read aloud. The quote might
be a line or an entire passage. Quotes might be funny, puzzling, compelling, interesting,
or simply crucial to understanding meaning. It is important to read the quotes out loud
and identify their page numbers, as this will let the group hear the language and
remember exactly parts of the book.
Multiple Perspective Taker:
This person will take another look at the reading selection through use of at least two
additional literary theories. This may include the archetypal lenses we have been
learning about in detail in class, as well as the gender, multicultural, psychological, or
socio-economic lenses. The re-reading may wish to examine a particular event or quote
in the text, or comment on the development of the story so far as a whole. A short
paragraph for each lens would be appropriate.
These additional roles should be selected based on the needs and talents of the group, and
the nature of the book.
Summarizer:
The summarizer prepares a brief summary of the day’s reading. A good summary
identifies setting, the characters and their development, as well as the key conflicts and
major plot events. This should be one or two paragraphs in length. This is a particularly
useful way to begin a discussion, as it allows the group to clarify their understanding of
what happened before moving into interpretations.
Connector:
The connector uses the reader response lens to find connections between the book and the
world outside. You might connect parts of the book to your own life, to happenings in
the school or community, to other times and places, to other people, to other literature, or
to writings by the same author. The key is to connect, the connection can’t be wrong.
One well developed example, or a two shorter ones should be sufficient.
Investigator:
The investigator finds background information on any topic related to the book. The idea
is to find information that helps the group understand the book better, and that is of
interest to you. This might include:
Cultural, historical, or geographical information about the book’s setting.
Information about the author.
Pictures, objects, or materials that illustrate elements of the book.
The history of words or names used in the book.
Music that reflects the time of the book.
Illustrator:
This job requires you to draw, paint, sculpt, or otherwise create a visual representation
related to the reading. It can be a sketch, cartoon, flow chart, diagram, stick figure scene,
realistic or abstract representation. You can draw a scene from the book, or something
that the book reminded you of. What you draw can convey any feeling or idea you got
from the book. During your discussion, allow each group member to respond to the piece
first, before you offer any explanation about its meaning.
Vocabulary Enricher:
This person finds a few important words in the reading. The words might be important
because they are key to meaning, unfamiliar, repeated, or used in an unfamiliar ways.
While you are reading, mark the words as you come to them, then look them up in a
dictionary or other resource. Show group members where the words are and discuss
them.
Travel Tracer:
This role might be useful when the scenes are changing and characters are moving around
a lot. The travel tracer tracks where the action takes place, describes the setting in detail,
either in words or in a map or diagram. Give pages numbers for the scenes you describe.
Book Club Discussion: Self and Group Assessment
Name: ________________________
Date: ______________________
Title: _________________________
Author: ____________________
1. How much did you participate in the discussion about this section? Circle one.
about the right amount
too much
not at all
too little
2. How much of the reading section did you complete before the discussion?
all
most
some
none
3. How much of your discussion role preparation did you complete?
all
most
some
none
4. What was an important contribution you made to this discussion?
5. What was an important idea or explanation expressed by someone else in the group. Identify the person
and what he or she said.
6. How much of their reading and discussion roles did your group members complete?
Name: ________________
all
most
some
none
Name: ________________
all
most
some
none
Name: ________________
all
most
some
none
Name: ________________
all
most
some
none
7. What discussion strategies did you group use well? Circle all that you feel apply.
participating
staying on topic
positive body language
listening carefully
eye contact
encouraging others
considerate of different opinions
asking follow-up questions
8. Which of the above strategies did the group struggle with? How could this be improved for the next
discussion? Explain.
Book Club Final Group Essay: An Introduction to and Evaluation of Your
Book
Objective
Create a 1-2 page essay for future 12th grade students to help introduce them to your
book, and to help them decide which book to choose for their own reading.
Expectations
The group is responsible for addressing all of the following topics.
You should utilize the prior work you have completed, as well as the talents of your
group members.
All group members are expected to contribute equally, but it is up to your group to decide
how to structure your work time to achieve this. You may choose to write all sections
together. You may wish to brainstorm together, but assign sections and write separately.
Then come back together to revise and edit. In either case, there is one final group grade
given.
The final document should be must also be typed, double spaced, in a 12 point font.
Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation should be used.
1) Introduction
Write an introduction paragraph to your book.
A) Select an appropriate, relevant attention-getter.
A compelling quotation or thematic question would be a good opener.
B) Identify key background information about the book.
This should include the title, the author, any biographic information about
the author that might be relevant, additional works by the same author,
information about the genre/ archetype/ structure of the book.
C) Thesis: Overall statement of recommendation.
Overall, do you recommend that this book be read by future students?
2) Summary Presents the key details about your book. Approximately 8 sentences.
A) Setting: Where and when does the story take place? Realistic or fantasy?
B) Characters: Who are the main characters, and what are they like?
C) Conflicts: Without giving away too many plot surprises, what are the major
conflicts in this book?
3) Multiple Perspectives/ Thematic Issues:
Use the critical theories that have been most beneficial to your group’s discussions. In a
paragraph, describe some of the important themes and issues that the book introduces.
Use the best discussion questions and responses from your multiple perspective takers.
It may be useful to include 2-3 quotations to help illustrate these ideas.
4) Best aspects of book/ Best audience
A) What were your favorite elements of this book?
Explain, using specific examples from the text.
B) Who is the ideal reader for this book? Explain why, using specific examples.
5) Difficulties/ Controversial Issues/ Wrong audience
A) What are the most challenging aspects of reading this book? Explain using
specific examples. (examples: vocab, structure, writing style)
B) Are there any sensitive topics that a student should be aware of prior to
reading this book?
C) What type of reader would not enjoy this book? Explain using specific
examples.
Evaluation of Final Essay
This project equals 20 out of 100 points of your book club grade.
4=Excellent
3=Good
2= Basic
1= Incomplete
___/ 4
Introduction
___/ 4
Summary
___/ 4
Multiple Perspectives/ Themes
___/ 4
Evaluation of Best Elements/ Audience
___/ 4
Evaluation of Difficulties/ Controversies/ Wrong audience
___________________________________________________________
___/ 20 TOTAL
Post-Book Club Self and Group Assessment
1. What was your experience with your book club like? What worked for you?
What didn’t work for you?
2. How does this compare to other structures for reading books for school that you have
experienced? Which methods do you prefer?
3. What could have made this experience more successful for you? For your group?
4. Please rate your performance and the performance of your other group members, on a
scale of 1-5, with 5 being highest. Provide a brief explanation for your rating as well.
My performance
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
Explanation:
________ ‘s performance
Explanation:
________ ‘s performance
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
Explanation:
________ ‘s performance
Explanation:
________ ‘s performance
Explanation:
Reflecting on Microteaching of a Discussion
In your methods course, you will probably have an opportunity to practice leading
a 15- or 20-minute discussion with your peers in a microteaching session. In preparing
for the micro-teaching, you should could devise some initial response activity with a
short text or use the text everyone is reading in the course. In some cases, your peers
could simply be “themselves,” or they could assume the roles of secondary students.
You can audio or preferably video tape the discussion and then listen or view it
together with peers to discuss specific moments (given lack of time, you may just
highlight certain parts of the discussion.) It’s essential that peers provide specific,
descriptive feedback focusing on their reactions to particular questions or activities, as
opposed to provide generalities. You could also transcribe parts of the tape and analyze
your use of different kinds of questions employed, the nature of response or “uptake”
from those questions, the degree or percentage of student versus your talk, and your use
of techniques to facilitate and encourage student expression of responses.
To adopt an inquiry orientation, you and the peers could post questions about
concerns or issues you have about leading discussions. These might include, “What do I
do with resistant students,” “What if students go off on tangents,” or “What is the larger
purpose of discussion.” Through exploring these questions, you may explore larger
issues of your role as teacher or the value of teaching literature.
Using narrative reflection. To reflect on your discussion, it is helpful to create a detailed,
written narrative in your journal about the specific things that happened in the discussion.
By creating a narrative, you capture the particular events that occurred in the discussion,
a record you can then use to reflect on positive and negative aspects of the discussion.
To create your narrative reflection:
-listen to the audiotape or view the videotape and transcribe specific parts of the
discussion, particularly your questions and how students responded to your questions.
- set the scene for your narrative by describing your purposes, agenda, role, and the
students in the discussion.
- describe specific moments in the discussion—questions and answers, as well as
students’ level of engagement and involvement in their answers, their willingness to
pursue the same topic, and dialogic tensions between students that created further
exploration of a topic.
- reflect on the nature of your questions (open-ended versus closed; high-level versus
low-level) and whether they achieved what you wanted to accomplish in the discussion.
- reflect on your own role(s) or stances in the discussion and how adopting those roles or
stances influenced the discussion.
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards portfolio reflection on large-group
discussions
For those of you who later in your careers will be engaged in completing the National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification, you will be required to complete
a similar reflection task as part of your portfolio that you complete for this certification.
For the Early Adolescent Language Arts large group discussion task:
http://www.nbpts.org/candidates/guide/04port/04_ea_ela.html
For the Adolescence and Young Adulthood/English larger group discussion task
http://www.nbpts.org/candidates/guide/04port/04_aya_ela.html
A preservice narrative teacher’s reflection. For an example of narrative reflection of a
preservice teacher, Sarah McArdell, on leading a classroom discussion of a chapter in
Jonathan Kozol’s Savage Inequalities on high school drop-outs, go to Web site, and click
on Sarah McArdell’s reflection. In this reflection, she recognize instances in which she
didn’t to adjust her plans to adopt to students’ difficulty in completing a writing
assignment about the chapter, leading her to recognize the value of switching to a
hypothetical drama mode to discuss the drop-out issue.
As part of a civic engagement curriculum, the class of 11th & 12th graders
was assigned Chapter 2 of Jonathan Kozol’s Savage Inequalities. The class is
diverse economically and ethnically. Many students are the children of new
immigrants or immigrants themselves. We had been looking at issues related to
school funding and this text compares the funding and support structures of urban
and suburban schools in Chicago. Each student was given a copy of the text to
keep.
“This is your copy. I expect you to mark it up. Take notes on it, circle
things you want to
talk about in class, highlight it and keep track of what you have questions about.
You have until a week from today to prepare for our discussion. You will need to
read closely, expect to spend more time on this chapter than you might normally
do on your other readings.”
I handed out the following Reading/Discussion form with the text:
Name_____________________________________
Article Name, Author:
Main Ideas:
Questions, Likes, or Dislikes:
“I need you to fill this sheet out as you read. I want everyone to be able to
participate in the discussion Thursday and these sheets will help. If you have
questions or are having any trouble with the reading I want to know before
Thursday.”
“While you are reading think about this quote from the text:
‘Equal funding for unequal needs is not equality.’ (Kozol 54)
What does this sentence mean? What is Kozol talking about?”
The Reading/Discussion form serves several functions. First, it lets them
know I really do expect them to read the article. Second, it gives a structure to the
discussion. We can talk through the main ideas first and then move into our
opinions about the article or the issues raised by the article. In this way, students
who didn’t read or had a difficult time can participate in a discussion of the issues
in the text. Third, it connects reading to both written and verbal communication.
Students need to synthesize the information, form an opinion about it and be able
to communicate it on paper and then to their classmates.
The day before the assigned reading is due, I preview the discussion using
the previous equality prompt.
“Ok, tomorrow we are talking about Savage Inequalities. Who’s read it?”
Several students chime in:
“ I read it twice but I didn’t highlight it” “It’s not due until tomorrow
right?”
“I started it but it seems like it’s just the same thing over and over again.”
Several students had lost their copies and needed new ones.
“You should have been working on this all week. You are going to have
to do a lot of work tonight to get ready for tomorrow. Don’t forget your
discussion sheets.”
Students lose and forget thing; always have extras. It can be frustrating,
especially on limited budgets, but it takes away a common excuse students have
for disengaging from the class.
“Even if you haven’t finished your reading let’s talk about the quote I put
on the board last week. ‘Equal funding for unequal needs is not equality.’ What’s
that all about?”
We are seated together in a circle on the floor. A few are sprawled out on
their backs or stomachs. They lean on each other and mostly enjoy a chance to be
out of their desks. To start edging into a good discussion, we need to be
comfortable together. Students need to see each other to be able to talk to each
other. At first, students complain about sitting on the floor or they wrestle around
and play with each other’s hair, but it quickly becomes a routine that signals our
casual discussion time. In the circle we touch base about readings, homework,
and issues in the class.
The class is silent for a little while. One student ventures a guess.
“It means that everybody should get the same amount, like if one gets 51%
and one gets 49% that’s not fair.”
I draw 2 stick figures on the board. “Let me say this back to you—If this
person is gets 49% and this other person gets 51% its unfair because no matter
what they should both get 50%”?
“Yes”
Another student, interrupts, “No, I think its about wants and needs.”
“Say more about that.”
“I don’t know, just some people get everything they want and some people
don’t even get stuff they need.”
“I like that idea, I think it definitely relates. Janie it looked like you were
going to say something.”
“I think it means if you have something really nice you don’t need as
much help as somebody that has something real crappy. Like if your school is all
rundown and another school is nice why do they both get the same amount of
money.”
“I think you are on the right track, what do the rest of you think?”
Students nod in agreement and we talk briefly about facilities at suburban
schools versus the facilities at their urban school.
“I still think everyone should get the same amount so it’s fair.”
“Let’s talk about that. Does equal mean same?”
I draw two schools on the board; even though my drawing skills are
severely limited, visual reinforcement of the ideas is very helpful to many
students.
“Now, this school is brand new, it’s beautiful, everything about it is
perfect.” Incorporating our previous discussion about the condition of their
school, I move to the next drawing. “Now this school was built 30 years ago, and
the principal drove a bus through one wall, and it caught on fire because of all the
kids smoking in the bathroom.” Should these two schools get the same amount of
money to take care of their buildings?
We talk about these two pictures until the end of class.
“Finish your reading and come prepared tomorrow, ok, have a good
night.”
As a final comment on my artistic skills:
“Hey, next time if you draw on the board, I can do it for you because I
couldn’t even tell that was a school.”
Every bit of support helps.
The Discussion or Time for Plan B
I, of course, had high hopes for this discussion. I felt like I had prepped
the students really well and the issues were important to them and we would have
a really good discussion.
I arranged the desks into a circle. This is our position for formal
discussion. I want students to think about how they communicate in various
settings. In this formation we can still see each other but the discussion takes on a
more official or academic tone. Changing the composition of the room changes
they way students compose and express their thoughts.
Still, I wanted a back up plan, because nothing is worse than walking
through a list of discussion prompts with a class where only a few students have
done the reading.
First, I asked students to break into small groups and go over their
Reading/Discussion forms together.
“Let’s get into small groups and prep for the large group discussion. Go
over your reading sheets and see how they compare. I will come around to
answer questions.” Panicked looks dart through the class. Several students dig
into their backpacks and try to quickly fill in the form.
“I didn’t get one of those sheets.” “I forgot to do that.”
A few have filled them out very completely and many have at least something
down.
Name_____________________________________
Article Name, Author:
Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol
Main Ideas:
-gets peoples attention of different levels of education
-poverty
-low income children have less opportunity
-suburb schools have more advantages.
Questions, Likes, or Dislikes:
-I dislike the fact that it repeats itself over and over again about lower income
schools (cities) and schools in the suburbs.
-I like how Mrs. Hawkins pushes her students to succeed.
-P.52 teachers don’t care
-Why don’t the city pay their teachers more to increase the rate of education?
“Is this one of those times that I should lead the discussion a bit more or
do you want to break into groups.”
A few students admit to not doing the reading, several complain about the
length.
“I read and fell asleep, read and fell asleep. It was good information but it
was booooring.”
The class votes to stay in the large group. I put aside my discussion
prompts and switch to Plan B.
“Ok, everyone stand up. This article talks about what happens to students
in inner city Chicago schools. Let’s go through the statistics on page 45. You are
all starting out in the same kindergarten class. Starting in the 6th grade I am going
to tell you if you drop out or stay in school and we are going to figure out together
how it happened. It can be based on the article or our own experience.
Remember, you are someone else. This isn’t what has happened or will happen to
you.”
I choose the two most outspoken students to drop out in the 6th grade.
With any interactive activity the first step is the hardest and choose students who
like to participate sets a good tone for the rest of the class.
“Why did you drop out?”
“I don’t get it?”
“Everybody, what are some reasons that somebody might leave school in
the 6th grade? Maybe they are 14 because they were held back and don’t want to
hang out with a bunch of babies? Think about the reading or someone you know
who dropped out.”
Um, they have a bad family.
They missed nap time?
We proceed through each grade, and with each round student’s
participation increases.
“Ok, 8th grade, this is when we lose the most students. All six of you just
dropped out of school, how come?”
I made more money on the street.
My dad got sick and I had to take care of him.
Nobody cared if I went anyway.
We didn’t have a teacher, we had a sub everyday.
Some of the responses come directly from text, but students who haven’t
done the reading participate as well. I continue through the statistics, some
students are sent to jail, by graduation 10 of 23 are left. During this exercise, I
had to be aware of constantly reinforcing the importance of having choices and
access to education instead of college as the ultimate goal for every student. Too
often in an effort promote post secondary work, educators send the message that
families and communities with high drop out rates, or without a glut of college
degrees are worth less.
“You graduated from high school but didn’t go on to college or other
training. What are you doing?”
I’m a teller at a bank. I couldn’t afford school but I still have a pretty
good job.
I work at a gas station.
I live at home because I can’t get anything decent.
“You went to college for a year but dropped out, why?”
I decided to get married and had kids to take care of.
I ran out of money.
“You completed high school and college, how did you do it?”
I ask the students to discuss this last question together. It is very
successful. Students are animated and have a lot of opinions. I referred them to
the text, when appropriate and moderate rather than lead the discussion.
At the end of class I asked the students to take another look at the text,
finish their forms and be prepared to continue the discussion tomorrow.
Sometimes students are ready to immediately engage verbally with a text,
but many times they need other ways into the interaction. Saying 50% of students
drop out and reading statistics is entirely different than seeing what that looks like
and talking about the person behind the number. Theatre base activities can
stimulate youth to access information in a different way and also provide
opportunities for greater participation.