We will be starting book clubs on Tuesday, Jan. 21 - groups of students will be reading the same books and then discussing their books for the next four weeks. I've chosen three historical fiction titles, and students picked their top three choices from those: When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (which is set in a small Texas town during the Vietnam War), Code Talker (which is based on the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII), and Elephant Run (which is set in on a teak plantation in Burma during WWII).
Typically, my students have been reading a good deal of realistic fiction, science fiction, mystery, and action; however, they seem less likely to pick up historical fiction, so I decided our book clubs would be the perfect time to explore out a different genre. Limiting students to three titles was done on purpose as in addition to face-to-face conversations, students will also be holding cross-section conversations via blogs so that they gain perspectives from students reading the same books in my other classes. Limiting titles to three makes the blog management a little more manageable.
Thus, for the next several weeks, students will still have independent reading time. Yet, they will more than likely be focusing on their literature circle title during that time. Some students may finish their book club reading sections by reading at school and then read another book at home; whereas, others may need to continue to read their book club book at home. Whatever the case, keep asking your child what he/she is reading and how it's going for him/her.
Typically, my students have been reading a good deal of realistic fiction, science fiction, mystery, and action; however, they seem less likely to pick up historical fiction, so I decided our book clubs would be the perfect time to explore out a different genre. Limiting students to three titles was done on purpose as in addition to face-to-face conversations, students will also be holding cross-section conversations via blogs so that they gain perspectives from students reading the same books in my other classes. Limiting titles to three makes the blog management a little more manageable.
Thus, for the next several weeks, students will still have independent reading time. Yet, they will more than likely be focusing on their literature circle title during that time. Some students may finish their book club reading sections by reading at school and then read another book at home; whereas, others may need to continue to read their book club book at home. Whatever the case, keep asking your child what he/she is reading and how it's going for him/her.