As we anticipate the coming of spring, I look forward to the
fresh blossoms of new life springing forth. The dormant seeds buried beneath
the snow are surely building in anticipation as well, moving toward their moment
of arrival. Perhaps all of nature celebrates their “coming out” with
grandiosity. As our students become more independent as readers and thinkers,
they too blossom as they take on the act of participation within Book Clubs. In
moving toward more independence, there is much that takes place before Book
Clubs even begin in a classroom, as it is the instructional context in which
the teacher offers the least support. The best gauge for determining a child’s
readiness is his ability to think deeply and converse during the contexts of
Interactive Read-Aloud and Guided Reading. When readers have developed the
ability to build in-depth discussions that are centered around an engaging
text, we see powerful learning take place.
Sometimes referred to
as Literature Study or Literature Circles, Book Clubs have the potential to
expand readers’ understanding of an array of texts while increasing their
enjoyment of reading. Opportunities for thinking within, beyond, and about the
text while collaborating with others to reflect on, analyze, and be critical
expands reading comprehension and the appreciation of the aesthetic qualities
of literature. Readers, like freshly blossoming buds, grow to a more sophisticated
level of thinking while developing a sense of agency in the intellectual life
they share with others. Their ideas are valued, rather than evaluated. Book
Clubs are inquiry-based so readers try out tentative ideas and search for
information to confirm or refute their thinking (Fountas & Pinnell, 2001). They
also build on others’ ideas, using language to “grope towards a meaning”
(Barnes, 1992).
If you haven’t engaged your intermediate learners in the
practice of Book Clubs, or you’d like more information about this integral component
of the Reading Workshop, I encourage you to investigate chapters 17-20 in Teaching
for Comprehending and Fluency: Thinking, Talking, and Writing About Reading,
K-8 (2006), and/or chapters 15-17 in Guiding Readers and Writers Grades
3-6: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy (2001), both by
Irene C. Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. Your readers deserve to celebrate authentic,
powerful engagement with text with grandiose opportunities for blooming.
Barnes, D. (1992). From
Communication to Curriculum, second edition. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Fountas, I.C. & Pinnell, G.S. (2001). Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6: Teaching
Comprehension, Genre,
and Content Literacy. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Talking, and Writing About Reading, K-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
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