presenters name goes here

1

Book Discussion Groups in Afterschool
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONTechnical Assistance
and Professional Development for 21st Century
Community Learning Centers

• (presenters name goes here)

2
Who We Are

• U.S. Department of Educations Office of
  Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE)
• Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
  (SEDL)
• Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL)
• National Center for Research on Evaluation,
  Standards and Student Testing (CRESST)
• Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning
  (McREL)
• SERVE Center at the University of North Carolina
  at Greensboro (SERVE)
• WGBH Educational Foundation (WGBH)

3
Goal of the Partnership

• Improve afterschool academic enrichment,
  teaching, and training in six areas literacy,
  mathematics, science, the arts, technology, and
  homework/tutoring

4
During this session on book discussion groups,
participants will

• Explore resources for this practice at the
  web-based Afterschool Literacy Toolkit
• Learn about and practice strategies for book
  discussion groups
• Receive additional resources focused on book
  discussion groups in afterschool

5
Icebreaker

• Please turn to a neighbor and, in pairs, share
  your experience with book clubs or reading
  groups
• Have you participated in one?
• Whats been good about it for you?
• Whats been not-so-good?

6
Why book discussion groups in
afterschool?

• Would you start this practice at your site?
• What are your ideas or concerns?
• What the professionals say
• Endorsed as example of exemplary instruction in
  the national standards for English Language Arts
  (1996), jointly prepared by NCTE and IRA

7
Current research indicates that book discussion

• Increases student engagement/enjoyment
• Improves reading comprehension and content
  knowledge
• Builds higher order thinking skills
• Expands communication, cross-cultural
  understanding, and appreciation of perspectives
• Raises student achievement scores

8
Afterschool Training Toolkit

• www.sedl.org/afterschool/toolkits

9
Quick Tour of the Literacy Toolkit

• About Literacy in Afterschool
• Quality Literacy Instruction
• Resources and References
• Promising Practices in Literacy
• Based on research and relevance to afterschool
  settings
• Book Discussion Groups and Literature Circles
• Read-Aloud
• Story and Literature Dramatizations
• Writing
• Family Literacy Events
• One-on-One and Small Group Tutoring

10
Tour through Book Discussion Practice

• Each of the promising practices sections contain
• Explanation of the practice
• Sample age-appropriate activities
• Video demonstration (but not this practice)

11
Looking at two activities

• The Relatives Came, by Cynthia Rylant
• Midsummer Nights Dream, by Shakespeare
• Model on the margin of student choice
• Shows ways to get children making connections and
  asking questions
• Does not specify group size
• Can be good transition into more independent book
  discussion groups

12
Characteristics of LC and BDG From Harvey
Daniels, Literature Circles Voice and Choice in
Book Clubs and Reading Groups (2002)

• Students choose different books
• Small, temporary groups form by interest
• Groups meet on a regular schedule
• Discussion topics come from students
• Written notes guide discussion
• Leader facilitates
• Students and leader evaluate
• Spirit of fun and playfulness pervades the room

13
Activity 1 Establishing Guidelines

• This is a student choice model
• Select your first and second choice readings from
  the flip chart list
• Gather with like-minded peers as directed (first
  choice to begin)

14
Activity 1 (cont.) Discussion guidelines

• Instructions for reading
• Complete the entire reading
• Look for eyes up from your group
• Begin a free form discussion of the selection
  (no guidelines)

15
Activity 1 (cont.) Guideline questions

• What group behaviors (social skills) lead to good
  discussion?
• What comments or observations (thinking skills)
  lead to good discussion?
• Well develop our own guidelines

16
Activity 2 Practicing Roles

• Roles often used in the classroom are
• Leader what process will we follow?
• Summarizer what is the short version?
• Connecter what else is like this?
• Questioner what do we wonder about?
• Visualizer what does it look like?
• Highlighter what stands out?

17
Activity 2 (cont.) Trying one role

• Group members
• Select discussion roles
• Establish process for reading aloud
• Read front page only of reading selection
• Make notes on the handout next to your role
• Respond to leaders process, each member
  contributing according to their role

18
Activity 2 Role questions

• Reflections.
• How do role assignments help discussion?
• How do they hinder it?
• How/when might this strategy be most useful?

19
Activity 3 Tracking Thinking

• Choices and advantages.
• Reading logs or journals a permanent
  individual record, like a diary
• Sticky notes attached to the reading marks
  place, can be moved or combined in group charts,
  etc.

20
Activity 3 (cont.) Discussion from notes

• Group members
• Review roles on Handout 2
• Silently read side 2 of fiction selection
• Make notes of any responses (in any role or not)
• Hold free form discussion integrating individual
  responses from notes

21
Activity 3 (cont.) Reviewing our experience

• Model types
• Many groups with different selections
• Small groups with same selection
• Reading aloud
• Reading silently
• Discussion guided by designated roles
• Discussion guided by individual response (notes)

22
Activity 3 (cont.) Reflecting

• What approach would work for you around
• Student choice
• Many readings or one
• Aloud or silent reading
• Assigned roles

23
Using Self-Assessments To Improve

• Work with student groups to
• Evaluate individual performance and satisfaction
• Evaluate the group as a whole -- function and
  climate
• Review and target desirable changes

24
Revisiting our Reservations

• What have we discovered so far that
• Provides solutions for our original reservations?
• What strategies/solutions do we still need to
  look for?

25
Evaluating This Session

• Please note that you leave this session with
• Knowledge of Web site resources for book
  discussion groups in the Literacy Toolkit
• Sample guidance, role, and assessment forms
• Experience with book discussion formats
• Resources for continuing/initiating the practice
• (look at Handout 4)
• Thank you for coming! Please fill out the
  evaluation form and indicate
• What worked/ didnt work for you?
• What will you use at your site?