As I read about the fundamental features of Book club, it seemed like I was reading the manual for our Daily 5 curriculum. Just as Book club includes a literacy block, writers workshop, teacher read aloud, shared reading and independent reading, our daily 5 time includes read to self, read to someone, journal writing, word work and teacher conference time( where teachers give each student individual reading support.) Our class also implements the Lucy Calkins Writer’s workshop curriculum.
In reading some of the research behind Book Club I found it interesting to look at the three “essential features of effective teaching.” According to the research teacher’s should require complex reasoning, use a coaching style to help students apply needed reading and writing skill and give students more independent reading time (p.5). The way “Book Club Plus” lays out the three basic principles of literacy I was reminded of our previous class readings that focused on Literacy being a social experience and not just an independent activity. I find this consistence with the way my placement views literacy but very different from the way my school taught literacy to me throughout my education. Writing, reading, phonics and spelling were very segregated and very performance. I am hopeful to learn more effective strategies for teaching literacy. It will also be interesting to see the similarities and differences between the Book club approach to creating literate learners and the Daily 5 approach. From what I have read so far the Book club plus approach seems more cohesive as it seems to combine the Writers workshop concepts, with Daily 5 strategies and literacy pieces that in my placement’s current curriculum has in fragments.
One of my hesitations with Book Club at this point is the involvement and the time it will take to esstablish effectively.
I agree with you that the ideas in Book Club Plus are very similar to that at our placement. I talked with my teacher and she said that they do not do book club, but she would be willing to hear my idea if I wanted to try something different. I am wondering if you ask your CT, she might let you try some new ideas in the classroom. Or least you could have her listen to your ideas and hear how effective they might be.
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