TSRG.v.2.0
An update
Last year, feeling frustrated about the impending mandated reading curriculum, I decided to make book clubs a more central part of my classroom literacy experience. Up until then, my literacy instruction included teaching Depth and Complexity icons and annotation through a few class novels. In between novels, I would teach isolated reading strategies using a hodgepodge of worksheets and basal readers. This was not ideal pedagogy, but the system I inherited when returning to the classroom in 2020. Slowly, I would sneak in Document Based Questions and other more authentic writing for my students to read and annotate throughout the school year. Four years later, seeing my students’ readership and literacy engagement plummet, I resolved myself to help my students read and discuss and fall in love with actual books.
Our newly created Socratic Readers Guilds met every Wednesday to discuss what we read in the previous week. Excitement for book clubs started strong, but quickly waned. My students’ stamina for reading and discussing a novel had atrophied in previous years. Many lost interest in the book and in-fighting and disengagement grew worse. Unfortunately, I had to disband a few groups and resorted to reading the last fifty pages of novel aloud to the class. Spring standardized testing started shortly thereafter. We never returned to book clubs.
I spent a lot of time reflecting on what went wrong. A couple of my more advanced readers were able to finish the novel as a group, but the majority of students needed more practice reading books at length. Students were out of shape, and I threw them into a 5K reading experience expecting them to finish. I realized that if I were to do book clubs again, I needed to spend time strengthening my students’ reading stamina. I needed to simplify and go slow. That is exactly what I’ve been doing this trimester.
During these last three months, I have been conferencing with my students every couple of weeks, using this time to get to know my students as readers. In anticipation of another TSRG, I wanted to be able to give them reading recommendations they would actually like. Together in a corner of the room, we practiced talking about what book they were reading. So often, I see students check out a book from the school library on Monday and return it to the bin on Tuesday without cracking it open. If no one is asking them about what they are reading, they have little interest in reading for pleasure. This way, at least they were reading and talking to me.
I also wanted students to set meaningful reading goals based on where they struggle as readers. Here is a list of questions I ask during our reading conferences:
Can you tell me what you are reading?
What type of book is this?
Can you tell me about the book so far?
What are the main ideas/themes
What do you think will happen next?
What is your current reading goal?
How has this text helped you practice your goal?
What do you feel confident about when reading?
What do you think you need more practice with/on?
What is your new goal?
Together, we set reading goals. I gave students something tangible to work on in between conferences. One student may be collecting vocabulary words to review with me while another students might be taking notes on the structure of the book she is reading. I ditched the traditional Reading Log (minutes read, page numbers, summary, etc.), and instead, have had students reflect more thoughtfully. Marcus Luther uses a Two-Week Reading Reflection with his high school students. I adapted it for my fifth-graders as a weekly Reading Reflection. Instead of just summarizing what they read each week, students have been reflecting on what they are learning from their book, how they connect to what they are reading, and their reading experiences throughout the week. Their answers help me prepare for students’ upcoming reading conferences.
All of this preparation (including reading and annotating a ton of excellent short stories using Marisa Thompson’s TQE Method) has prepared my students for reading and discussing a novel in small groups. Now that my students have had more practice reading, reflecting, and discussing various literary texts, meeting with me periodically to set reading goals, I believe it is time for The Socratic Readers Guilds version 2.0.
I launched TSRGv.2.0 by showing my students book trailers. I used all of the information I had been gathering during our reading conferences to recommend 17 incredible novels. I pitched each book like a potential contender in a sports bracket.
Students voted and I was able to create their guilds based on their top three choices. My goal was to have students choose a book, not a group of friends. Luckily, I was able to assign students to one of their top two choices.
The winning books have now become our Socratic Readers Guilds for the next three weeks. The reveal was quite exciting! A Wrinkle in Time and The Wild Robot were so popular that I am allowing two separate groups to read the same book.
Students spent the rest of the week creating a set of guild rules, a guild values coat of arms, and collectively set up their Readers Guild Dialectic Notebooks. The first entry in their notebooks was noticings and wonderings from model fifth-grade book clubs.
Before students get a copy of the book in their hands, I want them to know what collaborative book clubs look like and sound like. Students need to feel a strong sense of ownership to their guild before I give them the book to read. As guild members, they are responsible for maintaining a high standard of discussion and reflection. Starting next week, students will receive their books, create a reading schedule, assign initial guild roles, and begin reading their novels. My hope is that all of this preparation will make for a more engaging literacy experience for my students.1
Will TSRGv.2.0 be a success? That is the beauty (and frustration) of being a teacher. We can prepare and plan and make adjustments, and ultimately, the students decide how successful the learning experience is for them. I hope that in a few weeks, I have some exciting updates to share with y’all. In the meantime, wish us luck!
Have a great week!
— Adrian
Resources
This resource from Richard Winn Academy is a great place to start with dialectical notebooks.
This video is an excellent tutorial for creating a dialectic journal using Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison. Ms. Peer Editor explains how respond to the text by analyzing author's choices, asking questions, and highlighting key plot points.
If you haven’t already subscribed to Colby Sharp Substack, please do so! He is a passionate advocate for student literacy and has a ton of great videos. His book recommendations are always fantastic!
Here is a great list of potential book club books for upper elementary/middle-grade students (ages 10-12).
In this video, a group of boys discuss Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
These three book clubs do an excellent job of modeling collaborative discussion. Shout out to Shawna Hackstock for filming some excellent examples to show!
I’m aware that in most book clubs, the majority of the reading is completed outside of the group. Readers come together after having read the selected chapters to discuss and connect with each other. Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee that students will read at home in preparation for their guilds. I plan to have students begin reading in class as a group, and then decide how much reading should be completed at home. I believe that many groups will choose to complete all of their reading in class, taking advantage of our scheduled independent reading times throughout the week. As much as I would prefer that students come to class prepared, I am more concerned that students are reading every day, whether at home or in school. If this round of Socratic Readers Guilds is successful, then I might amend those expectations for future novels.
The magic in the classroom requires some planning and some structure. Still, it's magic and the students decide where it goes. Love how this article ends.
Good luck!! My daughter (5th grade) is super excited about her classroom book club. I bet your kids will rock it this year :)