Book Club for Middle School

by Taffy E. Raphael, Marcella Kehus, Karen Damphousse

Employing a delicate blend of theory and practical advice, this book shows how to engage adolescent learners with literature and help them assume increased responsibility for their own learning. Quality literature forms the foundation of the program. Students receive strategy instruction, write in response to the literature, and learn to participate in meaningful peer discussions. Carefully modeled on classroom research, the program provides specific examples and detailed lesson plans. Produced by Small Planet Communications

208 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2001

Reviews

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Club for Middle School provides information for educators trying to plan a book club unit. It provides information about ways to assess students during writing and discussion. Teachers get to see examples of ways to organize a book club with the book The Giver by Lois Lowry.
This book is really helpful for individuals beginning to incorporate book clubs into their classroom. The book provides information about theory and the components.
There are some blackline masters that may be helpful for teachers. What I found somewhat frustrating with the blackline masters is that they were not written in student friendly wording. You could use them as a skeleton or framework, but you would need to adapt them to meet the needs of your classroom.
I also found it frustrating that Raphael didn't have ways to provide information to students about the roles in book clubs other than a quick one page master that listed the roles. Teachers would have to look elsewhere to find ways to help their students define the roles in book clubs.