Hello,
I replied earlier to Martha but Nancy's reply got me to think about the
advantage of posting to the list. So here it comes:
This is my fifth year of running a middle school online book club,
Mustangs On Books. <http://www.asij.ac.jp/middle/lib/> (If you attended the
Exploratorium at the last AASL Conference in Kansas City you might have met
my colleague and tech guru Horace White who was there to show how the tech
side of it works.)
We read 4 or 5 books a year. I reserve the right to include one title from
a visiting author if we are having one that year. Otherwise, the kids
usually select the books from a ballot containing about 20 annotated
titles. I look at the circulation statistics to arrive at titles for the
ballot plus any hot new titles I think the students will like to discuss.
Write-is are fine, too. (Last year the students selected one of the
write-ins, The Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy.)
About 40 students (out of a grades 6--8 population of 370) may be members
in a given year. However, not all 40 students participate in each book's
discussion. Sometimes students just have too much going on. That's fine
with me. It gives others a chance.
Since we are a private school, we collect fines for overdue books. I use
some of the fine money for snacks, or pizza for this group. I also use fine
money to purchase a dozen or so paperback copies of the books to be
covered. (This fall we will start off the year with the new HP book; many
of our students will have read it this summer.)
I start the on-line discussion with a question and add questions for the
length of the discussion--about a month. IMHO, our successes occur when
students build on each others' comments about the books. Also, kids
certainly have enjoyed sharing lunch with our visiting authors--a special
treat for book club members who have participated in the discussion of the
visiting authors' books.
Best regards,
Martin Swist
mswist@asij.ac.jp
Middle School LMS
The American School In Japan
1-1-1 Nomizu, Chofu-shi, Tokyo, Japan
Forwarded Message:
> To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> From: Nancy Andersen <Andersen@OLCS-ERIE.COM>
> Subject: Re: MS: Book Club
> Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 10:13:34 -0400
> -----
> Greetings! I am replying to all rather than just Martha because I have
> responded to over a dozen LM_NETters through the years concerning book
> discussion groups. I decided it would be good to just get the message into
> the archives.
> I am looking forward to hosting my 15th year of book discussions with middle
> school students. I have both a seventh grade group and an eighth grade one.
> At the beginning of the year I survey students to see who is interested in
> a book group. Depending on the number and composition, I choose the first
> book. It is one that I have sufficient copies of. (Over the years I have
> amassed a collection of paperbacks just for these groups.) I post a note
> that the books are ready, and students sign out a copy. The books are not
> bar coded - each just has a large number in permanent marker, students sign
> name, book # and homeroom on loose leaf. On the designated discussion day,
> we meet for lunch in the library. Students bring lunch - preferably a
> brown bag, but they can buy a school lunch. I provide water and pop, and
> homemade cookies (the hook!) We talk about the book. In my younger days,
> the tables were decorated according to the book's theme or locale. Nowadays
> it a coup if the napkins tie in with the theme! <g> When all the books are
> returned, students may sign out the next book.
> My groups are loosely structured. A student can sign out only those books
> that interest her/him. We meet as often as I can fit it in... once every 4
> -6 weeks per group. Students come back from college and still comment on
> our group, and how they miss it.
> I hope this helps Martha, and anyone who is wondering about MS book
> discussion groups.
> (AN aside: my favorite group started in sixth grade because they wanted to
> know why only middle school had it. I gave the questioner a piece of paper
> and said to see if she could find any one else in 6th grade interested. She
> returned with 14 names and these students were with me for three years,
> including another 12 we picked up from their class in seventh grade.)
> Feel free to ask me specifics.
>
> Nancy A.
> Nancy Andersen
> K-8 Librarian
> Our Lady's Christian School
> 606 Lowell Avenue
> Erie, PA. 16505
> andersen@olcs-erie.com
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
--
The American School In Japan
http://www.asij.ac.jp/
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