1.30.08: "Human v. Nature" Book Groups - Book Group Meeting #1

Title: Human/Nature Book Groups #1

Author: M. Hill

Subject: ELA

Grade: 6 

Week:

Unit/Lesson Plan #:

Unit theme: Adaptation to the Environment, Composition of a Story

Textbook references: Dogsong by Gary Paulsen; Hatchet by Gary Paulsen; Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George; My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Learning objectives:

- To understand the function and setup of book groups;

- To create guidelines for how to work as a book group (collaborative rule making)

- To analyze how to read a text, and how to structure reading as a team 

Key Questions, Concepts, or Themes:

- Why is reading as a small group useful? 

- How should a book group function as a team?

Stage 1:  As a class, we will discuss why sharing a book as a small "book group" is useful.  Students will have the opportunity to work closely as a group in order to share and analyze a text together, with the idea that having peers with whom to discuss a book as you read is a useful practice.  In addition, students will gain practice in working as a team.  While there are small projects invovled in the book group project, the actual practice of being responsible to a small group for a simple task (reading and talking!) helps students to figure out how a team best works together. 

We will discuss what  some good ideas might be for how to start a book group.  Creating rules will be the idea that is focused on here, and we will brainstorm (as a class) why creating a set of group guidelines is a good idea.  As a group, we will brainstorm ideas for what sorts of "guidelines" might be included.

Stage 2: Students will be assigned their book groups, and will be given a chance to move to their groups.  Each group will be given a book group guidelines sheet (see attached), and will begin to make their own group's guidelines.  It is important to remind students that each group can have different guidelines!

Once guidelines are done, students will bring their guidelines for approval (I make sure that students have covered all bases - i.e., what to do if a group member is absent; how to decide who begins discussion each day; etc.), students will be given their books. 

Stage 3: Once students have their books, they will create a draft "schedule" of their reading, thinking about how best to break up the book onto a given book schedule (best to give students an actual calendar schedule so they can see how much time, weekend/weekday, etc. exists between meetings).  They will also decide how many reading notes should be made per chapter or section of text.

Book groups will be finished by students sharing their ideas for what item they would bring if they had to survive in the wilderness alone - an introductory "discussion" topic that is slightly less student-structured than book group! 

Homework: Book group reading for Friday!

Assessments: (attach/link copies)

_x_ Group assessment

_x_ Observation of process/student work

_x_ Self-assessment by student

__ Teacher generated assignment

__ Written project

__ Test/Quiz

__ Other: ____________________________________