More than three‑quarters of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education.
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The Book Club unit is designed to engage students by giving them options to choose from in both the selection of their text and in their final assessment as a demonstration of their understanding. It is critical that there is no prescribed reading level (no “this text is too easy for you” or “this text is too challenging for you”). The element of choice is essential for authentic engagement and enjoyment. Self-selection also creates a pride of ownership and accountability to their small group (since the other groups will be reading other texts). Wouldn’t it be incredible to give students the GIFT of reading a book they could really get into and want to read more?
To improve student ownership and freedom, students must be able to take the text home with them and read it between class sessions. The teacher will pre-select a menu of 5-6 titles based on what is available in the Book Room and/or the school or local library. Options should have similar themes of grappling with identity and relationships with others and with the world, the narrator’s formation of self.
Students must see both mirrors and windows in their options of books: mirrors provide an opportunity for representation (they see themselves somehow in the text) while windows give students an opportunity to explore others’ experiences that they may be unfamiliar with yet. This is an opportunity to visit other households, other time periods, other cultures, and see how we relate. We will examine the texts through various literary analysis lenses -- historical, gender studies, critical race theory, psychological, to name a few -- knowing that each title offers something different to its readers.
About my class
The Book Club unit is designed to engage students by giving them options to choose from in both the selection of their text and in their final assessment as a demonstration of their understanding. It is critical that there is no prescribed reading level (no “this text is too easy for you” or “this text is too challenging for you”). The element of choice is essential for authentic engagement and enjoyment. Self-selection also creates a pride of ownership and accountability to their small group (since the other groups will be reading other texts). Wouldn’t it be incredible to give students the GIFT of reading a book they could really get into and want to read more?
To improve student ownership and freedom, students must be able to take the text home with them and read it between class sessions. The teacher will pre-select a menu of 5-6 titles based on what is available in the Book Room and/or the school or local library. Options should have similar themes of grappling with identity and relationships with others and with the world, the narrator’s formation of self.
Students must see both mirrors and windows in their options of books: mirrors provide an opportunity for representation (they see themselves somehow in the text) while windows give students an opportunity to explore others’ experiences that they may be unfamiliar with yet. This is an opportunity to visit other households, other time periods, other cultures, and see how we relate. We will examine the texts through various literary analysis lenses -- historical, gender studies, critical race theory, psychological, to name a few -- knowing that each title offers something different to its readers.