Congratulations! You’ve just joined a… Book Club!!

Overview of Book Clubs Book Clubs are like literature circles. The main point is that you have a chance to read a story and talk about what you read with others who are reading the same book. There are a number of roles of members of Book Clubs: Discussion Director Literary Luminary Vocabulary Enricher Connector Summarizer Illustrator Travel Tracer Investigator (extra credit)

Your responsibilities… Your responsibilities are: Read the assigned number of pages each week Complete assigned role sheets and have them ready to share during Book Clubs Participate in discussions actively and appropriately Complete periodic group assessment and self assessments when I give them to you

How you will be graded… Preparation – reading completed on time, role sheet completed thoughtfully, book in class during discussions (Fridays) Individual Participation – your contributions, and participation in group discussions Group Grades – how your group interacts as a whole, equal participation, support and respect Overall Effort - improvement on areas of weakness, active participation **There will be 4 discussions throughout these books. You will receive a grade on each role sheet and for each discussion. All role sheets will be graded, but only the top 3 discussion grades will count.

Things to remember… When you are in your Book Clubs, please keep the following in mind: If you disagree with someone, please be polite about it. Be respectful and supportive. Pay attention and listen courteously and effectively. Don’t dominate the discussion. Don’t sit back and not participate either. Use a 3-inch voice during discussion.

The Logistics… Today, we will choose the book you will read. Every Friday, your book club will have a discussion day. You will be required to have all your reading done AND completed a role sheet Each week, you will be graded on your participation AND how well your role sheet is completed. After the discussion, we will pick the roles for the following week and determine what pages should be read.

What Books Can I Choose? Each time, there will be 4 books to choose. There will be 2 blind votes One for your first choice One for your second choice You may NOT always get your first choice.

Bridge to Terabithia Jess Aarons wants to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade--he wants it so bad he can taste it. Then a tomboy named Leslie Burke moves into the farmhouse next door and changes his life forever. The two create a secret kingdom in the woods named Terabithia. Here they reign as king and queen, fighting off imaginary giants and the walking dead, sharing stories and dreams, and plotting against the schoolmates who tease them. Jess and Leslie find solace in the sanctuary of Terabithia until a tragedy strikes

Call it Courage Ever since his mother was killed in a hurricane, Mafatu, the son of the Great Chief of the people of Hikueru, an island in the southern Pacific ocean, has feared that Moana, the Sea God, would kill him, too. Tired of being called a coward and saddened by the shame he has brought his father, 12-year-old Mafatu decides to face and conquer Moana on his own.

The Sign of the Beaver The Sign of the Beaver tells the story of a 13-year-old boy named Matt and his father, who, as early settlers, together build a wooden cottage in Maine in 1768. However, Matt's father must head back to Quincy, Massachusetts to fetch Matt's mother, sister, and soon-to-be-born sibling who were all left behind. Matt's father promises to return in seven weeks and Matt is left alone with his father's old watch (a family heirloom) and a hunting rifle to guard the family's newly-built homestead and field crops. Unfortunately, Matt finds himself enduring many hardships for which he is unprepared.

Summer of the Swans Sara is the middle child, between mute Charlie and pretty Wanda. Their parents, one dead and one very absent, have tasked Aunt Willie with the care of the children and all seems fairly standard - a little bickering, a "you can't tell me what to do" argument, etc - until the day Sara takes Charlie to see the swans. Charlie finds the swans fascinating and soothing and doesn't want to leave, so when he looks out his window that night and sees something white moving, he is sure they have come to find him. Leaving the house in the darkness, Charlie becomes lost and Sara discovers things about herself, her brother and others in the hours after he is discovered missing.

Choosing a role… Get together with your group. You will have 5 minutes to make a decision. Each group MUST have: Discussion Director Literary Luminary Vocabulary Enricher You may only do a role once

What happens if… If you are unprepared for a discussion day: You must complete a behavior correction plan and have it signed by a parent You will not be allowed to participate in group discussion that day Your role sheet for the day you did not participate must be turned in within 1 week or it will earn no credit **Students who are consistently unprepared will receive further consequences