What Are the Benefits of Student Book Clubs?

What did my 6th and 7th graders think of our book club experiment? This week I  surveyed the students on how it went and what they had learned. (See Student Book Clubs: Learning to Learn Together for more on the structure of the book clubs.) They overwhelmingly preferred this format of novel study over the whole group study of A Long Walk to Water that we did last term, and they could clearly articulate what they learned about literary analysis and about discussion skills. 

Bottom line: The experiment was a success, and I would definitely do it again!

Every student but 2 preferred getting to choose from a short list of novels and discussing it with a small group. The following selection of reasons are representative of all the answers given:

• Because you can choose the book that you want to read.
• Because the discussion is better when it’s a small group.
• Because it is easier to ask questions and say responses.
• Because we can think about the story more, and I think I can improve my English talking skill.  
• We can also learn and know the other groups’ novel.

Here are 4 other questions I asked, and a sampling of student answers:

(1) What reading skills or literature analysis skills did you grow in from taking notes on your own and discussing them with your group?

• Connecting things. Not just to yourself but to other books. Also connecting quotes to signposts.
• Being able to identify more foreshadowing in a book, and being able to extend or disagree on others’ ideas more with my own opinion.

• I became able to think of more detailed things in the book.

• I became able to notice signposts while reading.

• Questioning more of why a character wants or does this, and noticing “Memory Moments” has improved.

Note: “Signposts” refers to the 6 flags for significance in Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst. “Memory Moments” is one. These are excellent ways to give middle schoolers traction on finding patterns of meaning in literature. See this post for my review.  

(2) What role did you play in your group’s discussions? How did you help yourself and your neighbor learn?

• I contributed to the discussion by talking as much as I can. It helped because we were able to get more ideas from the responses to my ideas.
• I tried to understand others and see their point of view while also seeking to be understood, why I think certain things about a complication/character.
• I tried to start good discussions. And I also tried to get everyone participating.
• I usually led the conversation and I made X do his homework.
• I was the one who forgot the homework and I learned that you should do your homework.

(3) How did your group discussions change over the course of the unit?

• At the beginning of the unit we weren’t talking that much. We were just saying our discussion questions one by one. Later in the unit everyone was trying to be in the discussion.
• At the beginning of the unit: Almost no one extending/piggybacking. Dry conversations. Some people didn’t even try to join the conversation. Later in the unit: Lots of piggybacking/extending, and even respectfully disagreeing. Everyone joining the conversation! 
• At the beginning of the unit we were just talking about questions, and no extending and agreeing. Later in the unit we could talk about signposts like “Aha Moments” and we had deeper questions.
• At the beginning of the unit I was just reading the “reading journal” thing, but later in the unit I was ready for the book talk. 
• At the beginning of the unit we just said our summaries and didn’t really have good questions that would lead to a good discussion. Later in the unit we had good questions and also talked about the signposts.

(4) How did you grow in your discussion skills?

• I learned how to respectfully disagree with others’ opinions, with support for why I disagree.
• I learned to include other group members.
• Leading people to talk about their ideas.
• I learned to connect text to text, text to self, text to world.
• I became more thoughtful.
• Asking good questions, and adding on/connecting to others’ response.
• Actually talking.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous before I read the students' answers. Asking for student feedback always carries an element of risk. I wasn’t positive how they’d respond. But I'm glad I took the risk, both on the book club experiment and on the student feedback. Students were motivated to read and discuss, and they grew in their analysis and discussion skills. And that's a big piece of my vision for how ELA prepares students for college, career, and citizenship!

What about you? What experiments have you done recently? Did you ask for student feedback? If you did, what did you learn?