A Symphony of Talk

I am participating in #SOL19. Thanks to the the twowritingteachersblog team for sponsoring this wonderful evemt.

Talk is an important part of every classroom. Here are some ideas on how to have a “grand” conversation!

Sit pretzel style in a circle.    

Pens down & notebooks open!

Read notes to prepare for the conversation.

Speak only when no one else is talking.

Allow those who haven’t shared to speak first.

Eyes on the speaker!

 End your thinking with a question that invites reply: 

• Can anyone say more?
• Can anyone give another example?
• Can someone talk back or add to my idea?
• Does anyone agree with me?
• Does anyone disagree with me?
• Are there other ideas about this idea?
• Does anyone have an “ah ha!” based on the talk?
• Does anyone have a strong feeling about the idea?

Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About!

Start an after-school book club!

A fall/winter/spring (choose a season) book club for families will highlight some great reads – fiction and nonfiction – for students in grades 3, 4, and 5. (Decide which grade levels to include). The purpose of our group will be to:

*enjoy reading together,
*learn new ways to enjoy reading with our families
*learn some new strategies for book talks and for building a love of words,
*and have a lot of fun!

Here’s how our Book Club could work:

• Parent/Child Partners will choose a “Just Right” book for reading together (Write a grant to be able to buy enough books and a reading response notebook!)
• Families will meet on the dates listed on the response form (Choose a day of the week and time – probably after the dinner hour.)
• At weekly meetings, parents and their children will learn about ways to explore books together and enjoy sharing ideas with others.
• Everyone will receive a reading response journal for use during book club.
• Each student many choose one book to take home at the end of book club.

Some requirements you may send home in a note to parents and students:

New this fall!  We are starting a book club for parents and their children to talk about books. We supply the books – fiction, nonfiction, poetry – lots of choices!  If you are interested in joining our Book Club, you must be willing to:

• Read portions of the book you select at home in preparation for each session.
• Discuss the book with others.
• Have a positive attitude.
• Make a commitment to spending 6 evenings with your literature circle group.

Here is an example of the response form to get your book club started:

Announcing the Fall Book Club

We can only include a limited number of families in this session. If you are interested, please fill out the information of the flip side of this form and return it to your child’s classroom teacher by Wednesday, Oct. 1st.  We will accept families on a first come basis.

 When:  Wednesday Evenings,  October 8, 15, 29 and Nov 5, 12, 19

Time:  7:00 to 8:00 PM

Place:  Our School Library

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RESPONSE FORM

We are interested in joining the School Book Club this fall.  (Brothers and sisters may attend if they are able to read.)

Name of Student(s):

Grade level:

Parent’s Name  __________________________________

Telephone Number _______________________________

Email

___________________________________