How to Get Students Discussing Books—and Much More

Barry GilmoreLausanne

Collegiate School

Memphis, TN

Warm-up: Make a List

Books in which a younger character knows more (or thinks he or she knows more) than

older characters

Our List: Youth vs. Maturity

• Friendships

• Lovers

• Villains and heroes

• Orphans and adopted children

• Stories that include a journey

• Strong girls

• Outsiders

• Books narrated in first person

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• Combining

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Technology

• Online Forum

• Electronic

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Speaking Volumes: Discussion Methods

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• Surveys• Get off the

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• Combining

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• Online Forum

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• Students take the survey

• Class lines up from 10-50

• Discuss:

• What do the extremes represent?

• Which individual items were easiest/hardest to answer?

• What does this survey tell us about the class? About ourselves individually?

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• Shorten the point range

• Read one statement at a time

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The giant in “Jack and the Beanstalk” gets what he deserves.

Agree Not sure Don’t Agree

1 2 3If I were Lucy, I wouldn’t forgive Edmund so quickly.

Agree Not sure Don’t Agree

1 2 3

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Lines• Surveys

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• Combining

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• Sample statement:

Romeo is never truly in love with Juliet, but only with the idea of being in love.

• Students choose a side—agree/disagree

• Undecideds may stay in middle, but can’t speak

• Discuss by calling on alternating sides

• At the end, make those in the middle choose

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• Combining

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Lines

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• Fishbowl• Brainstorm

Big Paper

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• Combining

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• Online Forum

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Lines

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• Fishbowl• Brainstorm

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• Wall Posters

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• Combining

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• Online Forum

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Lines

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• Fishbowl• Brainstorm

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• Combining

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• Sample statements:

~Harry Potter is too selfish.

• Anyone can tap in after a participant has spoken once (and finished speaking)

• Only those in the middle may speak

• No one may re-enter the circle within 2 mins.

• Change statement as necessary

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• Combining

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Our List: Youth vs. Maturity

Lines• Surveys

• Get off the

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• Fishbowl

• Brainstorm

Big Paper

• Wall Posters

• Silent

Discussion

• Combining

Voices

Technology

• Online Forum

• Electronic

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Lines• Surveys

• Get off the

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• Silent

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• Combining

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Character is right

Character succeeds

Character is wrong

Character succeeds

Character is right

Character fails

Character is wrong

Character fails

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Truly in love

Get what they deserve

Truly in love

Don’t get what they deserve

Not truly in love

Get what they deserve

Not truly in love

Don’t get what they deserve

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Character is good

Gets what he deserves

Character is good

Doesn’t get what he deserves

Character is bad

Gets what he deserves

Character is bad

Doesn’t get what he deserves

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Lines

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• Combining

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Lines

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Brainstorming Two:Utopian/Dystopian Stories

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My perfect society would be…

The worst thing about the society in the story is…

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My perfect society would be…

The worst thing about the society in the story is…

Create your own utopia

State of the school/country/world

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My perfect society would be…

The worst thing about the society in the story is…

Create your own utopia

State of the school/country/world

Strengths and weaknesses of characters

Aspects that are like/unlike our society

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My model using Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things: Both schools/classes read the novel Teachers post 15 AP-style essay prompts on forum Students log on and post at least 6 times (time limit: one week) Teachers assign completion grade for completing postings Students have a few days to read through all postings Teachers choose 3-4 of the prompts and give them on the same day as a timed AP essay (students choose 1 prompt from list

of 3-4) Students have the option of getting back online to discuss the essays they wrote, etc.

Replies Author Last Post

Travel 16 Gilmore Guest, April 7, 2005

Water Imagery 8 Gilmore Guest, April 7, 2005

Parents and Siblings 4 Gilmore Guest, April 7, 2005

Politics 21 Gilmore Guest, April 7, 2005

Language and Style 17 Gilmore Guest, April 7, 2005

Humor 19 Gilmore Guest, April 7, 2005

The Symbolism of Names 26 Gilmore Guest, April 7, 2005

Alienated Characters 23 Gilmore Guest, April 7, 2005

Belief Systems 9 Gilmore Guest, April 7, 2005

Lines

• Surveys

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• Fishbowl

• Brainstorm

Big Paper

Technology

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Lines

• Surveys

• Get off the

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• Grid

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• Fishbowl

• Brainstorm

Big Paper

Technology

• Online Forum

• Electronic

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Lines

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Technology• Online Forum

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1.Groups – choose a topic• Safe and unsafe places

• Reactions of townspeople

• Characters who change their minds

• Important words

• Imitation

2. List of quotations

3. The Electronic Conversation

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Allison: but, the time was not come yet; and every time that wind blew over france shook the rags of the scarecrows in vein, for the birds fine of song and feather, took no worning. book 1, ch 5Jenny: ok…what does that mean?Caitlin: the scarecrows are the aristocracyLucy: once again the birds are dirtyCaitlin: i thinkJenny: wait a seecLucy: no,no,the wind is the scary mean people and the scarccrow are the porr people fighting the revolutionAllison: yeah lucy that’s what I was sayinLucy: and rthe poor are scarred away until the revolution comesJenny: I think that there were so many times the thwe revolution could have occurred that (wind in vien) that when it actually cam the rich had no idea it was coming

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1.Groups – choose a topic

2. List of quotations/scenes

3. The Electronic Conversation

4. My response

5. Group Summary

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Although the barbaric human is often mentioned, we feel that the most important thematic issue within animal imagery is how the poor people are referred to as dogs and pigs. But social class differences are also illustrated symbolically by other images, such as the description of the ragged scarecrows (symbolizing the poor), while birds symbolize

the upper class.

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1.Groups – choose a topic

2. List of quotations

3. The Electronic Conversation

4. My response

5. Group Summary

6. Formal Writing (Individual)

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In addition to the obvious use of imagery as a way of categorizing social groups, Dickens uses such symbolic language to foreshadow the coming revolution. In portraying the broken wine cask early in the book, he offers a general statement of “warning” for the reader that is wholly missed by the aristocracy, who, like “birds fine of song and feather,” go about their usual business heedless of the coming turmoil.

Lines

• Surveys

• Get off the

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• Grid

Circles

• Fishbowl

• Brainstorm

Big Paper

• Wall Posters

• Silent

Discussion

• Combining

Voices

Technology

• Online Forum

• Electronic

Discussion

Speaking Volumes

Barry Gilmorewww.barrygilmore.com

bgilmore@lausanneschool.com