News from the 5/6 classrooms

Has your child ever mentioned their 'Book Club' novel?

As part of our school balanced approach to reading our students are exposed to two main foci within the program: independent novel reading (a 'good fit' book of their own choice), and Book Club, where students are assigned a group text by their classroom teacher.

Book Club novels are used to analyse the structure and content in the books and literary elements found in a variety of genres of text. This is done in a small group setting on a weekly basis with students analysing a set text in small groups of around five. The pre-reading of the required amount of their novel is completed in the week leading up to the Book Club lesson.

In Book Club:

Children are given texts according to their abilities and interests

Reading groups are based on reading abilities and continuum of learning

Emphasis is on understanding of texts

Revisiting texts is encouraged

How does this lesson run?

Our teachers will facilitate an opportunity for each group to have a teacher directed, student led, discussion focusing upon various aspects of the text covered during the week. Students are encouraged to revisit the text to confirm their ideas and to reference direct quotes to support their thinking. Whilst the groups rotate through their discussions all other groups are tasked to work independently on a taask from their 'novel studies grid', in essence this is a selection of different activities that allow the students to provide commentary and thoughts through a variety of mediums on their current novel. These actvities are curriculum linked and are first modelled by your child's teacher in order that success criteria can be established.

This is a highly engaging and popular part of our reading program and offers all students a strong platform to develop this part of their abilities in relation to the English Curriculum.