I have noticed in Book Club Plus, they emphasize standards and benchmarks in their classroom goals. Unfortunately, my classroom lists rules with no explanation. For example, I have seen in classrooms teachers have a poster of what a good listener looks/acts like, or what a good speaker looks/acts like. These posters emphasize what and why. In my classroom none of this is displayed, instead the list of generic rules in the classroom is expected to be enough. When it comes to communication, the rule is “Raise your hand before you talk.” No elaboration or any more talk about communication roles.
For literacy to take place in my classroom, students read on their own from a book they self choose from our classroom library. There is no system to their selections, nor is there really an objective to their reading. In Chapter 7 of Book Club, they list ideas of what expectations are, they give examples, and even ideas for introducing students to Book Club activities. It is unfortunate that my classroom has not made this an important part of their school days. I feel that book club activities can be effective, but students need to be taught expectations for it to work.
The discussions throughout the class have all been teacher led. I can not recall one discussion where students were asked to speak to other students, or where the lesson being taught was taught in a way that demanded students to have an effective classroom conversation.
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