This week the ASPIRE 5 scholars began their Revolutionary War book club. We presented the students with 12 books to choose from. Most of the books were historical fiction, and they all centered around the events of the Revolution. The scholars formed groups of 2-5, and set goals for three meeting dates spanning two weeks. Goals included pages to be read and the disciplinarian they would take on for each meeting. Disciplinarian roles included philosopher, linguist, sociologist, historian, and psychologist. (Think Like a Disciplinarian by David Chung) For each meeting, students were required to complete two products. First, students were required to organize their notes for their role in a thinking map or other graphic organizer that utilized the suggested Thinking Hats and Depth and Complexity Icons. They were also responsible for a group discussion product of their choice to reflect the various thoughts and opinions of their peers. (TLAD)
We believe this was a successful activity for several reasons. First, it is allowing us to continue our integration of Language Arts and Social Studies under the Humanities umbrella. Not only are the students making connections, but the time we save allows us to explore historical issues in more depth than if we had a separate Social Studies time. Next, the collaborative nature of the book club allows the scholars to consider perspectives and opinions they may not have thought about on their own. Playing a different role each meeting trains them to examine what they have read with multiple purposes and apply it to a variety of products and tasks based on the work of David Chung and others. The students appreciated the choice of books that was available, and they enjoyed the selection process of previewing and ranking their interest level. (Sometimes you HAVE to judge a book by its cover!) In addition, most of the books are based on the perspective of a child. Reading about the Revolution through the eyes of someone close to their age gives them a unique look at the events that shaped our country that a textbook can provide. Overall, we are very happy with the progress of the ASPIRE 5 book clubs, and we can not wait to see what the second week brings!
