The Breakfast The Breakfast BookBook ClubClub

Negotiating the Borders Between Negotiating the Borders Between Adolescent and Adult LiteracyAdolescent and Adult Literacy

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Books, Bagels, and Becoming Adult Readers: Books, Bagels, and Becoming Adult Readers: Partners in Learning Create the Breakfast Book ClubPartners in Learning Create the Breakfast Book Club

NCTE Annual Convention, 2003NCTE Annual Convention, 2003

Background and RationaleAAs teachers of literature we sometimes wonder if our s teachers of literature we sometimes wonder if our

literary instruction, effective as it might be in the literary instruction, effective as it might be in the classroom, actually inspires our students to read for classroom, actually inspires our students to read for pleasure or if causes them to leave reading behind as pleasure or if causes them to leave reading behind as they leave our classrooms. While students may willingly they leave our classrooms. While students may willingly engage in school-sponsored, teacher-directed engage in school-sponsored, teacher-directed conversations about literature, there is speculation conversations about literature, there is speculation about the degree to which these discussions carry over about the degree to which these discussions carry over into adult literacy practices and life-long pleasure into adult literacy practices and life-long pleasure reading. reading.

Additionally, many students experience reading Additionally, many students experience reading as a painful and onerous task, one that seems to hold as a painful and onerous task, one that seems to hold little personal relevance. In other words, little personal relevance. In other words, they wouldn't they wouldn't read if they didn't have toread if they didn't have to. Such concerns resulted in the . Such concerns resulted in the conception of the Breakfast Book Club, an elective conception of the Breakfast Book Club, an elective context in which adolescents are offered their own context in which adolescents are offered their own books in exchange for participating in non-teacher books in exchange for participating in non-teacher directed conversations about literature.directed conversations about literature.

Who Are the Partners in the Who Are the Partners in the

Breakfast Book Club?Breakfast Book Club?Community Members

Students

Teachers

Librarians

Goals of the Breakfast Book ClubGoals of the Breakfast Book ClubEncourage adolescents to become lifetime pleasure readersRemediate the kind of traditional pedagogical practices that sometimes cause students to loathe rather than love literatureHelp adolescents negotiate the border between school- sponsored reading and adult reading in the hopes of increasing their out-of-school readingExpand our understanding of the gendered nature of literacy practices so that male and female adolescents, both urban and suburban, can become more engaged in readingUse contemporary literature to build bridges between urban and suburban adolescents by providing a site for discussion of issues of race, class, and culture

BBC Goals Reflect District, BBC Goals Reflect District, Curriculum, and Classroom Curriculum, and Classroom

GoalsGoalsDistrictDistrictMission "....create responsible lifelong learners”Mission "....create responsible lifelong learners”Search institute assets include reading for pleasure as one Search institute assets include reading for pleasure as one

subset for "Constructive use of time"subset for "Constructive use of time"

CurriculumCurriculumNew required selections in 6-12 are more engaging to New required selections in 6-12 are more engaging to

students, reflect greater diversity, and include more students, reflect greater diversity, and include more contemporary authorscontemporary authors

Close partnering with school librariansClose partnering with school librarians

ClassroomsClassrooms6-12 language arts include outside pleasure reading in part 6-12 language arts include outside pleasure reading in part

of each courseof each courseElementary classrooms some variation of SSRElementary classrooms some variation of SSR

In What Ways Is the Book In What Ways Is the Book ClubClub

NotNot about School ? about School ?

Text SelectionText Selection

The Breakfast Book Club in ActionThe Breakfast Book Club in Action

The Nature of Talk about The Nature of Talk about BooksBooks

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Gender DynamicsGender Dynamics

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2002-2003 2003-2004

Male Female

Membership by GenderMembership by Gender(no data for 01-02)(no data for 01-02)

A Tale of Two SchoolsA Tale of Two Schools

Student Response to the Student Response to the BBCBBC

“The books brought strangers together; we were united by a common text.”

“I was impressed by the level of thought and understanding of all the book readers. The ideas discussed were profound — I thought most people were only reading the book casually.”

“I was surprised how open people became about their lives when connected to books and how easy conversation was.”

“Books can really open our minds to different cultures and make us more receptive to our own environment too.”

“Books Rule!”

“I found it very interesting to hear what other people of my age and of a different background had to say about the book. People had

interesting input on how they would personally relate to the book. I didn’t relate a whole lot to the book so it added to my understanding

by hearing what these other people had to say.”

What We’ve LearnedWhat We’ve LearnedAboutAbout

ReadingReadingAboutAbout

StudentsStudentsAboutAbout

TeachingTeachingAbout

Literature

Major funding provided by the Edina Education Fund For handouts and a link to view this presentation, visit: http://www.edina.k12.mn.us/edinahigh/departments/media/index.htm#bbc