The basic idea is that we have groups of about ten kids, we meet every second week (or so, with a little scheduling mess around Thanksgiving and Christmas), and generally each book gets two meetings. Then January and February we do Shakespeare (last year Macbeth, this year Twelfth Night) meeting every week and just wallowing in the language and imagery, acting out bits and watching a scene or two on DVD. I'll make a whole new post for that -- it needs its own to really do it justice. And then just before our heads explode we wrap up the Shakespeare project and go back to a book a month until the end of May. We have enough kids in a wide enough age range that we've split into two groups, which did some joint meetings (although it generally went much better to keep it to ten). Last year's books were:
Younger group (8-10 or so)
- The Wheel on the School
- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
- A Christmas Carol (with the older group)
- A Wrinkle in Time
- The Once and Future King (only through the Sword in the Stone)
Older group (10-12 or so)
- Hound of the Baskervilles
- Shadow Spinner
- A Christmas Carol (with the younger group)
- Ender's Game
- The Once and Future King
Younger group
- The Little Prince
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
- The Hobbit (three meetings instead of two)
- The Pushcart Wars
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
- Bud, Not Buddy
Older group
- When My Name Was Keoko
- Red Scarf Girl
- Flatland (just one meeting)
- Animal Farm
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Tuck Everlasting
- Rocket Boys
The way I like to approach book discussions is from the perspective that no matter what aspect of the book you discuss, it will get back to the main themes. So to start with, I generally pick something that resonates with me -- maybe a pattern of satire (my favorite!) or a character or set of characters, or just something that comes up. Last year we had a great discussion of Tom Sawyer that started with the number of animals (and particularly, the number of dead animals) that figure into the plot... which led back to the huge number of superstitions that the children subscribed to, which itself led back to the relative unimportance of the grownups to the story... which is a great big part of what the book is about.
No matter what you start with, you'll eventually come around to the major points whether you mean to or not. We've chosen some truly excellent books, and they just don't have random details -- the writing is purposeful and full of meaning and subtlety, and every little bit of it matters in some way. So accordingly, any little bit of it will make a good starting place that eventually leads back to the theme. It also means that you don't have to go with a starting place that you choose as a discussion leader -- if you're pretty comfortable with the book (and that can be aided beforehand by study guides if you're nervous about missing something), just start off letting the kids share their favorite parts, or parts they had questions about. I like to keep a running list on a whiteboard or flip chart, and once everyone has had a chance to share something you'll likely see groups of things that can be addressed together, and every bit of it important.
The two things that I think I really like the kids to know when they leave a discussion is that a) every little thing in the book is there on purpose and should be savored, and b) each person in the discussion will have a slightly different take on things, and considering other perspectives can add a great deal to your own (and related to that point, that your own perspective may change while still being true to the intent of the author). As long as we require respectful discussion among the kids, the particular content and direction of that discussion can unfold however it will.
Literary elements (the "official" ones) will come up as they apply to the discussion already -- sometimes they're good for clarifying something we all "felt" but couldn't necessarily explain, and sometimes they're just worthwhile vocabulary so we all understand what we're talking about. I don't generally bring up anything that doesn't bring itself up, but sometimes that shared vocabulary and clarification can add a great deal to our understanding. Going back to Tom Sawyer, we drew more plot curves for that one book than I have done in the rest of my life combined. It really had that many subplots, and enumerating them was a worthwhile exercise! Another story might really get into discussions of conflict, or setting, or allegory, or dialogue. I'll be leading the Little Prince next month and there's no way out of that book without bringing up satire. (yay!)
So immerse yourself in the book, let your initial directions to the kids be a little vague, and then be prepared to follow the kids' lead. It always goes somewhere interesting!
One thing I should add to this, too.... The same goes for writing. The way I lead a discussion is the same way I assign an essay. If you pick one favorite thing that matters to you and that really stuck in your head, you can write all about that one thing and bring it back to the major themes. I hate (HATE) the standard book report format of "This book is about ___" and would do anything to avoid it. But if you write about any one aspect of a well-written book, it will bring you right back to what the book is about without your ever having to be explicit about it. And if there's one thing I want to teach through all of this literature and discussion and writing, is that it's not the laying-bare of good points that makes it great. What makes it all great is the subtlety and artistry of making every word count. I would hate to spoil it with a bland and bare book report at the end!
