Sharing Summer Reading Establishes Community in the Classroom

Abstract

It's August 20, the day teachers at my independent school in suburban Maryland return from summer vacation. After socializing over coffee and bagels, we all disperse to set up our classrooms. I cover my bulletin boards with fresh paper but do not hang anything, and the tops of shelves are bare. Am I lazy? No. I intentionally leave space so that my eighth graders can put up displays of their summer reading. Beginning with the first day of school and continuing throughout the school year, I want students to be engaged in active (National Middle School Association [NMSA], 2010, para. 9), so I plan activities for everyone to get acquainted, interact productively, and for a wide audience, not just for me (Atwell, 1987, p. 265). My classes usually have only 15 students, and the assignments take one to five class periods. By using diverse approaches, such as writing, art, and computer technology, the activities draw upon students' individual learning styles (NMSA, 2010, para. 11) and enable everyone to be successful. Sharing summer reading Rising eighth graders are expected to finish at least five books during the summer. Before summer vacation, I distribute the following letter, which is also posted on the school's website. As you read, keep a list of the books you complete on a piece of paper. Include both titles and authors. As the end of the summer nears, let your creativity blossom and design an attractive way to inform everyone about the books (and authors) you read. The first couple of class periods are devoted to sharing. Suddenly the room transforms into a cheerful, vibrant, welcoming space. Some students bring in long lists displaying how much they read over the summer. Others design artistic and creative pieces (see photos). A girl who had read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares brought in a pair of denim pants with patches picturing the covers of books she read. This was placed on a bulletin board next to a colorful eight-scoop ice-cream cone with a title and author written on each scoop. One boy made a miniature bookcase. He reduced the sizes of book covers, which he found on the Internet, and made tiny, three-dimensional books to put in the bookcase. Another student folded paper into a fortune teller. When a classmate pointed to a number, he opened it to reveal a book title, author, and brief summary. It is often helpful for students to describe why they designed their presentations in a particular way. For example, last year a girl brought in a suitcase with stickers on the outside. Without her explanation, we might not have known that each decal identified the geographic setting of a book she read. When she opened the suitcase, she lifted out replicas of the books, each of which conveyed information about her summer journeys. To encourage discussion, students talk about one of their favorite books. Often, classmates ask follow-up questions, and others who read the same book share their thoughts and opinions. By the end of the period, everyone is acquainted with a large number of books, and students feel empowered because they have been in charge of the first day of class. There is no competition; rather, enthusiasm for reading is reinforced. As the year continues, students often consult their classmates for recommendations when selecting books. Creating reading databases Another way to publish information about literature is to have students set up a database with information about books they read over the summer. To do this, the computer teacher and I work with the seventh graders as an interdisciplinary team. First, she explains that a database is a collection of information organized for convenient access, generally in a computer. Next, she shows the students how to create a reading database, and acquaints them with terms such as field (division of data into parts) and record (a collection of the information in all the fields). …