Literature discussion groups play an important role in a whole language classroom. They allow students to actively participate and gives them an opportunity to project their won views to others members of the class. The discussion groups that we participated in generated a lot of thoughtful participating, as well as providing new insights to the book that we may not have gotten on our own. The book, in particular, revealed a lot of the major issues that we have been discussing in the classroom as well.
By participating in our own literature discussion groups, we saw that they can be very helpful to students in a classroom. The discussion group that I participated in was very helpful in giving insight to the book. It benefited the whole group because, not only were each of us able to give our point of view, but we also got the feeling of being heard be a group of our peers. Since we controlled the discussion group, it was easier to formulate discussions and use our own ideas to analyze the book. These I think are the key elements of a constructive classroom.
If the teacher had given us a strict outline to follow, we probably would not have dug up very deep into the book. By giving the students specific things to look at and questions to answer, it limits their own critical thinking. Also, students probably wont go beyond what is asked of them. The literature discussion groups put an end to this limitation and allow the students to formulate their own path for discussion. The discussion group also helped us see the viewpoints of others. We were able to understand more clearly, the different ways in which people interpret the text.
Some of the people in the group read more into certain aspects of the book than I had. This opened my eyes and mind, to a point of the book that I had completely overlooked. These groups also showed how using literature discussion groups in the classroom would help the students develop into strong listeners. One of the major aspects of the discussion group is to be willing to hear what others have to say. In order to be able to discuss or respond to the other people of the group, you have to know what their views are. The only way to do this is to listen.
The book that our group discussed, The Friendship, showed some of the issues that were dealt with in the articles by Herbert Kohl and the interview article with Lisa Delpit. To begin with, the article The Politics of Childrens Literature by Herbert Kohl was clearly related to our book. On the article, Kohl demonstrated how the wording of particular events in history in childrens books can give the wrong idea to the students. Kohl stated that the stories need to be more in line with the truth(Kohl, 1994 p. 137). The book The Friendship distinctly demonstrates this type of thoughtful representation of the truth.
It portrayed the types of actions that were taken against African Americans during this time. Even though the actions may be horrifying to the students who read it, at least it is truthful. Also, by writing the story through the eyes of African American children, who lived during the 1930s, the author is allowing the students to relate to these actions on a more personal level. Through reading and discussion The Friendship, the students will be able to come away with a clear picture of what it was like to live during this time. The interview article with Lisa Delpit was also well connected with The Friendship .
In the Delpit article she states that one of the best ways to teach students to respect non-Standard English is to get a collection of childrens books written in various Englishs(Delpit, 1992 p. 140). The Friendship was written in the southern dialect of the 1930s, and is a perfect example of a book, which could teach the students about different English dialects. Since the book is written about a group of African American children in the south, it portrays the language that they would use to speak to each other in an informal environment. In fact, whites in the south also use the same language or dialect.
This would give students the opportunity to view this type of language and compare the difference and similarities with the edited English, which they are taught in school. Through participating in the literature discussion groups, we were also able to connect with the aspects of the balanced reading program. The first aspect of the reading that can be seen is the guided reading. When we first began our groups, no one had done any of the reading. The first thing that we did was discuss was on a more personal level, it was why we chose the book.
One of the main reasons that everyone chose the book was because we all read Role of Thunder. The next few times that we met we discussed the readings that we had decided to read on our own. In these discussions we dealt with the topics of the book according to our own experience, as well as things that we have heard from of the people. Once in a while we would reread certain passages out loud in order to emphasize our own feelings and interpretations. Another aspect of the balanced reading program that can be seen through the literature discussion groups is independent reading.
In independent reading students are able to choose their own books and are in charge of their own reading. In the literature discussion groups that we participated in, we were all allowed to decide which book we wanted to read and discuss. Then, once we were in the groups, we all decided what we would read by the next meeting, although the reading was done on our own. Before we would meet we would also have developed our own ideas about what we read. This way, we were working through the text on our own before getting the rest of the groups ideas.
The final aspect of the balanced reading program that is seen is shared reading. This wasnt seen as much, but was an important part of getting the discussion group started. The first time we met on our groups, we decided to start by reading a portion of the book out loud. After this, we really didnt do much shared reading. At the beginning it merely just helped to brake the ice and give us a starting point into the book. The literature discussion groups are a wonderful way to get students involved in their readings.
In my own classroom I will have a portion of the room devoted to a discussion group, where the students will be able to choose from a variety of books to discuss. Student and I can generate the roles for the discussion group and post them up in the discussion center, although the students will be free to go about their discussions as they please. In conclusion, I would really like to stress that literature discussion groups are a wonderful strategy to use in the classroom. They help the students get a really understanding of the books that they are reading, as well as, teach them how to listen and cooperate with others in their group.
