Book Club Debates!

 In 5th grade we have been working in book clubs for the past few weeks and the kids have LOVED every second of it! We experience two book club units in 5th grade, and they are my absolute FAVORITE units! The kids started out by setting the expectations for their club and have been holding each other accountable for their reading and conversations about reading. 

Our biggest focus in this unit is thinking deeper about our books and understanding that the author deliberately chose each little detail for their stories. As readers, we need to be alert for these small details and look for patterns in our books. Using all of these details and patterns, we form our own ideas about the texts. Sometimes the kids develop similar ideas about their books, but sometimes they view things very differently too. It is so important for the kids to feel comfortable sharing their ideas, whether they are similar to their peers, or opposite. 

After creating a safe and welcoming environment, the kids are able to have these tough conversations. One way we are able to discuss our different ideas is by debating some important issues in our books. Today we held our first book club debate!

The kids first had to determine what issue in their story would be a good topic to debate. Many clubs knew RIGHT AWAY what they wanted to debate based on previous discussions they had as a book club! Some of the issues that the kids chose are: Was it right for Georgina to steal the dog? Should Jack go to the police? Was it right for Stanley to force Zero to dig his holes in exchange for teaching him how to read? 

These debates are SO POWERFUL because the kids, without even realizing it, are doing some very heavy thinking! They have to rank and sort their reasons and evidence so that their STRONGEST reason is first and is supported by the BEST piece of evidence. They are sorting and ranking information to best defend their position. Here are some of the notes that the kids took:

It is so important, especially in the world we are living in today, that these kids can understand the importance of disagreeing politely. This lesson aligned perfectly with our SEL skill this week: Open-mindedness. We also talked during that time about being the last to speak and the importance of listening, asking questions, and truly understanding other people's views before stating our own. These lessons, along with many others that we teach in 5th grade, are great practice for the real world!