Cathy Collins is the library media specialist at Sharon High School
“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author.” - Rudine Sims Bishop
In efforts to build community, a “Community Reads” program was planned at Sharon High School in which all staff and students read and discussed On the Come Up, by Angie Thomas. Our Community Reads Committee, spearheaded by ELA Coordinator Rebecca Smoler, met several times to come up with discussion “norms,” plan logistics and a format for the school wide discussions, as well as to create strategies and question prompts for staff around the book talk.
Since community building was a primary goal, we brought staff together at the beginning of the school year to meet with their assigned partner, get to know each other and look over the materials. In preparation for the staff meeting, participants were asked to select quotes that resonated with them. At the meeting, after a brief meet and greet, staff members were placed in small groups. They reviewed the norms, and were given the opportunity to add and/or edit them. Next, they were encouraged to share their chosen quote and why they marked it, or to tell the group what they were thinking about after finishing the book. They were also given the option to pass, in order to ensure that everyone felt comfortable. In anticipation of the student book talk, we then processed as a group how the talk felt along with coming up with strategies for addressing uncomfortable topics.
Clint Smith’s The Danger of Silence was shared with both staff and students as a prompt for deeper reflection on how the characters in On the Come Up use or don’t use their voices in the book.
The 20-30 minute student book talk involved a round robin approach to send the message that everyone’s voice matters. Facilitators were provided with a list of questions/prompts to generate rich conversation. Once everyone had a chance to speak, students were invited to respond to some of the comments they heard, ask questions, or share other observations. Students reviewed book talk expectations for participating in their ELA classes in order to help them prepare to share their opinions and ideas. Likewise, possible responses to challenging questions were provided to all staff facilitators prior to the book talks to help them prepare and feel more comfortable.
As a follow up to the book talks, further student/staff meeting dates were set up for processing and reflection, and to provide further discussion on topics specific to the book’s themes such as “community and identity.” Clint Smith was scheduled to visit as a guest speaker both during the school day and in the evening so that all members of the school community had the opportunity to hear him. His award winning poetry collection, Counting Descent, was made available for purchase in the library to further expand and complement our “Community Reads” experience.
Clint Smith’s The Danger of Silence was shared with both staff and students as a prompt for deeper reflection on how the characters in On the Come Up use or don’t use their voices in the book.
The 20-30 minute student book talk involved a round robin approach to send the message that everyone’s voice matters. Facilitators were provided with a list of questions/prompts to generate rich conversation. Once everyone had a chance to speak, students were invited to respond to some of the comments they heard, ask questions, or share other observations. Students reviewed book talk expectations for participating in their ELA classes in order to help them prepare to share their opinions and ideas. Likewise, possible responses to challenging questions were provided to all staff facilitators prior to the book talks to help them prepare and feel more comfortable.
As a follow up to the book talks, further student/staff meeting dates were set up for processing and reflection, and to provide further discussion on topics specific to the book’s themes such as “community and identity.” Clint Smith was scheduled to visit as a guest speaker both during the school day and in the evening so that all members of the school community had the opportunity to hear him. His award winning poetry collection, Counting Descent, was made available for purchase in the library to further expand and complement our “Community Reads” experience.
