The Book Club 2008-2009
We got lots of sign ups at the annual club fair. Students were eager to join the book club and to share their passion for reading and their insights about books. The first book of the year was Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Following this title, the club decided to try some lighter reading and selected The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan. The members enjoyed the book and felt it was a great break from rigorous reading demanded in their classes. Many were excited to recommend the book to younger siblings or neighbors.
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffry Eugenides sparked lively conversation. The book got two thumbs up from all members.
The current selection for the O'Dowd Book Club is Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramargo.
Book Club selection for the month of February are Coal Black Horse, Nightbirds of Nantucket, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Equus. Ballots are available in the library by the Book Club Display.
Candy by Kevin Brooks gave Book Club members a chance to apply literary analysis to Young Adult genre. Lead by senior members Chris Johnson and Sara Fong, the Book Club members raced to set up character foils and develop supports for themes in the book. There was much hilarity as members discussed the "over the top" moments sometimes found in YA literature, but overall the group agreed Candy had its sweet moments.
Members suggested Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Candy, Glass Castles for the January selection. Students voted for Candy by Kevin Brooks.
The first meeting discussed My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult. Discussion ranged from moral issues of the book to the portrayal of family relationships in stressful times. Most members loved the book while some argued that the twist at the end ruined the book for them by destroying any plausibility. The discussion got rather heated, but stayed on topic.
Collaboration with Religion Department
Lina is a great partner. She's eager to try new things and she appreciates having a partner when it comes to implementing technology into her curriculum. Together we came up with a mini research project for her Feminism and Christianity class. Lina was interested in having her students study the way women saints brought change to the Church of their day. She was also interested in having the students look at women leaders today. We thought it would be interesting to compare both historical context and messages of women leaders (saints) of the past and of today.
We did a general research lesson and we created a matrix for students to complete with their research. After groups compared their research, they came up with thesis statements comparing the women leaders from two times. In addition to the thesis statements, the students made PowerPoint presentations incorporating their research. The students spent one day in the library and I visited their classroom another class period to answer research questions and another period to see the final presentations.
We did a general research lesson and we created a matrix for students to complete with their research. After groups compared their research, they came up with thesis statements comparing the women leaders from two times. In addition to the thesis statements, the students made PowerPoint presentations incorporating their research. The students spent one day in the library and I visited their classroom another class period to answer research questions and another period to see the final presentations.
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