English books in the classroom

You will not find very many (if any) English books here on my blog that have classroom experiences and suggestions in their posts. The reason for this is simple, in English I like to let the students choose their own books. This blog is in part to help them do that, so that I instead of telling 12 individual students about my favorite books 12 times, can refer them here and let them browse. It may, if I am lucky, reduce the number of students asking to something like 11, or perhaps 9. Tough to say :)

Of course I do not just send them into big scary Reading Alone-land after choosing their book. If you would like to read more about the reading project that my students say they enjoy, and I absolutely love, read after the jump.

The result of this project is:

• An oral presentation with a grade
• A written report with a grade
• Lots of learning, and fun with books on the way there

I start out by telling them about levels of achievement for reading different kinds of books - novels for (young) adults if they are aspireing for a good grade, reading a childrens novel or a book that they have read in Norwegian earlier if they are struggling with the language and so on. Then I go on to approve and register their choices, and group them by books and students into groups I think will work well together and enjoy each others' books.

Then we are on! They are given a schedule over a few weeks. Each week we do a book related task in class, in their groups. Here are the ones I have used, please share in the comments if you have more good ideas!

• Work with words: choose 5 difficult words from each person's book, and make a poster explaining the group's words. Illustrate. Hang in classroom.
• Work with words: choose 5 difficult words from your book, find out what they mean and use them in a sentence, learn the words of the entire group, and make your own glossary test! Next week, everyone tests the other group members on their words.
• Practice presentations: each member of the group gives their presentation of their book to the rest of the group. The group gives feedback.
• Making a card presenting your book: Each student is given a small pice of paper, a size that fits into small laminating pocket. They are to draw an illustration, write a few words about the book, and suggest who it can be recommended for. Laminate. So! Much! Fun!

Then the real thing: presenting and giving feedback. Group by group they come with me to present. When a student presents, everyone has to choose one thing they like about the presentation and tell the presenter. Each group member gives feedback on the same form I use, and hand it in - that way they help set the grade. (surprisingly often they agree with me :))

A written report on the work (how they worked, how the group worked, what was useful and less useful, what they would have done differently if they could - that kind of things) is to be handed in a week after their presentation is finished.

The students who are not presenting, work with grammar tasks that I introduce before I leave to listen to presentations, and they are tested when we are finished.