The complete sixth unit of Reading Workshop for the Secondary Classroom. Lessons, handouts, and activities provide you with everything you need to teach the unit. All lessons apply to any book your students may choose to read. All lessons are CCSS-aligned.

Unit 6: Book Crews—Coming Together Around Books

This unit is a little bit different than all the rest, but just as much fun. In order to make sure the unit runs smoothly, please read through the Responsibilities for the Teacher Prior to the Start of the Book Club carefully. We’re providing detailed instructions on book clubs, key elements for preparation, and helpful hints that will ensure your students’ experiences are consistent and that they’re set up for success.

Lesson Sequence

1. Rules of the Road—How to Establish Your Crew and Its Rules
2. Setting Sail—Setting Up Book Crews for Reading
3. Out of the Nest—Encouraging Students in Their First Book Discussion
4. Diving Deep—Analyzing Characters and Making Predictions
5. The Importance of Self-Reflection—Evaluating the Crews
6. Welcoming Problems—Analyzing Conflict in Book Crews
7. Tell Me More—Asking Open-Ended, Thought-Provoking Questions
8. Take a Breath—Making Room for Reflection and Revisiting Past Ideas
9. Reading Road Trip—Examining Changes and Developments in the Book
10. Represent!—Discovering Symbols and Motifs in Literature
11. Looking Back—Examining and Discussing Conflict Resolution
12. Pass It On—Final Thoughts and Reactions

©2019. Middle school, high school. Reproducible. PDF download, 84 pages. Adobe® Reader® required to view.

About the Author

Leslie Spurrier holds a bachelor's degree in English from Wake Forest University and a master's degree in Reading and Language Arts from Millersville University. She taught middle school English and reading for over seven years and lived to tell the tale. Her favorite literary character of all time is Anne Shirley, which made giving birth to a red-headed little girl all the more glorious. Leslie currently resides in Lititz, PA, with her husband and two children. When she's not voraciously devouring books of all sorts, she creates educational materials for her online business, Story Trekker, and desperately tries to keep her cat Shadow from scratching up her favorite chair.