Moving to Online Book Discussions

As part of my nightly routine, I lay in bed and inevitably begin thinking about what parts of my lesson weren’t working the way I wanted them to. I was noticing a pattern with my students. Year after year, they always start out well after my lessons leaving tracks of their thinking. Post-its flag the sides of their books and the once boring, dusty, novels become bright and colorful when littered with sticky notes. And then the books begin to fade. Little by little, they return to the old yellow pages left untouched.

After much pondering on how to liven up our book discussions, I decided to take the plunge to move from the paper-and-pencil Discussion Grid drill to an online book discussion using Google Classroom. I was hoping to find a way to keep my students engaged, while using the resources we already had. I also wanted to ensure my struggling writers could participate by allowing them to use the voice features.

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I planned to have my students use their already-prepared Discussion Grid to select a thinking track that they would post online. After they posted their first question, they could begin commenting on each other’s. To make sure everyone could participate, I’d borrow tablets from another classroom so that all students could be working on their iPads. Everything seemed to be coming together seamlessly.

The night before my big launch, however, I was troubled with thoughts of what it would be like the first day. I could envision me walking around like a mother duck, followed by a trail of 9-year old ducklings carrying iPads, each pleading for my help with their technical difficulties. I’d be running around like crazy and I could already feel my hair beginning to frizz. My intervention students would be abandoned, and I’d end up juggling a mess of problems. I debated abandoning my plan.

Instead, I decided to start small. The next morning, I rearranged my plans so that I could begin with one group and then carefully selected the bunch I thought could handle the technology the best. I explained the purpose of furthering our book discussions and they all excitedly agreed to be my guinea pig group. Together we created a list of expectations for their posts. I posted the assignment on Google Classroom, said a little prayer, and let them do their thing.

I sat and stared at the blank screen, waiting for the first post to pop up. I was nervous and excited at the same time. The rational part of me knew my kids could rock this and that I had nothing to worry about. However, I was panicking with questions. Were they going to do what they were supposed to do? What did I get myself into?  Within seconds, the first question appeared, “On page 27 in chapter 5 the text says: We’ll have some baby's before July and I'm thinking are they trying to overpopulated chickens”. Yes! I thought. She did it. She linked her thinking to the text, she’s using background knowledge, and it’s a real, genuine question! I was bursting with pride.

Whew. This was going to be great. The next few questions came rolling in, and then the responses started. This group was nailing it! All of the lessons culminated throughout the year to our main event, and it was much easier than I originally imagined. I began commenting on posts right away, reminding them of our non-negotiables and online expectations. But the content was surprisingly sophisticated. They were showing a higher level of thinking than I’d seen from them before.

The biggest reward was when one of my girls came to me after school, grabbed my hand and mumbled, “Thanks. I like doing this without dealing with the people and stuff.” I knew exactly what she meant. She was finally able to express herself without the anxiety of talking to others. The social aspect wasn’t her thing.

You might be wondering if your students will type things like this: “On chapter 4 page 23 I was wondering what do they mean Miss Eula says she played strip poker with Grandpa Garnet did she play it in a bar or Casino?” and they will. It will make you question your book choices, and your teaching, but don’t let it dismay you. Look for the silver lining: the text was linked and written with decent non-negotiables, no one in the last 5 years of reading Ruby Lavender has caught that line before, the responding students backed up their thinking with evidence and background knowledge, and based on the discussion that ensued-they have no clue what strip poker is!

Were there struggles along the way? Absolutely. Has it been worth it? Every second. My students are discussing daily and trying to trick our student teacher into more digital discussion time. They are commenting whenever they can and staying on topic. They are moving beyond superficial questions and onto more engaging discussion questions. And most importantly, the dingy paper books have returned to a beautiful rainbow of thinking tracks.

Teri Rucinsky