RRVWP Professional Book Club

At the end of the summer institute, teaching fellows become teacher consultants (TCs) and we brainstorm ways to keep the wonderful discussion and learning going. The Red River Valley Writing Project's Professional Book Club is just one way to keep up the momentum.

Perks of the professional study group include being able to suggest books that are of professional interest to you and your colleagues, a book that is yours to keep (as long as you read it and join the group discussion), taking part in a discussion about teaching that is professional in nature, and, as always, there seems to be plenty of food.

How does it work?!?!
Each month, TCs choose a professional book related to reading or writing, pick a date and place for the meeting, read the book, and finally, discuss it with other TCs. Members of the book club opt in or out of the book club each month based on individual interest in the book's subject and/or time committment. Throughout most of the 2006-07 school year we've met on Sunday afternoons in the conference room at Barnes and Noble.

A sampling of what we've read (Listed in no particular order)
Reading Don't Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men by Michael Smith & Jeffrey Wilhelm
Living and Teaching the Writing Workshop by Kristen Painter
Teaching with the Brain in Mind by Eric Jensen
7 Keys to Comprehension by Susan Zimmermann
When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do by Kylene Beers
Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content-Area Reading by Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman
Expletive Deleted: A Good Look at Bad Language by Ruth Wajnryb
Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Lives of Boys by Dan Kindlon & Michael Thompson