Be honest. Sometimes book clubs are less about the book and more about the charcuterie board. And that’s ok. Cured meats and aged cheese might offer more to chew on than The Silent Patient.
That’s not the case, though, with the American Literature Book Clubs that EGRHS English teacher Kelsey Curley created with a grant from the Foundation.
“The addition of this book club unit has a strong direct connection to all three of our building goals: 1) foster student collaboration and critical thinking, 2) promote inclusion, resilience, and positive relationships, and 3) develop independence,” Curley wrote in her grant application. “The current curriculum structure primarily utilizes whole class works. There are few opportunities to develop collaborative skills with traditional whole-class novel studies. Adding book clubs would provide “regular opportunities for student discourse, peer feedback, and self-reflection” as stated verbatim in our building goals priority statement. Book clubs promote many opportunities for inclusion and the development of positive relationships while providing the possibility of making new peer connections. Book clubs also connect to our third building goal — college and career readiness — by providing students with numerous experiences to develop independence.”
Students get to choose which books they want to read and discuss with their classmates. Choices include The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and other works by well known and respected authors. Curley consulted with her English department colleagues to come up with the list.
Curley’s grant includes 122 books that represent 12 titles. The total? $1,425.60. That’s less than you’d pay for a single leg of Jamón Ibérico de Bellota for your book club’s charcuterie board.
