Junior Great Books
Junior Great Books programs involve students as partners in reading,
discussing, and writing about the essential questions raised by outstanding
works of literature. In all Great Books programs, the key to improving
students' reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing skills is a
research-based method of learning called Shared Inquiry. Shared Inquiry is
characterized by high-quality literature, a leader's consistent use of open-
ended questions, and a strong focus on interpretation.
In Junior Great Books, the teacher guides students through reading a story
carefully, asking questions about the story, taking notes about the ideas in
the story, and writing about some of the things we discussed. Junior Great
Books has been an active part of language arts programs in schools across the
country for about fifty years. The program fosters a love and appreciation
of literature, encouraging young learners to become lifelong readers. It
also closely aligns with our core language arts standards. It is one of only
a few reading programs endorsed by the Common Core and the Gates Foundation.
You can help your child excel with Junior Great books in three ways:
1. Spend time at home reading together, or have your child read out loud to
you. Your child can read aloud while you drive, make dinner, or shop for
groceries. If your child finds some words hard to read, encourage him or her
to try to figure them out and keep reading.
2. Ask your child to tell you about the story. Here are some questions you
can ask.:
*Can you tell me more about the story? And what happened then?
*Who is your favorite character? Why?
*What do you like about the story? What don't you like about the story?
*Does the story remind you of anything you've done or seen? Does it remind
you of another story you've heard or read?
3. Listen to and enjoy what your child has to tell you!
This week's story is "No Guitar Blues" by Gary Soto.
About the story:
Fausto wants to play guitar when he grows up. In the meantime, his parents
cannot afford to buy one for him, and he does not have any money. When he
sees a dog that seems to belong to rich people, Fausto finds its owners and
says he found the dog lost near the freeway. The dog's owners give him
twenty dollars, but not before he regrets lying to them. Fausto searches for
a way to alleviate his guilt.
Reading strategy: Asking questions
Common Core Standards addressed:
RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story from the details in the text, including
how characters respond to challenges. Summarize the text.
RL.5.1 Quote accurately from the text when explaining what the text says
explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RL.5.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.
Vocabulary:
hesitated
distracted
vacant
perpetual
deceitful
confession
fidgeted
reluctantly
lector
charity
guitarron
