Rules of civility amor towles, 2011 penguin group usa 352 pp. Setting group ground rules should be a group exercise. Then, explain the topic thats up for discussion and ask an. Then, just as everyone is quieting down for a time of reflection and prayer, it happens. Writing great rules for your facebook group facebook community. Of course, if you go into a group and announce, here are the small group rules. Our book for this month is amor towles novel rules of civility. As he is speaking, he is flipping the pages of the book, looking for a good passage. A place where all goodreads members can work together to improve the goodreads book catalog. New groups can benefit from having rules to set expectations of the group culture early. Writing great rules for your facebook group facebook. Preparing for discussion before leading the say it out loud youth discussion group, here are things you can do to prepare and to help ensure that it is a success. Think outside the book liven up the discussion by reading plays or literary magazines that feature essays, art and short stories.
Students vary the length of their book clubs depending on what their selfchosen topic of discussion is and figure out how their group works best in the process. For the demonstration, the group gathered chairs in a circle at the front of the room and began to talk. On the last night of 1937, twentyfiveyearold katey kontent is in a secondrate greenwich village jazz bar when tinker grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. A group discussion gd is a technique used by corporate companies, educational institutes, and other organizations to judge the communication skills of the participant. Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. If there is any business to discuss, such as picking books for future meetings, you may want to cover these points before the discussion starts in case people need to leave quickly at the end. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, katey embarks on a journey from a wall. Book club basics getting started before you start recruiting folks, take a moment to think about what you want out of a book group. Jul 26, 2011 this sophisticated and entertaining first novel presents the story of a young woman whose life is on the brink of transformation. Basic ground rules members who havent read the book come anyway. The big list of class discussion strategies cult of pedagogy. Ask students to set ground rules for interacting in book clubs.
Avoid assumptions about any member of the class or generalizations about social groups. When youre starting a digital book club, all the standard book club rules apply. The four rules for a good book club electric literature. How does the rest of the class know that he is well prepared. A book discussion group is a forum where readers can come together and talk about books and the reading experience. These ground rules are to be used throughout all subsequent class meetings. In fact, differing opinions make the best discussions. These groups can be organized in a variety of ways. All personal discussions and social small talk should be kept to the periods before and after the literary discussion. Have copies of the next book available for readers make sure the next book in the series is always available at the meeting preceding its discussion.
The gd process begins by the announcement of the topic to the group, which is usually followed by a preparation time of 3 to 5 minutes. Discipleship ministries ground rules for group discussion. Aug 08, 2019 many libraries provide meeting space for book clubs or administer one or more book discussion group. It builds the right momentum for the entire group and earns you the tag of a leader. There are adult groups, studentled groups, motherdaughter groups, fatherson groups, and parentchild groups, to name just a few. See this page for some further examples and considerations around the use of guidelines. Aug 21, 2017 ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. Keeping the group on the topic of the book try not to. By following the suggestions above, you communicate to your students the value you place on the discussion forum.
The panel does not interfere during the discussion, it. The inside group discussed live as i monitored for a grade, the 2 groups on the outside held a conversation online about the same question. How to do book clubs in the middle school classroom. This will cause the discussion thread to appear on the book s page and help. It is important that students agree on the ground rules before discussion begins.
Then, explain the topic thats up for discussion and ask an openended question to begin the conversation. There is never any one way to experience or interpret a book. Use the group rules feature to add up to 10 rules for your group. The rules of the gd the time limit, panels expectations etc are explained after the initial introduction by the panel, soon after the topic or case to be discussed is given to the group members. Mukund is participating in a group discussion about a book his class has just read. What follows are some questions for discussion that might have surfaced in my reading group. Everyone is getting along wonderfully, the discussion is moving at a good pace, and the level of sharing is deeper than youd expected. Apr 01, 20 our book for this month is amor towles novel rules of civility. Hello and thank you for this discussion opportunity of my most interesting book of 2016.
Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. A gentleman in moscow book club discussion questions arlene. It is a good idea to plan on finishing the book a little earlier than you might otherwise so that you have time to think about it and prepare before your book club meets. If any of these rules dont appeal to you or you feel are unnecessary for your group simply ignore them and remember the most important thing of all is just to have fun. Our latest prize book is circe by madeline miller, which is now available in paperback. We are around the same age as the main character, katey. The ground rules of a group discussion are the guidelines that help to keep the discussion on track, and prevent it from deteriorating into namecalling or simply argument. Rules and tips to start a group discussion hitbullseye. Some of the rules may seem like common sense but making sure everyone is on the same page helps avoid unnecessary conflict. In one of my past book clubs, we literally only read books that included discussion questions at the end of the book because we wanted to be certain wed have a meaningful discussion.
Next, ask students to think about the worst group discussions in which they have participated and. Because a film called book club should be about a book club, and not every bookrelated gathering counts. In a discussion book club, the whole group reads the same book between each meeting, usually one per month. Here are some basic questions to get a book club discussion going i mean, lets try not to gossip the whole time. Try this if the members have a similar taste in books and dont want to explore new genres.
If youve ever wanted to start your own book club but havent been sure. Let anyone propose a book, then have the club vote on the options. This will make the book you are reading appear near the top of the group, and it will also list your group on the book s page and help drive new members. Choose one question at a time and toss it out to the group. Although understandably selfconscious at first, the students quickly forgot the audience and engaged in an interesting discussion of the book s ending.
Its one, im happy to report, the ladies of the film book club are willing to follow. How to start a book club that doesnt suck book riot. For many people, socializing is just as important as the discussion. The best king of stories feature dynamic characters who change throughout the book. Starting a book club is more complicated than you might think. Sep 05, 2016 she engaged our group and brought us together in a way that really made our club click. For further guidance on developing ground rules for discussion forum interaction, refer to virginia sheas influential book, netiquette 1994. Do not ask individuals to speak for their perceived social group. Feb 22, 2012 golden rules to follow during group discussion and personal interview read to get information on how to behave, the dos and donts during a group discussion or personal interview by jagran josh. If there is a need, refresh peoples memories on your group s ground rules not all of them, just any where there have been issues. As a member or leader of a book club, you are likely to be reading books on a wide variety of topics, both fiction and nonfiction. Guidelines for discussing difficult or highstakes topics. If you get to pick the book, here are some recommendations for engaging books that are likely to promote discussion. Having great book discussion questions is essential to leading a successful book club, and now that i run an online moms book club i use this lesson to avoid awkward silences yes they can happen online and create a lively, engaging book club meeting each.
This page provides general information about book groups, including with one book programs, some resources for guiding book groups, references for specific types of book groups, and an anonymously contributed guide to establishing and running. Golden rules to follow during group discussion and personal. Having fallen head over heals for katie kontent in rules of civility, i had high hopes for a gentleman in moscow. Golden rules to follow during group discussion and personal interview read to get information on how to behave, the dos and donts during a group discussion or. Having established rules can be especially important if you are starting a book club thats open to the general public. Instead, take the approach of having your group work together to establish a few simple ground rules. It can be your first project together as a group and will help everyone have a feeling of ownership in the group.
Each small group should set its own ground rules during its first class meeting. More than 5 minutes prep time may be given only if the gd is a casestudy discussion, and has a long case statement. Learn what is a group discussion and how to crack a gd in an interview with these simple gd tips, topics, rules and skills. Discussion questions for rules of civility by amor. To explain, allow me to, well, make it about myself. You may find that you disagree with something that another member of the group has said. Holding the discussion also see how to discuss a book with a leader. Book club discussion questions for any book, with specific questions for fiction, nonfiction, and memoirs. Rules to make your book club run smoothly thoughtco.
If you are interested, there is additional content regarding rules of civility at including brief essays on walker evans and jazz, a 1930s time capsule, etcetera. We meet in a private facebook group and chat about a new book every month. Great rules tell members how they can engage with the group. Shehe reads the assignment to the group, mediates conflict, and manages time. Rules can help prevent conflict as your group grows and provide a feeling of safety for group members. If your library doesnt offer a regular reading group at. The rules of magic by alice hoffman book club discussion.
Golden rules to follow during group discussion and. Group discussion definition, tips, and other rules to. Whether you are discussing characters and their actions, setting, theme, or images, having a guide to questions that will. Facilitators to get prepared for your discussion group and then come back to this guide for the next steps. Jan 05, 2020 group discussion definition, tips, and other rules to follow sunday, january 5th, 2020 as the exam season comes to an end and the group discussion stage usher in, we can begin our preparations for the round two by looking at some basics of the group discussion gd process. Dec 14, 2017 are you always struggling to come up with book club questions to help guide your group discussion. So, if youve come this far, i owe you my heartfelt thanks. There are a couple ways to decide which books to read. As a book club disciplinarian, i know whereof i speak. Oct 15, 2015 the inside group discussed live as i monitored for a grade, the 2 groups on the outside held a conversation online about the same question. General book club questions for study and discussion. Ask students to think about the best group discussions they have been a part of, and reflect on what made these discussions so satisfying. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are openended and get people to share their personal opinions. The facilitators handy list of ground rules, guidelines.
A method for helping students create their own ground rules 1. When youre starting a book club it helps to set some ground rules to help ensure that all of your attendees feel welcome and want to return. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Jul 22, 2016 by following the suggestions above, you communicate to your students the value you place on the discussion forum. The facilitators handy list of ground rules, guidelines and. Book club basics getting started leader norms san rafael. What skills, capacities, or knowledge do you want students to learn or develop through discussion.
The seven golden rules of setting up a book club stylist. Asking the right questions can mean the difference between a dull, lackluster book. Rules can help prevent conflict as your group grows and provide a feeling of safety for group. In their book discussion as a way of teaching, brookfield and preskill identify four purposes of discussion, which you might find useful to consider. While our true purpose of having book clubs is to have a shared reading experience, i am also asking the students to do a book talk of some sort when they finish. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. We announce the book selection on the first monday of the month and discuss on the last monday of the month at 9. Usually the best discussion questions come from your own thoughts. When time was up, a different group came inside to the live discussion and the 1st group then went outside and logged into the discussion online. Sample discussion board ground rules center for teaching. Book club also seemed designed to break the third rule of book club. Following a few simple ground rules will help you and your reading. Not everyone can finish every book, but nonreaders may still have valuable insights. Home book discussion groups libguides at american library.
Ground rules, otherwise known as guidelines for discussion, help group members conduct civil, constructive discussions in the spirit of christian community. The purpose of this book club is to read and enjoy literature. Rotate discussion leaders each monthmaybe its the person who selects the book or the one who hosts the meeting. Oct 24, 2019 to conduct a group discussion, start by having everyone introduce themselves.
Your job is to develop a list of questions that your group might want to discuss about this part of the book. When you discuss the book make sure to use the add book author tool to make a link to the book being discussed. As he is speaking, he keeps repeating the same ideas over and over. To conduct a group discussion, start by having everyone introduce themselves. After a photoshop nightmare of an opening montage, in which we learn these four friends have been finding time in between marriages and divorces, law.
Starting the discussion is a powerful role to play in a gd. We learn that the rules of magic are to harm no one, remember that what you give will be returned to you threefold, and fall in love whenever you can. Keeping nonfiction book club questions simple, but open ended, will allow for plenty of opinions and encourage discussion among members. Insist that discussion time be limited to the book. Mar 19, 2019 setting group ground rules should be a group exercise.
If you are interested in reading books deeply or want to focus on a particular type of book such as. It is okay to disagree as long as its done respectfully. Next, establish some ground rules, like treating everyone with respect, no interrupting, and being succinct. Since the point of a book club is a group discussion, keep a few tricks up. Librarian becky spratford in her article, book discussion first aid, shares her groups norms, which are revisited once a year. So, if you love books, and youre ready to discuss them. Nonlibrarians are welcome to join the group as well, to comment or request changes to book records. Some you might suggest, if the group has trouble coming up with the first one or two. No matter the genre, age, notoriety, or length of the book of the moment, book club questions can kickstart or enhance your group discussion. You may also submit your thoughts or questions there. Non fiction book club questions westfield memorial library.