Join a Nonfiction Book Club this Summer

Here’s how it went down.

1. Jessie Miller came to an IRA session with Amanda Hartman and me titled Thinking, Talking and Writing about Nonfiction Reading in Read Aloud, Small Groups, and Book Clubs. 

2. I posted about the book clubs portion of the session on Two Writing Teachers. 

3. Jessie and I had a conversation on Twitter that started like this: 

4. Then, Jessie tweeted this: 

5. Which brought us to the idea: Let’s gather a few interested folks and hold a teacher nonfiction book club this summer.

We always talk about how important it is to DO the work we are aiming to teach. I preach this all the time. And yet I often need to be reminded to practice it. And when I am reminded, when I do the work, it is simply one of the best forms of professional development I receive. 

So let’s do it. Here’s how it could work. We can suggest our top picks for adult nonfiction and we can take a vote. We’ll choose the book by the end of the school year. Then, we can set up a few times over the summer to meet on Twitter to chat about our thinking, our writing, our learning, and, of course, ultimately, our implications for instruction. 

Who is with us? What would you like to read? Please leave suggestions in the comments below or tweet them to me at @AnnaGCockerille. 

Here are a few ideas: 
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Lean In: Woman, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell

I am looking forward to reading and learning with you. Thank you Jessie for the inspiration!