I enjoyed reading about book clubs because as a Language Arts teacher I plan on using them this coming year. The ideas about how to set up a club and keep it running smoothly were helpful. I also had a question about how to assess these clubs on a daily basis and the chapter provided some answers on that. This is a teaching method I am very excited to use!

For chapter 7 in Adolescent Literacy, the authors brought up the question of how you can really "know" a word. This made me think because too many times we ask students to memorize a definition for a test, and they soon forget that word. Along with my word wall in my classroom I have students draw a picture that represents that definition. The students seem to remember better when there is a visual representation. I also have them present the word, picture, definition, and sentence in front of the class. This gives the student a chance to gain feedback and affirmation from their peers. It was a positive experience the entire school year for the students and it let them show off their artwork.