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Often I am asked, "Do I have to read the book to utilize Blackbird & Company literature guides?" My response is a resounding, "No, you get to read the book." Understanding the challenges involved in this fast paced world, I move quickly to clarify.

Creating a tradition of reading books alongside children and discussing them at length has profound results. When we dare to embrace the truth that a great multitude of language arts standards are met while digging into and responding to literature, basing the language arts program on books makes sense. By combining our literature discovery guides with a phonics program early on or a grammar program and a classic roots vocabulary program at the upper levels, the language arts standards are satisfied to overflowing!

Our goal is to empower teachers to become mentors, free from the confines of a tedious and often frustrating language arts schedule that sacrifices golden opportunities to nourish and nurture the child’s heart. Blackbird & Company guides provide a systematic framework for discovery, enabling students to develop the tools necessary to independently analyze and respond to great stories, doing away with the need for time-consuming teacher preparation. This is where the clarification begins and preparation comes in. Preparation for the teacher utilizing Blackbird & Company literature guides is simple: Read and discuss books with your students.

Nothing fosters the higher-level thinking that allows students to form ideas and opinions about real life more than hashing through a story in a discussion circle. With discussion questions built into every section, weekly interaction between you and your students is simple. Each question is designed to spark student’s memories of the story, trigger their interpretations, and to get them thinking beyond the page about how a story can relate to their actual lives. In time, students who participate regularly in a discussion circle will become excited and amazed about what they glean from books.

Usually, after working through several guides, the feedback from teacher-mentors is this, "Oh, I get it, all I have to do is read a book!" Then the conversation shifts to their sharing what they gleaned from the reading, to what they gleaned from the insights of their students, to how their language arts program has been transformed. I smile and exclaim, "Aren't books grand?"

Discussion circles can take many forms, from a one-on-one child and adult, to a group of children led by an adult. The key to the interaction is the adult participating with the child as a mentor.

Consider the following when putting a group together:

Comfort & Size
Gathering in a comfortable area, whether in chairs, or sitting on the floor, helps set discussion time aside as special and relaxed. Groups of 6–8 work best for allowing everyone to participate.

Reading Ability
Clustering students with similar reading skills allows the group to coalesce. As students begin to feel comfortable with their group, even reluctant speakers will share what’s on their mind.

Consistency
Having a regular, scheduled time each week helps students pace through their reading and builds anticipation.

Direction
Be inspired by student responses and guide the discussion where it wants to go naturally. Don’t worry if things get a little off track as long as students are thinking creatively.

Flexibility
Feel free to use the questions creatively. For example, assign each question to a different student for presentation to the group; allow two groups to take sides and debate the pros and cons of a particular question; use the questions as writing prompts for paragraphs or essays; allow students to role play their response to a question. Use your imagination. The possibilities are endless.