What's the deal with Lucy Calkins Book Clubs?

[Anonymous]

Every open house I hear Lucy Calkins blah blah blah. My kid is in a book club with kids of all different levels, no teacher leading discussion and this is supposed to produce growth? She hates the book she chose and just lets the "smart kids" chat about it. I understand the classes are huge and it is hard to work with reading groups, but this is all they do for literature. Kids reading and chatting among themselves.

How much money was spent on this program?

[Anonymous]

Lucy Caulkins and her supporters have somehow brought back the clusterf*ck that was whole language under a new name -"balanced literacy".

[Anonymous]

NP. DS is in 3rd grade and this is the first time he will be doing it. We'll see how it goes.

I have heard complaints about the program, but not that it is "whole language". I'm not sure what you mean by that, PP. They're already reading now, in 3rd grade. The criticism I've seen of the program is more to do with the lack of explicit writing instruction.

[Anonymous]

LCPS teacher and I’m supposed to do the Lucy Calkins thing but inchoose not to. Oh well. I have more effective ways of teaching reading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lucy Caulkins and her supporters have somehow brought back the clusterf*ck that was whole language under a new name -"balanced literacy".

Are you this stupid about everything you post? You clearly have no idea what balanced literacy is, and how it’s not whole language. “Balanced literacy” is hardly new nor was invented by Lucy Calkins (yeah, you can’t even spell her name correctly). It has been around for a long time.

[Anonymous]

Who decided all this Lucy Calkins stuff was a good idea-teachers or people who have never taught? I'd like to see how rigorous the research is that supports this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LCPS teacher and I’m supposed to do the Lucy Calkins thing but inchoose not to. Oh well. I have more effective ways of teaching reading.

Very curious to hear what you reasons were for disliking it since you are an actual educator and I am just a parent who hates it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who decided all this Lucy Calkins stuff was a good idea-teachers or people who have never taught? I'd like to see how rigorous the research is that supports this.

Here you go. Get cozy. There’s quite a bit.
http://readingandwritingproject.org/about/research-base

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who decided all this Lucy Calkins stuff was a good idea-teachers or people who have never taught? I'd like to see how rigorous the research is that supports this.

Here you go. Get cozy. There’s quite a bit.
http://readingandwritingproject.org/about/research-base

Meh. I'd like to see the studies and see how they analyzed the data. I doubt the "research" on this BS would pass the criteria needed for say a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

[Anonymous]

I teach third grade and we are nowhere near the point where we are ready to start book clubs this year.

Last year was the first we've started having students meet in book clubs and not every student does so. I'd say it's a group or two per class.

[Anonymous]

My DS was taught with the LC methodology and I was extremely impressed with the approach to writing. Not only was he excited about writing, but he was a much more thorough and interesting writer by the end of the year. I’m a huge fan of the approach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I teach third grade and we are nowhere near the point where we are ready to start book clubs this year.

Last year was the first we've started having students meet in book clubs and not every student does so. I'd say it's a group or two per class.

Tell me more. Is it more of an enrichment thing for the advanced students? How do you decide who does it? It seems to me like it might be a tool to have for differentiating in a classroom with a variety of learners, but may not be appropriate for all learners at that grade level.

[Anonymous]

Whether it can be implemented well or not with certain students in reading or writing, I don't know. What I know is that my middle school student never learned to write in elementary school because of curriculums that tried to implement strategies developed by Lucy Calkins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach third grade and we are nowhere near the point where we are ready to start book clubs this year.

Last year was the first we've started having students meet in book clubs and not every student does so. I'd say it's a group or two per class.

Tell me more. Is it more of an enrichment thing for the advanced students? How do you decide who does it? It seems to me like it might be a tool to have for differentiating in a classroom with a variety of learners, but may not be appropriate for all learners at that grade level.

That’s how we approach it. My students who are ready and able to participate in a book club will do so, but we aren’t to that point yet. Third grade is a transition year. Some students will still meet in more traditional guided reading groups. It depends on the child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach third grade and we are nowhere near the point where we are ready to start book clubs this year.

Last year was the first we've started having students meet in book clubs and not every student does so. I'd say it's a group or two per class.

Tell me more. Is it more of an enrichment thing for the advanced students? How do you decide who does it? It seems to me like it might be a tool to have for differentiating in a classroom with a variety of learners, but may not be appropriate for all learners at that grade level.

That’s how we approach it. My students who are ready and able to participate in a book club will do so, but we aren’t to that point yet. Third grade is a transition year. Some students will still meet in more traditional guided reading groups. It depends on the child.

That sounds like a reasonable plan. At our school they introduce it later, but everyone does it and you have a class with a large range in abilities.