Grand Conversations (Updated Edition): Literature Groups in Action (Paperback)

by Ralph Peterson (Author), Maryann Eeds (Author) "Real books are wonderful..." (more)
Key Phrases: magic pebble, intensive reading, literary elements, Tien Pao, Tuck Everlasting, Weak Good Excellent (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This updated edition of a 1990 classic advocates the use of real books in a classroom context that places children's enjoyment and interpretation of literature at the center. New material includes a foreword by Shelley Harwayne and tributes to the book's influence by Stephanie Harvey, Lester Laminack, Frank Serafini, and Mary Glover. In addition to illuminating the powerful components of a literature-based reading program, the authors provide a number of assessment tools. For use with Grades 2–6.

About the Author
Ralph Peterson and Maryann Eeds, experts in the field of literature and literacy, are professors at the Arizona State University. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Teaching Resources (Teaching; Updated edition (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439926459
• ISBN-13: 978-0439926454
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #355,016 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars From a librarian's perspective, April 8, 2008

By	Karen A. Ellis - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Grand Conversations: Literature Groups in Action (Grades 2-6) (Paperback)

Peterson, Ralph and Maryann Eeds. 1990. GRAND CONVERSATIONS: LITERATURE GROUPS IN ACTION. New York: Scholastic.

GRAND CONVERSATIONS: LITERATURE GROUPS IN ACTION starts with explaining the difference between teaching with textbooks and "real" books. Peterson and Eeds breaks this method of teaching using "real" books into five sections (Teaching with real books, A literature-based reading program, Beliefs and practices, Literary Elements, and Teachers at work) with a reference list and book list at the end.

Chapter two outlines the four components needed for this type of program to be successful. The first component is the stories in the home and is a key in the language development. It is stated that "all homes have stories. While in some families a rich oral exchange of narratives has primacy, in others there is an equal emphasis on reading to children from storybooks" (p. 8). The second component is sharing stories "from all kinds of books, by many different authors, about all kinds of subjects" (p. 8) to anchor the sounds of language, promote joy, create a sense of belonging to the group, become aware of many forms of writing and ways of thinking about stories. The third component is providing time for children to read extensively without having to follow through on an assignment over the material read. The fourth component is intensive reading which is "aimed at giving deliberate thought to the literary experience" (p. 12).

Chapter three reflects on the four basic beliefs Peterson and Eeds hold concerning working with literature: stories are journeys through the human life experience, students will gain true meaning in literature when they take ownership of the story by interpreting within their own life experiences, students will learn to construct meaning best through dialogue with peers and the teacher, and teachers need to be willing to accept all interpretations and to enter into the dialogue without an agenda to be followed. Peterson and Eeds state that these beliefs are fundamental in creating a successful literature-based reading program.

Chapter four discusses the indirect teaching of literary elements by letting stories that have multiple layers of action and meaning taking place teach concepts such as story structure and characters. This chapter gives examples of how to move from surface teaching to students using literature to create their own meaning of concepts such as plot, character, place, point of view, time, mood, and symbolism.

Chapter five discusses putting literature studies into action in your own classroom with ideas and real-life examples on involving the parents, reading aloud, extensive reading (choosing, keeping track of, and sharing the books read), intensive reading, reading/dialog plans, and evaluation methods. Several organizational forms are provides as a starting point in the process of making the literature study unique to the teachers' individual student and classroom needs.

The reference list contains the bibliography of the children's books that the text highlights and additional professional books that are referenced in the text or are recommended as further reading.

The Booklist at the back of the book gives titles of recommended books to use when implementing these ideas into the classroom. The list is broken down into sections for Kindergarten/first grade, Second/third grade, Third/fourth grade, and Fifth/sixth grade. As the book has a copyright date of 1990, the list is lacking in current titles of interest to students today. Peterson and Eeds also recommends looking for these "real" books in yearly booklists from locations such as Booklist, Hornbook, and School Library Journal.

This book on using conversation and literature in the classroom is an excellent resource for teachers in grades two to six, however a reading teacher in seventh or eight grades would also find this information useful. This book would be beneficial, not only to the language arts and reading teacher, but would be a good read for science and social studies teachers looking to integrate content-based literature into their curriculum in place of the textbook traditionally used. The most useful section in the book is the last chapter, "Teachers at Work" shares many practical examples of ways to make this idea work in a real classroom setting.

-K Ellis, Advanced Children's Literature, TWU

7 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Diverse Discussions, August 21, 2001

By	"nicole2" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grand Conversations: Literature Groups in Action (Grades 2-6) (Paperback)

While many teachers, and schools buy into basils because they are idiot-proof, simple to instruct, as well as simple to evaluate, many teachers are becoming aware that while many students succeed on standardized tests, they lack problem-solving, critical-thinking skills. Since these skills cannot be tested on current standardized tests, they are often overlooked or pushed aside. However, for students to succeed in careers, as well as life, that require innovative, creative, and "outside the box" solutions, we need to foster such thinking early in life. How can we teachers help our students become independent thinkers? Eeds and Peterson (1990) suggest using dialogue and conversations in the classroom. Dialogue opens the door for individualized learning. This allows all students the ability to participate in conversations. Dialogue allows all students to achieve and grow using skills that are difficult for textbooks to accomplish. The ability for all students to participate, and the freedom to respond without the fear of being wrong can lead the students to begin to look deeper. This can lead into what we all want our students to become: independent.