Junior Great Books 2020
Junior Great Books is a nationwide program that exposes students of all reading levels to quality literature, fostering a love of books and reading while improving their critical thinking skills.
Each week, participants are assigned a story to read at home prior to their group meeting. During group discussion days, a group facilitator will lead discussions of the story, asking open-ended questions that promote independent thinking.
Participation is open to all students in first through fourth grades.
Acceptance will be made on a first come, first served basis and depend on the number of volunteers per grade level.
For 2020, JGB groups will meet weekly in February during lunch recess (four total sessions) with a parent volunteer, along with a small group of their grade level friends.
Student participants will be responsible for reading a story at home and coming prepared to discuss it at the weekly meeting. The parent volunteer facilitates the discussion with questions provided by the JGB program.
Please note that participation means that the student will miss school recess during JGB discussion days. Additionally, they will eat lunch in the JGB meeting room prior to discussing the week’s story.
Is JGB a good fit for your child?
JGB is appropriate for readers of all levels, but it does entail a number of commitments. Please consider the below to determine whether your child would enjoy participating in the program:
Register your child online by January 17, 2020.
We Need You
For JGB to be successful, we need parent volunteers to facilitate groups discussions. If you have a child in first through fourth grade this year, please consider volunteering for Junior Great Books.
What does volunteering entail?
Parent volunteers will meet with their group once a week (on a day of their choosing) for four consecutive weeks in February during their child’s lunch recess.
Using JGB materials, they will ask open-ended questions to the students about the week’s selection, promoting discussion (and dissent, where appropriate), among students.
To kickoff the program, there will be a short (one-hour) meeting for all parent volunteers on January 24, 2019, 2:30pm-3:30pm. Volunteers unable to attend the meeting will be provided all materials at a convenient time earlier that week.
Volunteers can also share responsibilities with another parent volunteer, co-leading sessions together.
To volunteer to lead a JGB group in February 2020, contact Jerry Soverinsky.