Literature Discussion Between Schools Using Shelfari

Students log on to Shelfari to join a group where both classes are members. Teachers conduct open discussion after reading a piece of poetry and short stories.(This can also be used for Literature Cirlcle books or Whole class novels).  Students work indivually to gather their thoughts and opinions about the text.  The next step is to allow students to work together to formulate questions, ideas, and thoughts using A/B Partners. Teachers post thought provoking Discussion Questions to the Shelfari Group. Through the use of Skype, teachers were able to establish criteria with the students in both classes simultaneously. Students are given time on their own to respond to the Discussion Post individually. Students also then replied to each others responses.