Book Club Friday in AP Language Class

Kristine Keefe
Spanish Teacher
John P. Stevens High School
Edison, NJ

High School Spanish Teacher since 2001

Teaching AP Spanish Language and Culture since 2013
Proficiency Level
Intermediate High

Themes of AP Language & Culture Course

*Public & Personal Identities *Families & Communities

*Global Challenges *Science & Technology

*Contemporary Life *Beauty & Esthetics

 Synopsis of Project

Students read, outside of class, roughly a chapter

or two a week of the books in the three part
autobiography by Francisco Jiménez (Cajas de
cartón, Senderos fronterizos and Más allá de mí)
to be prepared for ‘Book Club Friday’ activities
 Rationale

“Instructors and materials should provide student

learners with level-appropriate input and interaction.”
Dr. Bill VanPatten
While We’re on the Topic
BVP on Language, Acquisition and Classroom Practice
Resources Requested

➔ Enough copies of each of the novels for students enrolled

in AP Spanish Language & Culture
➔ Flexible seating options to facilitate discussion
Books
Flexible seating
options
Foldable
stools
Methods & The project focuses on improving interpretive skills
while reading an authentic autobiography. Then, by
Activities having a common book to discuss, interpersonal skills
are practiced during the target language discussion in
book club groups and with whole class discussion.
Presentational skills are addressed with projects and
recordings via platforms such as Flipgrid and
QuickTime Player. In addition, we used Twitter as a
platform for discussion and connecting with the author.
Connecting with Francisco Jiménez
Intermediate Input is an essential component to language
acquisition and having students exposed to authentic
High language is an appropriate way for intermediate mid &
intermediate high students to acquire language.
Proficiency - Reading will mostly be done outside of class, with
students having the book club discussion in class. As
Appropriate the teacher, I am circulating and talking with the

Activities students in small groups, 100% in the target language.

There will be guided discussion questions and different
tasks weekly, including #BookSnaps, Flipgrid
recordings and presentations.
#BookSnaps & Visual Representations
#BookSnaps & Visual Representations
Flipgrid
Socratic Seminars & Group Discussions
 Group discussions with guided questions (
link to Doc for chapter 12 of Cajas de cartón)
 Small Group Tasks
(link to Doc for chapters 11 & 12 of
Senderos fronterizos)
How it benefits students...

Students are exposed to authentic language by reading. This input,

which is at an appropriate level for intermediate mid and high
proficiency facilitates language acquisition. At the same time,
increased cultural understanding is an added benefit. Students also
develop empathy for immigrants and their experience, which is
especially important in the current political climate.
Student Reactions
Student Comments
● I think my reading skills have definitely improved because reading an actual book requires much more
endurance than an AP passage and endurance is a key quality to have when taking the AP exam and so
I'm very glad we read books for class.
● Yes; It has gotten easier for me to understand articles, novels, lyrics and subtitles in Spanish.
Furthermore, reading authentic novels has improved my reading speed in Spanish, allowing me to read
works more quickly without sacrificing comprehension. This novel in particular has also given me insight
about Spanish culture and lifestyle.
● Yes, I feel that it has improved because I have been exposed to more Spanish vocabulary and been better
acquainted with the grammar. Therefore, when I read now, I am more comfortable with the language.
● Yes, reading on a regular basis in entirely Spanish has made me more comfortable reading in Spanish
which was the most important in improving my skills. By reading a story I am interested in, I learned a lot
about life and also the language.
Student Comments
● I also find the story interesting and the right amount to read as well.
● I love Book Club Friday because it is a chance to read together and talk about something other than
the AP exam that is still in spanish!
● I get to hear what my group think of the book (whether or not we share the same opinion), and build on
social skills.
● I like the concept of ending the week with a more relaxing way of learning. Every Friday we learn but
also engage in conversation about the book. It helps to improve our reading and speaking in Spanish.
● I enjoy discussing the novel in 'Book Club Friday' because it also allows me to improve my speaking
skills in class.
● Book Club Fridays are fun when we do Flipgrid reactions because we can see other people's
perspectives.
● Working together it also makes us feel more comfortable speaking spanish in front of other people.
Supporting Data
AAPPL Testing for Seal of Biliteracy - 2019

2019 - 44 students tested - 40 earned Seal of Biliteracy

26 earned scored of A (‘Advanced’) on Interpretive Reading

18 earned score of I5 (‘Intermediate 5 - second highest score) on

Interpretive Reading
 To measure and evaluate the success of the
project, I will be using Google Forms surveys
and having students write regular reflections on
Evaluation/ their reading. At the end of the school year,
Measurements of students will fill out a comprehensive course
Success/ evaluation with detailed information about the
impact of the novel, both on their cultural
Outcomes understanding and language proficiency. Once
College Board releases the detailed score
breakdowns for 2019, I will use that data to see
the impact on the reading portion of the AP
exam.
Stay in Touch

Twitter: @kkeefe_hassan

Email:

kristine.keefe@edison.k12.nj.us

Blog: laprofealta.weebly.com