Subcommittee reviews Grade 9 ‘book club’ choices, selection process for Unit 3 ELA

The Curriculum & Student Development Committee of the Madison Board of Education heard a presentation on Grade 9 Unit 3 English Language Arts and the district’s use of book clubs for the unit.

Selena DeSilva, an English coordinator and the presentation lead, said the book-club approach centers on student choice and skill development: “Book clubs are, 1 of our biggest, I say free choice even though it’s it’s limited choice. Kids really get to choose the books that they're interested in reading,” she told the committee.

The presentation described three organizing categories for optional titles: works thematically similar to the unit’s core novel, titles that give easy access to learning the unit skill (for students who need more direct scaffolding), and titles reflecting “life as a teen.” DeSilva said each category is further ranked by complexity to align with course placement and to provide both grade-level and more-challenging options for students headed into American literature or honors classes.

DeSilva told the committee how choice is managed in classrooms: teachers supply a recommended list, give background on each title, and ask students for their top three preferences; students “really try to give them their first 2” choices unless the selection is not pedagogically appropriate. The selection process, she said, includes teacher review of texts, consultation with the library media specialist, and use of review resources such as Common Sense Media to note age-appropriateness and potential content triggers.

The district also described supports for students who encounter difficult material. DeSilva showed a classroom poster and department protocol that ask students to name what’s upsetting them and point to supports and referral steps, a tool developed with consultant Kate Roberts and with library media input. The presentation said the English department purchases and reviews candidate titles before adding them to classroom or library holdings and that staff may provide a small number of copies to families upon request.

Committee chair Mister Smith addressed concerns raised at an earlier board meeting about the sample list shown previously, saying the earlier discussion was not a denunciation of individual titles but a request for clarity about breadth and context. “It was, are there other choices? Is there broader choice?” he said, summarizing the board’s question and thanking staff for a fuller overview.

No formal action or vote was taken; presenters said the revised overview document will remain available online and continue to be refined as teachers and librarians collect student feedback.

The committee discussion underscored that the instructional priority is teaching transferable skills (for example, how to analyze theme) rather than teaching a particular book, and that book clubs are intended to provide choice while preserving common instructional objectives.