The Junior Great Books program is the cornerstone of an effort to make reading and discussing literature a lifelong pursuit. First introduced to schools in 1962, Junior Great Books is now used by more than 1 million students in all 50 states and in countries around the world. By combining age-appropriate literature with the shared inquiry method of discussion, Junior Great Books brings literature to life and helps students discover a joy of reading they will carry with them into adulthood.
Junior Great Books is proven to help students develop the essential skills of reading carefully, thinking critically, listening intently, and speaking and writing persuasively. The highly regarded program is most often led by teachers in classrooms with students of mixed abilities as an integral part of the regular language arts curriculum. However, it is flexible enough to focus on the needs of ESL, gifted and AP, and Title 1 students or to use as an after-school program led by parents, volunteers, or librarians.
The Great Books Foundation trains more than 15,000 leaders annually in our nationally acclaimed professional development workshops. Classroom teachers, parents, volunteers, principals, librarians, reading specialists, professors, and high school students all participate in our training.
Junior Great Books has entered into a partnership with Southern Westchester BOCES, offering training, consultation and materials needed to implement the program in your school or district. This special meeting will acquaint administrators and principals with the design of the Junior Great Books classroom activities and the ways that educators are using the program to help students meet the goals of the English Language Arts Standards. Encourage your principal to attend this informational session with you. This program under the auspices of the school library meadia center can benefit the entire school community.