Positives
Students have been introduced to some texts they probably wouldn’t have self selected
Interest level is high for most texts: The Angel Experiment, George’s Marvellous Medicine, Tuck Everlasting, Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, A cage of Butterflies (not sure about The Tunnels of Ferdinand)
Informal discussion is interesting to hear
Students who have been given specific roles are responding well. – Summarising
Yesterday students made some great connections between their books and the class novel – Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. (And sounded very good when feeding back highlights of their conversations, just in time for the visiting parents on Open Morning.)
Process of modelling strategies with class novel as a class and then getting students to work together with their partner, and then independently to practise the strategy is working well.

Negatives
Timing, staying at the same point in the story
Some want to race ahead, and others are going at a much slower pace
(I decided that I wouldn’t put the brakes on those who wanted to read ahead, because part of my goal was to challenge the more able students.)
Haven’t really made time to have regular group times to get discussion happening, even though students have been working on their role.
Need clearer expectations for mini-books