Talking About Books, Connecting Across Texts

One of our goals as readers is to talk about books.  We're lucky to have different books revolving around a particular concept or theme.  Each child reads a book that is just right for him or her.  Then we get into small groups with students who have read a different book on the same topic or theme. Students talk about each of their books and discuss a main idea or question.  We call it Talking About Books, Connecting Across Texts, or TABby CAT time.  Our 5th grade buddies were a lot of help getting us established with talking about books.  Check it out:

We do such a nice job of taking turns, listening to what a friend has to say, and responding to all of the texts.  TABby CAT is a fun time!