This challenging reading/discussion program was developed at the University of Chicago 50 years ago and is now offered at schools across the country. Children enrolled in the program read selections of classic world literature as well as contemporary stories.
Participating in the program, available to students in grades 3 through 8, greatly increase reading comprehension skills – skills that are vital in critical thinking and writing.Students in our program pay $20 for a personal copy of the Junior Great Books edition specially designed for their grade level. Each edition is a collection of about 10 short stories that the children read throughout the year. Parent volunteers lead small group discussions of the stories. Discussion sessions start in the fall and are scheduled by the volunteer parent.
The reading list features stories by Hans Christian Anderson, Ray Bradbury, and Langston Hughes for young readers. Seventh and eighth graders read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and Maya Angelou’s “High School Graduation,” among other selections.
To learn more about this reading/discussion program, contact Helen Wuerl, Junior Great Books coordinator, at 708-784-1792 or at hwuerl@aol.com.
