Junior Great Books
VIRTUAL ACADEMY

Register Now for Summer 2021

Introducing
a proven method to engage and motivate young learners!

Our renowned Junior Great Books® program is now available online with the Junior Great Books Virtual Academy™ for grades 1–8. The JGB Virtual Academy provides much-needed English language arts content, direct teacher instructional time, and opportunities to accelerate student learning in a fun and stress-free way.

In each session, students connect with peers in an engaging and collaborative online environment, and take part in lively discussions and varied interpretive activities led by experienced Great Books trainers.

97% of parents said they would enroll their student in a future session!

Students enjoy:

  • Collaborating with their peers
  • Sharing their thoughts and ideas
  • Learning from our expert instructors
  • Participating in respectful discussions
  • Working in an interactive environment

Parents enjoy the essential skills students build through:

  • Voicing their ideas and thoughts with their peers
  • Making and explaining inferences about a text or artwork
  • Engaging in civil discourse in a collaborative environment
  • Identifying evidence and explaining how it supports an answer
  • Experiencing and learning from the guidance of our stellar trainers

The NEW Junior Great Books Virtual Academy strengthens skills in:

Critical Thinking

Reading Comprehension

Speaking and Listening

Writing

What Students, Parents, and Educators Have to Say

My daughter thought it was great—[she enjoyed] reading the stories and interacting with other children. She was engaged and looked forward to the sessions. Thank you for being a bright spot in a pandemic summer.

R. V.
Parent
Junior Great Books Virtual Academy
Washington, DC

Junior Great Books Virtual Academy gives the opportunity for a deeper dive with more rigorous content than the average school experience does. My daughter liked the open discourse and that there was no right or wrong answer. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would like to participate in another session.

A. Dove
Parent
Junior Great Books Virtual Academy
Clarksburg, MD

The JGB session my child participated in gave her a good introduction to critical thinking and discussion skills that she does not get in her regular classroom. In just four sessions, the JGB instructor got the students all talking, asking, and answering questions about the story, at a deeper level than I might have expected in such a short time. I have very fond memories of participating in JGB as a child, and I know it helped me with my reading, thinking, and writing skills. It was a great experience—my daughter loved every aspect of it.

B. H.
Parent
Junior Great Books Virtual Academy
Nashua, NH

These courses have been extremely valuable to my child’s reading development. They are top-notch reading instruction!

Chris Nittle
Parent
Junior Great Books Virtual Academy
Easton, MD

After attending the JGB Virtual Academy fall session, my daughter’s teacher said she showed great gains in her reading scores on the i-Ready reading assessment from September to December. I credit her participation in JGB Virtual Academy as a contributing factor. Thank you!

T. Holmes
Parent
Junior Great Books Virtual Academy
Maitland, FL

The facilitator was able to really listen and hear what the students were saying and respond to it to promote deeper reflection, rather than attempt to bring the discussion around to a point that she was trying to make. It was amazing to see the teaching skill and craft that brought together students from the continental US, Alaska, and Canada—students who had never before worked together—and create such a rich discussion among them.

Amber Pelletier
Early Years Support Teacher
Prince Charles Education Resource Centre
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

My daughter loved being able to discuss the themes and questions from the story. She enjoyed hearing other thoughts and learning that you can influence and be influenced by the ideas of others.

Parent
Junior Great Books Virtual Academy

Everyone was able to collaborate and share their ideas. It made me see everyone’s point of view and why they thought what they did.

Student
Junior Great Books Virtual Academy

Online Student Discussions

Using the Junior Great Books curriculum, the Junior Great Books Virtual Academy combines novels, nonfiction, poetry, and interactive reading activities with student-centered online discussions to help students develop their ideas, use and explain evidence, and respond constructively to their peers.

  • Format: Four- and eight-week sessions where students meet for 60 minutes once a week
  • Price: $149–$259
  • Dates: Summer begins June 28, 2021

Summer Virtual Academy Sessions

A Wrinkle in Time

For Grades 5–7

Join us as we journey through the novel A Wrinkle in Time! This session will engage middle-grade readers in expanding their critical thinking and collaborative learning abilities through Shared Inquiry™. Together, the group will engage in a joyful exploration of the novel by reading, speaking, listening, and journaling as they develop and share their own ideas. Readers will be asked to read three chapters of the book and make entries in their reader reflection journals in preparation for each session.

Each session will be customized to readers’ interests and always include sharing of reader questions and individual explorations, a Shared Inquiry discussion, and opportunity for reflection. Expert Great Books discussion leaders will guide readers to think deeply about the complex themes of this novel while having fun.

Nonfiction Inquiry

For Grades 3–4

Join us as we read and discuss texts from the Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry series, including topics in science, social studies, and STEM. Students will read about young people who invented power-generating devices, people who risked their own safety to protect and rescue those in danger during a hurricane, and more!

The Junior Great Books Virtual Academy offers an enjoyable way for students to strengthen their skills in critical thinking, reading comprehension, speaking and listening, and writing. By combining interactive reading activities with student-centered discussions, this program helps students develop their ideas, use and explain evidence, and respond constructively to their peers. Expert Great Books discussion leaders will guide students to think deeply about big ideas while having fun.

Nonfiction Inquiry

For Grades 5–6

Join us as we read and discuss texts from the Junior Great Books Nonfiction Inquiry series, including topics in science, social studies, American history, and economics. Students will learn about the opportunities and challenges of settlers in the American West, explore how the characteristics and atmospheres of different planets create surprising types of weather, and more!

The Junior Great Books Virtual Academy offers an enjoyable way for students to strengthen their skills in critical thinking, reading comprehension, speaking and listening, and writing. By combining interactive reading activities with student-centered discussions, this program helps students develop their ideas, use and explain evidence, and respond constructively to their peers. Expert Great Books discussion leaders will guide students to think deeply about big ideas while having fun.

Register for JGB Virtual Academy

Coming Soon

Fall Virtual Academy Sessions
Winter Virtual Academy Sessions

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VIRTUAL ACADEMY
Professional Development

Join an Online Session Now

Virtual Professional Development for Discussion Leaders
Educators, Parents, & Volunteers

Learn How to Lead Shared Inquiry Discussion Online or in the Classroom!

Strong inquiry-based learning has been proven to engage all participants at higher levels of reading and thinking. Our research-based approach to learning through questioning and collaboration is what we call Shared Inquiry™.

In Shared Inquiry, the discussion leader serves as model learner and coach, showing how to explore complex texts and ideas, and rich content while shifting to a participant-centered process. The goal is creating a community of learners where every participant is supported and challenged to find his or her own voice, develop deep understanding, and engage in respectful, civil discourse to learn from others.

Shared Inquiry enhances all foundational language arts skills—reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, speaking, and listening—and enables participants to learn more across all areas and to become active thinkers and participants in their educational and professional communities.

Our online trainings teach you:

  • Leading online discussions with students and adults
  • The Power of Student Questions
  • The Close-Reading Process
  • Shared Inquiry Advanced Review
  • Interpretive Thinking for Grades K–2
  • The Reading-Writing Connection
  • The importance of selecting complex texts
  • How to lead a student-driven Shared Inquiry discussion
  • How to assess student performance with our critical thinking rubric
  • How to plan an effective implementation

JGB Educators
Discussion Leader Training

Our training for educators prepares participants to begin using the Great Books Foundation's Shared Inquiry™ method of learning through reading and discussion with students of all levels. We'll share our tips and tricks for using inquiry-based learning to keep students engaged online!

Learn questioning strategies that keep discussions lively and focused while improving students':

  • Reading comprehension
  • Critical thinking
  • Writing skills
  • Verbal communication

Through a variety of training courses, educators develop the craft of writing interpretive questions and using follow-up questions to involve students of all ages and proficiency levels. Learn how interpretive activities support student learning and meet state and district standards.

Introductory Online Training

  • This training will prepare you to implement a Junior Great Books program with your students. The course includes three 2-hour interactive webinar sessions and 4 hours of self-paced online learning modules.
  • Duration: 6 hours live + 4 hours independent learning
  • Cost: $250 per person

Intermediate and Advanced Online Training

  • Increase the effectiveness of inquiry-based teaching and learning. Offered courses include The Power of Student Questions, Using Junior Great Books Online, Shared Inquiry Advanced Review, and more. We also arrange custom courses to meet your needs!
  • Duration: 2 hours
  • Cost: $85 per person1

Parents & Adults
Discussion Leader Training

We offer training for parents, volunteers, and adult program leaders conducting group discussions.

Workshops are interactive and hands-on, and they include:

  • Demonstrations of inquiry-based reading strategies and discussions
  • Reflection on the elements and benefits of the Shared Inquiry activity sequence
  • An introduction to and practice with using follow-up questions to deepen students’ thinking
  • Time for questions about implementation and troubleshooting

How to Lead Online Discussions

  • This two-part webinar prepares participants to begin conducting Shared Inquiry discussions as volunteer Great Books leaders. Participants will learn how to lead their own discussions online and in person. This course is not open to teachers.
  • Duration: 4 hours (two 2-hour sessions)
  • Cost: $99 per person

1Costs for custom courses may differ. Please contact your Great Books educational consultant to arrange your custom course.