Junior Great Books

The Junior Great Books Discussion Program encourages practical application of interpretive and critical thinking skills through shared inquiry under the direction of a trained discussion leader.

Shared Inquiry™ is a method of learning that enables people of all ages to explore the ideas, meaning, and information found in everything they read. The Shared Inquiry method centers on interpretive questions—questions about a text that have more than one plausible answer. Discussion leaders employ the Shared Inquiry method to get participants thinking, listening, and responding to questions and answers from others in their discussion groups.

When used in schools, the Shared Inquiry method promotes a special relationship between teachers and their students. Instead of presenting the right answer, teachers guide students in reaching their own interpretations and understanding the interpretations of others. Teachers do this by expressing their own curiosity about the selections, posing questions to get students to base their ideas on evidence in the text, and following up purposefully with additional questions that encourage students to look deeper and further define their ideas. For teachers, adopting the Shared Inquiry method provides a consistent approach to instruction that they can employ effectively in a wide variety of subject areas.

*Graphic as published November 16, 2022 on https://store.greatbooks.org/junior-great-books-series-2-book-two-student-book-set-of-3-volumes