Self Evaluation Narrative Booktalk

Self-Evaluation Narrative On July 11, 2016, I presented a booktalk to a group of ten female teens that are a part of the teen theatre group, the Saax Bradbury Players. The booktalk was hosted by an employee of the theatre, Jen Blalock. Because of rehearsals taking place in the theatre, the booktalk was given in the host’s home. The grades of the students range from rising sophomores to 2016 graduates. The ethnicity of the student group is ninety percent White and ten percent African American. The main interest of this student group is drama. Most of their time is spent in rehearsing and performing in children’s, young adult, and adult theatrical productions. These teens are truly diverse in the groups in which they relate. Their ages
Clark clearly defined the difference in booktalk styles and how to prepare for presenting in first person. Dr. Clark’s articles gave an idea of how students may respond during the booktalk and the expectations of student preferences in booktalk styles. I used these articles to help guide the creation of the student and host evaluation forms. Because of my family’s involvement in theatre, the host was quick to agree to my request. The most difficult part of scheduling a booktalk was coordinating a time when students were available to attend. The students attending the booktalk are involved in theatre camp during the day and rehearsals for an upcoming production in the evening. Even though the students were between activities, they were excited to hear the booktalk and, I believe, were anxious to eat the pizza I
Most of the girls have a high interest in mystery novels. Novels that left many unanswered questions seem to be the type that they like best. Most surprising is that thrillers and science fiction novels were among the top favorite reading materials among the girls. All but one of the books presented during the booktalk fell into the categories of mystery, thriller, and science fiction. Ironically, the books chosen for the booktalk were the types of materials that these students may self-select. It may have been valuable to elicit student preferences before the booktalk to ensure that students’ reading interests were met. On the other hand, it may also be beneficial to present types of materials that are not usual preferences in order to introduce them to new authors and