When I am preparing to read one of the books from the I’m Your Neighbor collection I focus mostly on the questions in the back.  I choose a few that I prioritize because, based on my knowledge of the class, I know which ones will generate the most meaningful discussion. Although, I do keep the other questions nearby in case the conversation struggles or we need additional questions.  I have found that the questions work better for me if I have a copy of them outside of the book.  This way I can have the questions I plan to ask highlighted, but then I also have quick access to the other questions.  I can do this at a glance, rather than flipping to the back of the book.  

I have not exclusively used Annie’s RENEW protocol but I think I have used a light version.  I always ask students what they notice.  I also ask what they notice is the same or different.  I like the idea of making a chart for “Some of us… All of us…”. For neighbors, I often make connections to our school or community.  I think maybe I don’t focus on  the education element enough. Although, I do often ask students “what does this teach us?”.  At the end of a book with a powerful lesson we talk about how the lesson applies to our school community.  

A disadvantage I have as a school librarian is I don’t have as much time with students to do a deep dive into books.  In the ideal world, I would have time to plan and collaborate with classroom teachers.  This would enable us to orchestrate multiple readings of the IYN books, each with a different lens for discussion.