Welcome to Fluent Minds Book Studies

Thank you for choosing a Fluent Minds Book Study. These courses are designed to help students grow as readers and writers through structured reading, guided thinking, and consistent writing practice.

Materials Needed

Students will need two separate tools throughout the course:

1.  Novel:  Peak, written by Roland Smith

2. Student Writing Notebook

Students should choose a notebook that works best for them. This may be:

• A spiral notebook
• A composition book
• A binder with loose-leaf paper
• A digital notebook (if preferred)

All writing assignments will be completed in this notebook.

Students will use their writing notebook for:

• Quick writes
• Written responses
• Claims, evidence, and commentary practice
• Reflection writing
• Extended written explanations

Keeping all writing in one place allows students to see their growth throughout the course.

3. Explorer’s Journal

The Explorer’s Journal is used for reading activities and skill practice. Students use the journal to gather clues, record observations, track important events, and collect evidence as they read. The evidence gathered in the Explorer’s Journal will later be used to support the claims they write in their Student Spiral.

This journal contains the graphic organizers, trackers, and reading tools that support the Fluent Minds method.

Students will use the journal for:

• Reading annotations
• Motivation tracking
• Cause-and-effect activities
• Relationship tracking
• Reflection entries
• Other reading-focused assignments

The Explorer’s Journal may be printed at home from the provided PDF files, or families may purchase a professionally printed copy from Fluent Minds.

** Rewritten: The Purpose of the Explorer’s Journal

The Explorer’s Journal is more than a collection of assignments.  It is a record of a student’s thinking as it develops throughout the novel.  Each activity has a specific purpose.  Students gather observations, record important events, track relationships, examine choices, and collect clues.  No page stands alone.  Each journal activity builds on previous learning and prepares students for future lessons.  By the end of the novel, students have created a complete record of their thinking.

They use this record to answer the book’s essential question:

Who is Peak, and what motivates him to achieve his goals?

Rather than relying on memory, students learn to return to their notes, evaluate the information they have collected, recognize patterns, and draw conclusions supported by evidence.  This mirrors the work of historians, scientists, detectives, and researchers.

Good readers do not simply finish a chapter and move on.  They continue building their understanding as they read.

Why Two Separate Tools?

At Fluent Minds, we intentionally separate reading work from writing work.

The Explorer’s Journal helps students organize their thinking as they read.

The Writing Notebook helps students practice expressing their thinking through writing.

This structure creates a clear learning process:

Read → Think → Organize → Explain

Over time, students learn not only to understand what they read, but also to explain why it matters.

We are excited to begin this expedition with you.

Explanation of Course

This course is organized into learning cycles.

Students will spend four lessons learning and practicing new reading and writing skills. After each learning cycle, students will complete a Summary and Reflection Lesson to review important events, organize their thinking, and reflect on their learning before moving forward.

Breakdown of Lessons

Even-Numbered Lessons: Read & Write

On even-numbered lessons, students will read a section of the novel and complete a writing assignment in their Student Workbook.

Students will:

Read – Think – Practice -Explain

These lessons focus on developing writing skills through claims, evidence, commentary, and written explanations.

Odd-Numbered Lessons: Read & Journal

On odd-numbered lessons, students will read a section of the novel and complete activities in their Explorer’s Journal.

Students will:

Read – Think -Record

These lessons focus on reading skills such as tracking motivation, identifying cause and effect, recognizing consequences, and gathering evidence.

Summary & Reflection Lessons

After every four lessons, students will complete a Summary and Reflection Lesson.

These lessons provide an opportunity to review important events, reflect on learning, and prepare for the next stage of the expedition.