TASAA Professional Development

Alumni Book Clubs

Suggest a book

The Teacher at Sea Alumni Association Book Clubs are a way for alumni to connect through regionally relevant, non-fiction books. They are a great opportunity for alumni to get to know each other better, engage in timely and intellectual discussions, and explore ways to bring these topics back to their students.

Explore the reading lists below from past clubs and consider joining a future club!

Past Book Clubs

Gotham Unbound

The Tri-State Regional Book Club met from October 10-November 28, 2023 to  to discuss Ted Steinberg’s Gotham Unbound: The Ecological History of Greater New York

Our facilitators developed these questions to accompany each chapter:

Find related articles, media, websites, and books in this Wakelet.

The Secret Life of Lobsters

The Northeast Regional Book Club met from April 27-June 8, 2023 to discuss Trevor Corson’s The Secret Life of Lobsters: How Fishermen and Scientists Are Unraveling the Mysteries of Our Favorite Crustacean.

Our facilitators developed these questions to accompany each chapter:

This Wakelet collection includes additional supporting articles and multimedia resources curated by Teacher at Sea Alumni.

The World of the Salt Marsh

by Charles Seabrook

The book club met from January 30-February 27, 2023 to discuss The World of the Salt Marsh: Appreciating and Protecting the Tidal Marshes of the Southeastern Atlantic Coast, by Charles Seabrook.

Our facilitators developed these questions to accompany each chapter:

This Wakelet collection includes additional supporting articles and multimedia resources curated by Teacher at Sea Alumni.

Where the Water Goes

By David Owen

The Pacific Southwest Region Book Club met from October 6-December 1, 2022 to discuss the book Where the Water Goes, by David Owen.

Our facilitators developed these questions to accompany each chapter:

This Wakelet collection includes additional supporting articles and multimedia resources curated by Teacher at Sea Alumni.

Gulf

The Gulf of Mexico Region Book Club met from April 4-May 16, 2022 to discuss the book Gulf: The Making of an American Sea by Jack E. Davis. This book won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in History.

Our facilitators developed these questions to accompany each chapter:

 

The Death and Life of the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes and Great Plains Region Book Club met from February 25-April 22, 2021 to discuss the book The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan.

Our facilitators developed these questions to accompany each chapter:

· Chapters 1-2

· Chapters 3-4

· Chapters 5-6

· Chapters 7-8

· Chapter 9

This Wakelet collection includes resources curated by Teacher at Sea Alumni from the Great Lakes and Great Plains states.

Salmon

The Pacific Northwest Region Book Club met from October 7- December 2, 2021 to discuss the book Salmon: A Fish, the Eath, and the History of Their Common Fate, by Mark Kurlansky. 

Our facilitators developed these questions to accompany each chapter:

· Chapters 1-2

· Chapters 3-5

· Chapters 6-8

· Chapters 9-11

· Chapters 12-14.

This Wakelet collection includes resources curated by Teacher at Sea Alumni from the Pacific Northwest states.

Chesapeake Requiem

The Mid-Atlantic Region Book Club met from May 12-July 7, 2021 to discuss the book Chesapeake Requiem: A Year with the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island,  by Earl Swift.

Our facilitators developed these questions to accompany each chapter:

· Chapters 1-5

· Chapters 6-12

· Chapters 13-17

· Chapters 18-20

· Chapters 21-22 (combined with questions from Chp. 18-20)

· Additional Resources

 

This Wakelet collection includes resources curated by Teacher at Sea Alumni from the Mid-Atlantic states.

Where the Water Goes Book Club

I had a ball and learned a lot. I’m proud of the groovy Wakelet materials we assembled and am delighted to pay the experience forward immediately by sharing the text & topics with my students.

-Jeff Peterson, TAS 2018

Where the Water Goes Book Club

I’m enjoying the book so much and it was such a great pick! A fascinating topic and being new to Colorado myself it’s an invaluable resource on such a pressing topic.

Joanie Le, TAS 2014

What our teachers are saying…

Where the Water Goes Book Club

I enjoyed each and every meeting and all the fantastic resources that everyone shared in the Wakelet, so much intriguing/informative/engaging information there for us to explore.

This was just what I needed this semester, “enrichment” for my own continuing education/lifelong learning about the world and that amazing kind of energy that comes from discussion and exchange with people who enjoy the same.  The conversation every time was nourishment for my book-loving, curious mind. 

-Jennifer McDonald, TAS 2002

Where the Water Goes Book Club

The Pacific Southwest Region book club members took us down the Colorado River by sharing their personal experiences and insights as we read Where the Water Goes by David Owen. I didn’t need to worry about my lack of regional knowledge as everyone offered up great songs, boondoggles, stories, movies, and books to accompany our often serious discussions about the history and fate of the Colorado River.

We used the book as a jumping off point to talk about the many newsworthy Colorado River stories and similar water management issues we are facing around the globe. I left inspired to be just a little more conscious about my water footprint and knowing I was not alone in my efforts.

-Denise Harrington, TAS 2014, 2016