The Lily and Stag Inn, an online reading group hosted by our friends at The Leaky Cauldron, is currently discussing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third book in the series. Interested readers are invited to sign up at the Leaky Lounge, the official webforum of the Leaky Cauldron:

“Once sorted into a reading group, you will be reading the third Harry Potter book in a close-knit, family-like environment. The small groups dissect one book at a time, chapter by chapter, looking beyond the surface of the text and getting down to the deeper meaning. Two chapters will be posted by the friendly Room Leaders each week, who will also keep things rolling and approve thread ideas.”

To learn more, visit the announcement post at the Leaky Cauldron — “Rediscover Prisoner of Azkaban with the Revamped Lily and Stag Inn Reading Groups”

This type of online collaborative experience, in which participants can share ideas and information with a widespread group of people with a common interest, is exactly the type of activity that is suggested in the National Common Core Standards:

Standards For Writing >

Production and Distribution of Writing >

6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

To learn more about the Common Core Standards, and the ways they promote and support the application of critical thinking and collaboration skills, see the Common Core State Standards Initiative.