Whether your childs a bookworm or a struggling reader, sharing a book with others is way more fun than reading solo. The student book club guide includes a pdf handout to get students andor parents started in creating, organizing and loving their book club. Today, ill explain why i use book clubs as an integral part of my reading block, and how to launch thriving book clubs in just one week like literature circles, book clubs put students in the drivers seat and require kids to take ownership of their reading. Books clubs are a fun way for kids to get a deeper understanding of a book and learn to have a discussion with other readers. This is the third installment in a series of posts with ideas and suggestions for running effective literacy circles or book clubs with students from second grade through high school. Whether youre a school librarian or a teacher, allowing time for. The classroom book clubs method is more relaxed and less structured than many forms of literature circles, and its flexibility makes it more adaptable to a variety of classrooms and students.
In order for your classroom book club to be successful. Thus, if you want to start a group a great place to begin can be with your friends but dont assume that they share your expectations about the sort of books to read or how the club will run. Find ideas for discussions and activities your book club will enjoy. Whether they were through school, the local library, or a bookstore, it was great when someone organized a group of children together who all had the special.
Book club activities for first and second grade classroomscan you run successful book clubs in the primary gradesit may seem like a stretch, but the spring is such a great time to get your students ready and used to reading, thinking about, and discussing books with their peers instead of me, th. Books have always been very important to my family. If you are running the book club, you can volunteer to be the moderator, or have other members of the club take turns at the helm. I typically run book clubs for 46 weeks depending upon the time of year and unit of study, and book clubs will meet once per week usually on thursdays. Find more advice on starting your book club in nikkis guide. Effective literacy circles and book clubs center for the. Having discussion questions before your book club meets will help facilitate a good discussion of your book. Book clubs services to schools national library of new zealand. Reading is a hobby we want students to carry with them long after they receive their diplomas. Literary snowballs sounds silly, but its lots of fun. Discussion questions compiled by the pierce county book club of puyallup, washington. Some of the rules may seem like common sense but making sure everyone is on the same page helps avoid unnecessary conflict. A group of high school students sitting in a circle, discussing a book. How to start a book club for elementary students wehavekids.
Imagine being able to encourage your student readers from home. Help your students develop a lifelong love of reading through interactive discussion with. The key is to make it fun and rewarding and chose books that. Use our ideas to help you organize your book club activities, hold good discussions, and settle tough issues. Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of harper perennial. Ideas on starting a teen book club in your school library. Whether youre a school librarian or a teacher, allowing time for students to chat about books and reading helps to engage. Having a gap in the book clubs allows us to continue our allyear focus on joyful independent reading, as well as see their growth. Book clubs in first grade it may seem like a stretch, but the spring is such a great time to get your students ready and used to reading, thinking about, and discussing books with their peers instead of me, the teacher.
How to run a fullchoice book club in your classroom. Whether you start with a fishbowl of a book club group or you sit in on each group as they begin, follow through on ground rules to help students. Form an employee book club see success stories in which a group of employees voluntarily read the same book. There is never any one way to experience or interpret a book. You can get monthly book recommendations and free teaching notes as part of our oxford education book club. When youre starting a book club it helps to set some ground rules to help ensure that all of your attendees feel welcome and want to return.
This is the first installment in a series of seven posts with ideas and suggestions for running effective literacy circles or book clubs with students from second grade through high school. A few startup tips from vicki levy krupp, coauthor of the kids book club book. One is a traditional one where 30 students sit and read the same book. Children can enjoy the same kind of communitybuilding experience by meeting with friends to choose, read, and discuss books together. It is a good idea to plan on finishing the book a little earlier than you might otherwise so that you have time to think about it and prepare before your book club meets. Looking for an easy way to share information and develop employees at work. Your guide to starting a book club in your school oxford. Starting a book club with your class cambridge university press. Virtual book clubs can help engage students in independent reading by giving them opportunities to stay connected beyond the classroom, says ryan kinser. Running a bookclub by dymphna flynn producer, bookclub and peter guttridge. Here are some tips and ideas for starting a book or other club, and having it run without you having to do all of the work. Is the purpose of your book club to read or to socialize. Teachers who have used this method find that their students enjoy the social aspects of reading and discussing books. I loved when i read it as a student and which has a special place in my heart.
Many readers are adults here at book riot, but when we were kids, i bet we loved book clubs i know i did. Any page references refer to a usa edition of the book, usually the trade. Its more fun to read the same book with your buddies, which is why book clubs are especially great for reluctant readers. Students need to choose the books that they are reading. Very early on in our book club experiences, students had many ideas for how to make them better. Through the activities we added in, they also got a chance to bring the stories to life.
Using the current book only, have everyone write hisher casting choice. Look for book club guides that you can tweak for your students. Many book clubs start when a few friends get together and decide that theyd like to meet to discuss books on a regular basis. Minilessons that support effective book clubs center for the. Having great book discussion questions is essential to leading a successful book club, and now that i run an online moms book club i use this lesson to.
This is the fourth installment in a series of posts with ideas and suggestions for running effective literacy circles or book clubs with students from second grade. Free printable list september 5, 2016 in book club, life. This may seem obvious, but it is the most important step, so it is worth stating. Several years ago i started a middle school book club as a way to encourage my kids to read great some classic literature and enable them to discuss the books with their friends. How to start and run a book club a thousand words youtube. If youve got lessons plans, videos, activities, or other ideas youd like to contribute, wed love to hear from you. Book clubs and partnerships play a crucial role in supporting student comprehension and also in making the reading process a social one nichols, 2006. Have you ever wondered how to get students talking meaningfully about books. An elementary teacher who has worked for an edtech startup argues. Even better, imagine your student readers encouraging other student readers from home. In fact, differing opinions make the best discussions. Book clubs are a great way to engage students with reading and help build a reading culture at your school. Students should also set their own reading schedules according to the number of times the book club group will meet.
Chandler has been a member of a bunch of them and has some tips for you and your book club. Great books for middle school book clubs pernille ripp. The point of book clubs is to have students or people read the same book together and then discuss the book. Combine the book reading with a regularly scheduled discussion meeting to double the impact of the book. The lesson plan will help you get started and a planning sheet for the students will help students stay focused and engaged.
Do you want to read a specific genre, bestsellers, high literature, etc browse reading guides by genre. How to set up a book club in your school, including ideas for key questions for your discussion. Of course, students may choose to run their own book clubs at any point, but they are not required to discuss their books like this except for these two times. Let students know how amazing each book is and then let them choose. When done right, it can be such a fun learning experience for both the. It is not about reading a book and then doing comprehension questions. Its all fine and dandy to say you want to run a book club. How we set up book clubs in middle school pernille ripp. Classroom book clubs transformed my reading instruction and led to huge gains in my students reading comprehension and fluency. The perfect day for me is spent reading while sipping a cup of tea, dozing occasionally, reading some more, pausing to reflect. Students are often in need of more reading and speaking practice and yet theres not always enough time in class. As stated earlier in previous posts, thriving book clubs are rarely teacher directed.
Includes book suggestions, discussion questions to keep the conversation going, printable management materials, parent communication, and more. A book club for kids is one of the best ways to combine learning and fun. We take turns reading from it out loud and i assign pages to read for the next week. Students can go into their book club groups with a toolbox paper, highlighter, pen, templates for discussion and you can help them add tools along the way. We have started book clubs for our daughters, and they have continued for years.
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