There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books. Scholastic book clubs childrens books for parents and teachers. Books for an elementary level book club my good friend and neighbordown the street hosts a twicemonthly book club for her two elementary students and my two. Jan 25, 2017 here is a quick how to guide about my classroom book club. This post is the first in a threepart series about how to run a book club in your classroom. They read the same book, then gather to talk about the characters and. I love sharing a good book, watching students make connections to the characters, seeing first hand my students reading and comprehension levels, and helping them improve their reading. This is part 2 of a blog post miniseries to help you run book clubs with elementary. The perfect guide for implementing book clubs in the classroom with your and grade teachers to get started with reading book clubs. Book clubs for the upper elementary classroom the rigorous owl we are here to help you add some tools to your teacher toolkit in order to become effective at managing book clubs in your classroom. Finally, they need to connect reading, writing, and conversation because these activities are important for classroom book clubs.
In order to carry out book clubs successfully, students must work together to negotiate places and times to meet, along with the pacing and discussion of the books. Your students will love the choice and autonomy of book clubs. A book talk may be just the tool you need to engage your students in a new book. We are here to help you add some tools to your teacher toolkit in order to become effective at managing book clubs in your classroom. Aug 17, 2014 some ideas for book club books upper elementary august 17, 2014 july 31, 2015 pernille ripp i thought i had been doing book clubs well my first few years of teaching, but it wasnt until i went to teachers college and really learned how to do book clubs that i started loving them. Reading is a social activity and we love talking about what we read. Book club and literature circle roles posters with images. However, the priority is often placed upon a single test score or an individual display of mastery. Feb 12, 2011 classroom book clubs is a narrated slidecast that describes a fun and effective method of doing literature circles. But, when i started book clubs a few years ago i made some big mistakes. Minilessons that support effective book clubs center for. Book clubs are informal discussions about books that can be used in the classroom to motivate students and to encourage comprehension and exploration of text. What to do when youve tried book clubs in your classroom, and. Book clubs are the perfect way to get your readers reading.
For a variety of reasons, book clubs arent always the success we. Aug 07, 2018 when i introduce book clubs, i explain why i selected the books and seek to generate interest by sharing a brief summary of each one along with an excerpt i particularly love. Book clubs is definitely a place to pull listening and speaking grades and we also use them for work completion grades, but to us, book clubs is not a place for grades. Scholastic book clubs is the best possible partner to help you get excellent childrens books into the hands of every child, to help them become successful lifelong readers and discover the joy and power of good books. I have grown my classroom library over a long period of time. Scholastic book clubs childrens books for parents and. Apr 19, 2017 thoughtfully planned book clubs position learning in the hands of the students and provide discussion tools students can use as they work out their responses to the book. Get started with book clubs in the elementary classroom. The classroom book clubs method is more relaxed and less structured than many forms of literature circles, and its flexibility makes it.
Help your students develop a lifelong love of reading through interactive discussion with classroom book clubs. A book club consists of a group of students typically 46 is manageable while reading partners are just two classmates. This blog post is part 2 of my book clubs miniseries, if you havent read part 1 explaining the 5 ws of book clubs, i recommend starting there if youre unfamiliar with book clubs or just want to learn more about my take on the importance of book clubs in the classroom. The reading is not evaluated in the traditional way. Book clubs seemingly enhance many aspects of peoples lives. Book clubs for the upper elementary classroom with images. Books clubs can be an effective way to use these natural tendencies as a positive tool to engage middle school students in literature. These lessons can also be taught to the entire class or to certain groups on an. Lunch bunch meetings should be voluntary, not required.
Some ideas for book club books upper elementary pernille ripp. A blog post miniseries part 3 managing club meetings. Lit circles teach kids how to use each other as resources and become independent learners. Whether youre considering a classroom book club for the first time, or are already guiding your students through their third book this year. They are given a text preferably a chapter book that is on their groups independent reading level. Fostering strategic readers in the secondary classroom by cindy odonnellallen, heinemann, 2006. Putting 100 plus students together in an online community to have conversations can be scary. You want your students to read more, but the books arent exactly flying off the classroom bookshelves. Aug 09, 2011 jan labonty, a professor in the school of education at the university of montana, adds, book clubs for children serve the same purposes that book clubs for adults do they become a vehicle for excellent conversations about books. A book talk could sell your students on the idea of picking up a new title or author or give them the push they need to. The power of literature circles in the classroom edutopia. Book clubs are a voluntary, studentcentered activity. Middle school book clubs may help motivate readers.
Kennedy elementary school, sioux falls, usa for centuries, educators have assessed and compared the learning of individuals dresser, 20. If youve made it here, youre ready to find out how to get book clubs up and running in your classroom. Of course, in order for them to be an effective structure for cooperative learning, the teacher needs to intentionally. Few things excite me more than having motivated readers in my classroom that want to gather and talk about what theyre reading. For example, the get into reading project has set up over 50 book clubs in settings such as psychiatric facilities, care homes, homeless shelters, and libraries. Traditionally, book clubs have a small group of students that have similar reading skills or levels, all reading the same book. Book clubs bring challenges in class management and assessment. This common corealigned resource was created to use in conjunction with book clubs in the elementary classroom. Reveal the book club idea, like a fun surprise, building anticipation about the way were going to experience our. The book club was voluntary and free, with the district providing the meeting place and the books. Theres a lot to juggle when book clubs are happening in our classrooms.
Matt renwick is a 15year public educator who began as a 5th and 6th grade teacher in a country school outside of wisconsin rapids, wi. Reading after school book clubs treadway elementary. Students are expected to come to group with reactions and thoughts to share. Elementary school book clubs are a great way to engage children while developing their critical thinking skills and keeping them interested in reading. Literature circles can be a place for cooperative learning. The social aspect and autonomy of book clubs appeal to middle school students and provide. Students help each other understand a text and make sense of it. How to run a fullchoice book club in your classroom.
Instead of doing literature as a separate subject with the exception of studying shakespeare, our elementary kids have a twicemonthly book club that they love. Thoughtfully planned book clubs position learning in the hands of the students and provide discussion tools students can use as they work out their responses to the book. The rigorous owl ad 247 tieplay educational resources llc. Getting started with book clubs in your upper elementary classroom can benefit all of your students, from the reluctant reader to the one that lives in the library.
Outside of the classroom, book clubs abound and range in many different formats, styles, and purposes. Mar 20, 2014 you may be wondering how thats possible. Whether it is a beforeschool breakfast club, afterschool program, or summer program, elementary school book clubs are educational and fun. Dana johansen has taught elementary and middle school for more than fifteen. Middle school students are typically social and like to talk. How to start a book club for elementary students with images. How to conduct book clubs in an elementary classroom advantages disadvantages possible barriers how to form a book club within a classroom setting. A blog post miniseries part 1 the 5 ws book clubs are a great way to get students collaborating about a book that theyre interested in. Apr 10, 2019 school counseling book clubs in elementary school are some of my favorite twists on a classic small group counseling. Students choose the book they want to read and form. Get started with school counseling book clubs confident. However, when book clubs are not going well, teachers need to intervene with.
The second post details how to establish expectations and create a schedule, and the third post discusses accountability and assessment procedures recent literacy research has revealed that choice is the key ingredient in a successful reading program, especially for reluctant readers. While your book choice may be set, make as many other decisions as possible with. Showing our students, parents, and colleagues how this works through digital book clubs is one way this can happen. Scholastic book clubs is the best possible partner to help you get excellent childrens books into the hands of every child, to help them become successful lifelong readers and discover the joy and power of. Classroom book clubs, like literature circles, are a great way to grow reading comprehension in elementary classrooms. Book clubs conversations inspiring community nathaniel petrich john f. Aug 05, 2017 classroom libraries are a beautiful thing, but in order to effectively run a book club, you need more than a classroom library can provide, unless you are limiting students choices to a certain list of options. Book club book club activities, book clubs elementary. Book clubs is a place to share a love for reading and to watch your students devour books and have rich discussions about the text. Book clubs are groups of students that are grouped together according to their reading level. Book clubs for the elementary classroom common corealigned. With all of this said, it is still true that the more background students have had in reading for deeper meaning and working in collaborative settings, the.
When book club members join you in a lunch bunch meeting, you can rely on kidwatching to note how students are developing as readers. The students read the same book independently at the same time. We provide approaches to professional development that bridge theory and practice to generate solutions that work for a multitude of schools. While its tempting to stick with your cliche, a book club is a great way to extend your circle and get to know new people.
Scholastic book clubs is the best possible partner to help you get excellent books into the hands of every child, to help them become successful lifelong readers and discover the joy and power of good books. How to conduct book clubs in an elementary classroom advant. Books clubs in your upper elementary classroom the. The books in each text set will be connected by genre, theme, topic, author, or illustrator. How to manage book buddies, book clubs and reading partners. The key here is that they are interested in the book they are reading thats huge. The advantages of a book club in a middle school classroom. Jul 02, 2018 get dozens of teacher and student tips. The classroom book clubs program is a variation of traditional literature circles in which groups of students read the same book and have weekly meetings to discuss their thoughts and feelings about the book. What is a book talk your guide to making them work in the. A series of blog posts about implementing book clubs into your primary classroom inspire me asap. Book clubs for the upper elementary classroom the rigorous owl. Minilessons that support effective book clubs center for the.