Some ideas for book club books upper elementary pernille ripp. The reading is not evaluated in the traditional way. 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 key here is that they are interested in the book they are reading thats huge. 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 are groups of students that are grouped together according to their reading level. They are given a text preferably a chapter book that is on their groups independent reading level. 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. 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. Whether youre considering a classroom book club for the first time, or are already guiding your students through their third book this year. Lunch bunch meetings should be voluntary, not required. Theres a lot to juggle when book clubs are happening in our classrooms. A book club consists of a group of students typically 46 is manageable while reading partners are just two classmates. Kennedy elementary school, sioux falls, usa for centuries, educators have assessed and compared the learning of individuals dresser, 20.
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. The perfect guide for implementing book clubs in the classroom with your and grade teachers to get started with reading book clubs. The students read the same book independently at the same time. Jul 02, 2018 get dozens of teacher and student tips. Scholastic book clubs childrens books for parents and teachers.
Lit circles teach kids how to use each other as resources and become independent learners. Feb 12, 2011 classroom book clubs is a narrated slidecast that describes a fun and effective method of doing literature circles. Finally, they need to connect reading, writing, and conversation because these activities are important for classroom book clubs. Minilessons that support effective book clubs center for the. Your students will love the choice and autonomy of book clubs. This is part 2 of a blog post miniseries to help you run book clubs with elementary. I have grown my classroom library over a long period of time. Apr 10, 2019 school counseling book clubs in elementary school are some of my favorite twists on a classic small group counseling. Of course, in order for them to be an effective structure for cooperative learning, the teacher needs to intentionally. Get started with school counseling book clubs confident. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books.
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. The classroom book clubs method is more relaxed and less structured than many forms of literature circles, and its flexibility makes it. Reading after school book clubs treadway elementary. Book clubs conversations inspiring community nathaniel petrich john f. Mar 20, 2014 you may be wondering how thats possible. Get started with book clubs in the elementary classroom. This post is the first in a threepart series about how to run a book club in your classroom. A book talk may be just the tool you need to engage your students in a new book. Students are expected to come to group with reactions and thoughts to share. 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. Dana johansen has taught elementary and middle school for more than fifteen. Jan 25, 2017 here is a quick how to guide about my classroom book club. While your book choice may be set, make as many other decisions as possible with. The rigorous owl ad 247 tieplay educational resources llc.
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. 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. Minilessons that support effective book clubs center for. What is a book talk your guide to making them work in the. The book club was voluntary and free, with the district providing the meeting place and the books. You want your students to read more, but the books arent exactly flying off the classroom bookshelves.
Showing our students, parents, and colleagues how this works through digital book clubs is one way this can happen. Reveal the book club idea, like a fun surprise, building anticipation about the way were going to experience our. Getting started with studentled book clubs in the elementary classroom by loren schnell, publishing pending. How to start a book club for elementary students with images. A blog post miniseries part 3 managing club meetings. This common corealigned resource was created to use in conjunction with book clubs in the elementary 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. Outside of the classroom, book clubs abound and range in many different formats, styles, and purposes. 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. 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. 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.
For a variety of reasons, book clubs arent always the success we. How to conduct book clubs in an elementary classroom advantages disadvantages possible barriers how to form a book club within a classroom setting. Students help each other understand a text and make sense of it. They read the same book, then gather to talk about the characters and. Middle school book clubs may help motivate readers. The power of literature circles in the classroom edutopia. 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. The social aspect and autonomy of book clubs appeal to middle school students and provide.
Help your students develop a lifelong love of reading through interactive discussion with classroom book clubs. 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. 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. These lessons can also be taught to the entire class or to certain groups on an. Traditionally, book clubs have a small group of students that have similar reading skills or levels, all reading the same 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. Book clubs are a voluntary, studentcentered activity.
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. The advantages of a book club in a middle school classroom. Book clubs for the upper elementary classroom the rigorous owl. However, the priority is often placed upon a single test score or an individual display of mastery. Fostering strategic readers in the secondary classroom by cindy odonnellallen, heinemann, 2006.
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. Book clubs bring challenges in class management and assessment. Teachers choose five or six books and collect multiple copies of each one. Students choose the book they want to read and form. How to conduct book clubs in an elementary classroom advant.
The books in each text set will be connected by genre, theme, topic, author, or illustrator. Putting 100 plus students together in an online community to have conversations can be scary. 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. 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. Book clubs for the upper elementary classroom with images. Book clubs for the elementary classroom common corealigned. You will love the selfdirection, motivation, and authentic reading, writing, and responding to literature that book clubs will bring to your classroom. Book club book club activities, book clubs elementary.
A series of blog posts about implementing book clubs into your primary classroom inspire me asap. Middle school students are typically social and like to talk. Using book clubs to foster student engagement teaching. But, when i started book clubs a few years ago i made some big mistakes. 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. Elementary school book clubs are a great way to engage children while developing their critical thinking skills and keeping them interested in reading. I have had several questions about how i go through each step with my students so hopefully, this helps. Literature circles book clubs are a time for very purposeful independent reading in a book shared with others. 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.
Whether it is a beforeschool breakfast club, afterschool program, or summer program, elementary school book clubs are educational and fun. Book clubs seemingly enhance many aspects of peoples lives. 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. 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. Scholastic book clubs childrens books for parents and. 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. However, when book clubs are not going well, teachers need to intervene with.
Book clubs are the perfect way to get your readers reading. Literature circles can be a place for cooperative learning. Books clubs can be an effective way to use these natural tendencies as a positive tool to engage middle school students in literature. If youve made it here, youre ready to find out how to get book clubs up and running in your classroom. What to do when youve tried book clubs in your classroom, and.
When book club members join you in a lunch bunch meeting, you can rely on kidwatching to note how students are developing as readers. Classroom book clubs, like literature circles, are a great way to grow reading comprehension in elementary classrooms. Book club and literature circle roles posters with images. How to run a fullchoice book club in your classroom. Reading is a social activity and we love talking about what we read. We provide approaches to professional development that bridge theory and practice to generate solutions that work for a multitude of schools. Book clubs build community in the classroom, get students excited about reading, and break up the daytoday routine. Few things excite me more than having motivated readers in my classroom that want to gather and talk about what theyre reading. Books clubs in your upper elementary classroom the. How to manage book buddies, book clubs and reading partners.