Wise Guys

Creativity in the Modern Classroom

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Free Resources
  • Novel Units
  • Reading Strategies
  • Shop
    • My account
    • My Downloads
    • My Cart
    • Checkout
    • Shop on TpT
Click here to get a free ebook!

Why Book Club Needs to Happen in Your Classroom

December 8, 2019 by Wise Guys 1 Comment

If you are not implementing Book Club in your upper elementary or middle school classroom, you need to do so now!

Traditional reading class in elementary and middle school has usually consisted of teachers self-selecting books for students to read. Whether it be a whole class novel or leveled books for guided reading, the choice has always been with the teacher. Yes, finding books at students’ reading levels is important, but by taking away choice, you are taking away student interest and engagement. Book Club is a time when students self-select books to read and discuss in small groups. And this should be happening in your classroom now!

How to Start Book Club

Before starting Book Club in our classroom, we select about 6-7 books that we feel are good titles for the students to choose from and that have a wide variety of reading levels. We can use our school and district libraries to find multiple copies, besides our own classroom library. Once we have the titles, we like to read the book jacket aloud to the students so they know what the book is about. Often, other students will chime in if they have read the book too.

Next, we have students sign up for Book Clubs. See our Editable Book Club Group Template handout that is included in our Book Club unit for  helpful organization of groups. We like to have at least three students per book. If there are only two, and one student is sick, that Book Club group would not be able to operate. Before starting Book Club, we also send a letter home to families so they know what Book Club is all about.

How to Engage Students

After we have gotten the students excited about their books and are ready to begin, we show them the Book Club Introduction Slideshow. It talks about the purpose, expectations, tools that will help them, and how to experience success. This is a perfect lead in to the Book Club contract that we want them all to sign.

We then hand them out the bookmarks. The students get into groups and decide on the number of pages to be read each day. We try to have all book clubs finish around the same time (about 12 days). This allows for differentiation and flexibility with all groups. As teachers we tend to help out students with a lower reading level decide on pages to read. You will want to use the Editable Book Club Schedule to record the pages the groups select so you can track what groups are reading daily. Below is an example of the bookmark your students could use.

What to do for Daily Work

We have included some different options for daily work that you can pick and choose from. The daily assignment and daily assignment reflection allow students to reflect on their reading. You will want students to have the Author’s Craft and Reflection Guide handout to help them. We also have a Main Character Study activity to help students dive deeper into the main characters in the book.

How to Assess Students

We have included multiple forms of assessment for you to choose from. We have a daily grading rubric, a discussion rubric, a group self-assessment rubric, and an end of book club reflection. It is important to hold the students accountable for their work. Below is an example of our daily grading rubric.

How to Work with Struggling Students

Book Club should provide motivation for your students, but like any activity, there will still be some students who have a hard time getting started and working each day. These students will need your guidance. Here are some tips on how to connect with your struggling students:

  • It will be important that you are as excited as you can when helping these students on their daily tasks. Showing them that you care about the book they are reading will hopefully help burn a fire within them!
  • Check-in with your struggling students daily. They may need guidance on where to begin and how to work each day.
  • Allow your struggling students to do partner reading and work with a classmate to do the daily requirements.
  • Be there for them through the entire process. Your struggling students will notice the interest that you have in their learning!

We highly suggest your start implementing Book Club in your classroom. Our Book Club resource will get you on the path to higher student engagement and success with your class!

Related

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Comments

  1. free essay samples link says

    December 11, 2019 at 3:20 am

    Having a book club in your classroom is a perfect idea! Creativity is the only thing which has never been cancelled before.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Back to School Freebies
  • Top 5 Back to School “Must Do” Activities
  • Top 5 Back to School Tips for Balancing Schedules and Routines
  • How to Give Encouragement for the New Teacher
  • Back to School Tips for Social Studies Teachers
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Wise Guys from Teachers Pay Teachers Welcome to our site! We have been teaching for over 30 years at the intermediate grade level (4-6). We pride ourselves on creating lessons that are engaging, meaningful, and aligned with the Common Core Standards. We love teaching, and love sharing our resources with other teachers. We hope you can find some activities that you can use in your classroom!

Follow Us

Our Store

Search Our Site

Top Posts & Pages

  • Oregon Trail Simulation Activity: Become a traveler on the Trail.
  • Preparing for Spring Testing: Top 5 Test Taking Strategies for SBAC or PARCC
  • Brain Breaks in the Elementary Classroom!
  • 15 Clever Call and Responses to Use in the Classroom!
  • Top 5 Cinco de Mayo Activities and Ideas for the Elementary Classroom
  • Teaching Novel Units in the Classroom
  • Point of View Anchor Chart and Resource
  • Author's Purpose Anchor Chart: It's as Easy as Pie!
  • 10 Tips for Welcoming a New Student

Recent Posts

  • Top 5 Social Emotional Learning Activities for the School Year
  • Top 5 Resources to End the COVID 19 School Year
  • How to Prank Your Students on April Fools’ Day
  • Spring Break Self-Care Ideas for Teachers
  • Preparing Students for Standardized Testing During a Pandemic

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 164 other subscribers

Teaching Blog Addict

TBA

Copyright © 2014 Wise Guys. All rights reserved. Website customization by Our Misadventures