Student Led Book Clubs

Book Club was originally created through collaboration with a third grade teacher(me) and fifth grade teacher who were seeking a way to empower students to have meaningful discussions on complex texts that were being read in class.  When Book Club was first created, the whole class still read the same book, which was at a level appropriate for that age group of students.  At the beginning of “Reading Time”, students would use their Book Club materials to find out their job assignment for that day.  Students were then given approximately a half hour to read the assigned pages in their book and then complete their job in the Book Club packet.  Jobs ranged from Word Wizard, Passage Picker, Illustrator, etc.  Students would then come together to discuss their jobs for ten to fifteen minutes.Quickly, as teachers we saw students taking ownership for their reading.  Students were answering complex questions and having meaningful discussions in regards to the texts that they were reading.  No longer were students answering simple questions one at a time as the teacher called on them.

Soon after beginning Book Club, we saw a need to make the jobs even more meaningful and connected to standards.  The jobs were changed to new titles and linked to standards:  Discussion Director (leads the small group discussion and asks thought provoking questions), Connector (Connects the story to another one’s self, another text, or the world), Summarizer (Writes a retell of what has happened),  & Meaning Mapper (creates a Graphic Organizer to document new knowledge).

This year Book Club has adapted once again.

Our school, like many others, has a leveled guided reading program.  Using Fountas and Pinnell, students are assessed to find their instructional and independent reading levels.  Once those levels are known, students are placed in small groups with others whom are at their reading level.  Students are then given reading instruction at their level.

When I was working to meet with my own small groups, I was of course focused primarily on the readers at the low end of the spectrum.  Students that were doing okay or even better than okay were given centers or other work to do, while I met with the others.  I decided to revamp Book Club.  I could teach the whole class how to do Book Club.  Then, I would let students meet every day to discuss novels on their level while I was meeting with students who were not ready for independent reading.  You could walk into my classroom and see myself working with a small group of students and three other small groups meeting and reading texts independently.

In January, our school combined grade levels to enhance our guided reading program.  I am now leading five Student Led Book Clubs while other teachers and support staff work with Guided reading groups at 4 different levels.  Grouping is fluid and changes when needed to support students’ needs.

Now, students begin Book Club by finding their group.  They meet for 10-15 minutes about their reading assignment.  They are then able to self-assess how they thought they did.  The student Discussion Director also assesses their group.  I then walk around and give my assessment for the day.  Students then have approximately 15 minutes to begin reading and preparing for the next day’s discussion.

Book Club is my favorite time of day, because I just get to be a spectator.  I walk around and read with each group 3 times a week.  I keep track of time and redirect if a group has gotten off topic.  I ask questions when giving my assessments.  But for the most part, I get to watch my students teach one another.

• Creating a Book Club Library
• Must Take time to “Train” Students How to be Successful in Book Club
• Set up Norms or Protocol for how to act
• Must Find Time to Individualize Materials for Specific Book and Students
• Know the Books that you are Assigning

Benefits and Successes:

• Classroom Culture Improved – Students take ownership for their own learning.  Students know how to have a discussion and agree or disagree with one another.  Students work together as a team.
• Reading Expectation Heightened – Students hunger for more and more complex books, so that they can have deeper discussions.  Just last week, I gave my third grade students a simple novel (level T) to read after reading the much more complex novel Old Yeller.  I was hoping to give them a break.  They let me know very quickly that this book was not up to their level and they wished all of their books could be difficult and more mature.  How many teachers wish their students would say something like that?
• Out of 12 students, 9 are at Book Club Level.  Seven students have shown over a years worth of growth since we started Book Club (from October to April).  Three students have demonstrated over 2 years of growth during this short time.

Additional Information:

Click here to see the book club welcome letter

Click here to see blank book club journal sheets

Submitted by: Bridget Duggleby and Leslie Draper, Inspire Academy of Muncie