Seldomridge, a grades 68 project lead the way teacher at granite falls middle school in north carolina, knew a dystopian book club would not only grab students attention, but it would also connect to a range of subjects they were studying. You can play games charades or win, lose or draw with book specific themes, do themed activities or even dress up as your favorite character for the meeting. This is a first for me, but for 8th graders returning from a summer where little reading took place, this was a wonderful way to reengage them in the joy of reading. Setting up a book club in school reading groups and book clubs are a hugely popular way of engaging readers and are a way into opening the box of reading delights. I started the school year with book clubs, and am so happy that i did. 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. Geronimo the italian journalist rodent has penned dozens of highly illustrated earlyreader chapter books. Explore options for setting up and running a book club.
With a broad range of after school clubs and activities to choose from, our middle school students can spend time during and after school connecting with classmates, taking new risks and finding new passions. Book clubs are a great way to engage students with reading and help build a reading culture at your school. See more ideas about teaching reading, reading workshop and teaching. We started out in the right path, one book a month, but over the years it has been hard to keep the members committed. This post is the first in a threepart series about how to run a book club in your classroom. Middle school students are typically social and like to talk.
Draw the main character from a book you have recently. Provide meaningful selections during book clubs, i offer five or six books that are related either to a whole class text or to each other by topic, theme, genre, or author. Design a poster or new book cover depicting the climax of the story. I read the chapter on book clubs and got a couple of great ideas from it. Book clubs for kids basically, the purpose of a book club for kids is twofold. The club is directly connected to the high school book club on campus. This helped my students keep accountability for their weekly reading. From book themed activities to printable discussion questions to interviews with the authors, youll find plenty of inspiration for a great conversation. Middle school clubs and activities seven hills school. How to start a book club for middle school kids how to adult.
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. The one that i plan to us is the video modelling what a book club discussion is supposed to look like with real students discussing a real text. Be sure not to forget the reading level of the group, and take the time to find out what theyll be reading in school, so that you can be aware. Five winning books for an activitybased book club geronimo stilton series, by geronimo stilton scholastic, grades. So yeah, food is a big deal when it comes to teens and library programs. Joining or starting book clubs is one of the best ideas to get your kids reading. Overbooked, our after school book club, is open to all students.
The dvd that comes with the book has lots of other resources on it as well. Reading isnt always considered cool, but a book club is a way for your middle school child to take control of her reading. Book club for kids discussion questions, reading guide. Selected works can be checked out from the bellflower middle high school library or from a local public library. I could say i have half middle school and half high school. So today we are going to explore 25 proven activities that can be applied to any book and at any age level. Promote a love for literature and a positive attitude towards reading. My primary goal for book club is to create a culture of reading among my students. Book club gainesville middle school for the arts and. Ideas for how to do better book clubs in middle school. A book club for kids is one of the best ways to combine learning and fun. Literature circle lesson plans for middle school just add students.
This can be as simple as going around the group taking it in turns to introduce yourself and saying what you like to read and what youre looking forward to about the book club if youre new or what you like about the club if youre an. 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 through high school. Origami yoda is a great book club title for upper elementary and middle school boys. Whilst you may have a wealth of books in your school library it can often be tough to come up with fresh and engaging ways to study literature. Reflect a studentcentered model of literacy employing the gradual. Their meetings can come to life with discussions, arts and crafts, and activities. I do smaller assemblies on almost a biweekly basis. You can find a book club reading scheduler, free lessons, worksheets, and activities in my exclusive resource library. But no matter if you are a book club purist or a book club hybridist, here are three steps with four free guides for setting up and assessing book clubs in your classes. These activities are easy to follow an suitable for most age groups within an elementary junior high school level. The social aspect and autonomy of book clubs appeal to middle school students and provide motivation as well as opportunities to expand knowledge. I knew when i moved to 7th grade that book clubs would be one of the things that moved with me.
Explore topics of social skills, accepting self, developing selfconfidence, peer relationships, and bullyingconflict. The exception is when you have a book clubs form naturally and you know the kids are reading again, this is the real goal go book clubs, and they dont really need you to much anymore. And as they grow more self aware and independent, we give them all the opportunity to cultivate their unique interests and take a deeper dive in what they enjoy. Once a month we discuss a book, and the other weeks we promote reading, play games, and do other fun book related activities. Mar 2, 2020 activities, crafts, and book titles for middle grade and preschoolers. The founding members as they like to be called are either graduated or in high school now. Middle school often marks the transition to an active social life for tweens, who may want to spend more time with friends than family. My successful experiences with book club are, in large part, due to the love and energy our school librarian dedicates to her space. If you belong to a book group yourself, you will know that the pleasure of reading is multiplied when we share our ideas, explore differences of opinion and find common interests. Sometimes groups bring in their own books and do that for the club.
Book clubs in the middle school ela classroom the hungry. One of the cornerstones of book club is student choice, and this element begins with allowing students to select their text. Book clubs are the perfect way to get your readers reading. Middle school students arent too old to enjoy library activities, and some exercises can help students prepare for harder research projects and writing.
Minilessons that support effective book clubs center for the. Simply put, a book club is a group of readers, usually three or four, who read books roughly in sync with each other. Book clubs bring challenges in class management and assessment, but. Ideas for how to do better book clubs in middle school april 10, 2017 april 10, 2017 pernille ripp in 2015, i wrote a post discussing how i was doing book clubs with my 7th graders and how their ideas had shaped our process to be more powerful. This is a typed paper, less than a page, that they hand in a week after book clubs end. Minilessons that support effective book clubs center. Gainesville middle school for the arts and sciences. Putting 100 plus students together in an online community to have conversations can be scary. As stated in previous sections of this series, mini lessons are not a necessary part of literacy circles book clubs. Through the activities we added in, they also got a chance to bring the stories to life. By getting her friends involved, she can enjoy new books, discussions and activities.
The advantages of a book club in a middle school classroom. Children can enjoy the same kind of communitybuilding experience by meeting with friends to choose, read, and discuss books together. 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 gleam in their eye when books were the topic of discussion. Nycs district 75 published their middle school units of study, developing autonomy when engaging with literature, online. Ideas on starting a teen book club in your school library. How we set up book clubs in middle school pernille ripp. Write an acrostic poem about the book using the letters in the title of the book or the name of a character or author.
Games to break the ice at book discussion groups and other. Finally, youll get much more buyin from students if youre passionate about book club. Usually clubs read the same book, but sometimes clubs may read books by the same author, or read a series of books together that share a common genremystery, historical fiction, fantasyor they may read a collection of disparate books. Awhile back i wrote about the tween book club i run at my branch and all the extension activities ive done with the kids. Books clubs can be an effective way to use these natural tendencies as a positive tool to engage middle school students in literature. Books have always been very important to my family. How to do book clubs in the middle school classroom.
Book clubs have come back as a popular way to allow readers to discuss books in an informal setting. See more ideas about activities for kids, book title and activities. Many readers are adults here at book riot, but when we were kids, i bet we loved book clubs i know i did. The individual one is for the students to hand in a literary analysis of their book discussing the theme and the development of one of the main characters. Your guide to starting a book club in your school oxford. In 201617, my ninth graders read popular young adult titles by authors such as john green, rainbow rowell, and ernest cline. Students form literature circles, read esperanza rising or becoming naomi leon. Allow students to browse highquality books from around the world. Different book clubs will need different amounts of adult supervision, so provide. The kids book club book authors also recommend that you choose books that can generate a lot of interest, like a book with a popular movie version, or a series of books that will hook them for months.
How to run a fullchoice book club in your classroom. The group project is the 12word book summary, detailed here. A prime motivator, especially for secondary students, is social interaction. Draw a classroom mural depicting a major scenes from the book. How to start a middle school book club education possible.
Welcome to brightlys book club for kids, where we encourage young readers to discover great books, share new stories, explore important topics, and have some bookish fun. At your first book club meeting, or whenever new people join your reading group, its good to spend a bit of time getting to know each other. After reading an informational book, make a scrapbook about the topics. Ideas for how to do better book clubs in middle school pernille. In a book club, you dont have to just sit around and talk about the book. In it they list some of the benefits of book clubs in the classroom. 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. Book club for kids is a podcast where middle school readers discuss the books they love with host kitty felde. A group of high school students sitting in a circle, discussing a book. I am a book club advisor, middle grade and high school.