How to Run Book Clubs

Happy Pre-Valentine's Day! I hope you were able to get out this weekend or tomorrow to hang with your friends and family. Maybe you showed some LOVE by cheering on your favorite Super Bowl team!

I wanted to take this week to focus on Book Clubs and how exactly they work. First of all What is a Book Club? A Book Club or Literature Circle, is small group of students reading the SAME book. It can be a book they they have chosen themselves, chosen from a pre-picked list by the teacher, or assigned to them. 

How Does It Work?!

Good question! A working Book Club is going to look different at each grade level because of the expectations in independence, questions, and leadership. Basically your Book Club is a time for REFLECTION and COLLABORATION of ideas for students. 

Step 1: Planning

I usually give my students a list of books (and this will depend on what you have available to you in multiple copies in your building or library). I have them put their top choices either on Sticky Notes OR I love to use a Google Form for their picks. I be sure to note the reading level (just generically easy, hard, or just right in terms of the grouping of books). I also DON'T give students a heads up about the books and have them choose immediately so they aren't able to collaborate with their friend because it should be about interest and reading level NOT who is going to be in the group. 

Step 2: Build Groups/Set a Schedule

Groups are built on what they are reading. So get the groups together and then explain the RULES of Book Club. All the rules will be different, but if you check out my Book Clubs pack above it will have a RULES book for students for you to get started. Also set a schedule of how many pages/chapters students will read each day and what they need to prep for the next "meeting" of their group. 

Step 3: Gather Information/Writing Responses

Students will gather information for their Book Club meeting such as writing down new vocabulary words, thoughts, questions, and connections. I like to teach students to write these notes on a sticky note and put in their book. You may like to have students write in a special notebook, journal, or a created document. I have these pages already created that you can laminate and students can write names s well as, blank ones you can assign as an EASEL activity for groups to write responses or for them to write their own!

I have organizers in this Response and Record Book if you want to check it out! Organizers include: 14 graphic organizers on inferring, asking questions, making connections, or author's purpose. Use this Response Book all year for independent reading, as well as Book Clubs. 

Need ideas?! Here are some books that you may want to check out for Book Clubs!

Book	Author	Reading Level
Flora and Ulysses   Because of Winn Dixie   The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane	Kate DiCamillo	3rd/4th Grade
The BFG	Roald Dahl	3rd/4th Grade
The Chocolate Touch	Patrick Skene Catling	3rd Grade
Any Magic Treehouse Book	Mary Pope Osborne	2nd/3rd Grade
The Little Prince	Antoine de Saint-Exupery	3rd Grade
Cam Jansen Series	David Adler	2nd/3rd Grade
Time Warp Trio Books	Jon Scieszka	3rd Grade
It's Raining Pigs and Poodles (poetry)	Jack Prelutsky	2nd/3rd Grade
The Year of Billy Miller	Kevin Henkes	2nd/3rd Grade
Pax   Clementine Series	Sara Pennypacker	2nd/3rd Grade
The Penderwicks	Jeanne Birdsall	4th/5th grade
Frindle   Lunch Money	Andrew Clements	2nd/3rd Grade
The One and Only Ivan	Katherine Applegate	4th/5th/6th Grade
Where the Red Fern Grows	Wilson Rawls	5th/6th Grade
Hatchet	Gary Paulson	4th/5th Grade
The Giver	Lois Lowry	5th/6th Grade
11 Birthdays	Wendy Mass	5th Grade
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe	C.S. Lewis	4th Grade
Wonder	RJ Palacio	5th/6th Grade
Out of My Mind	Sharon Draper	5th/6th Grade
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library	Chris Grabenstein	5th/6th Grade
When you Reach Me	Rebecca Stead	4th/5th Grade
Hoot	Carl Hiassen
Bridge to Terabithia	Katherine Paterson	4th/5th grade
Esperanza Rising	Pam Munoz Ryan	5th/6th grade
Holes	Louis Sachar	5th/6th grade

Scholastic has a Book of the Week that is on sale! *not sponsored 

I like to get Book Club books from Scholastic as they often have books for $2 or less per book. It's a great way to get a set of books without breaking the bank. You could also create a Wish List through Scholastic for parents. 

Have a great idea for Book Clubs?! I would love to hear what works for you or any amazing titles your kids are enjoying!