"We try to direct club discussions as little as possible because we know children will invest more if clubs have the same allure and power as a tree fort" (pg. 403)
Characteristics of Book Clubs:
- Four group members
- Kids have some input in who they want to work with, but teacher has final say
- Students reading at roughly the same level
- The groups select the books with guidance from the teacher at times
- Clubs meet for two twenty to thirty minute conversations a week
- If they meet too often then they don't have as much time to read at school and they don't have time to gather momentum and experience the excitement of meeting as a club. It becomes too routine.
- Should finish the book within two weeks of starting
- Some teachers allow the club members to assign the homework and readings themselves
- Students are discouraged to reading ahead
- They are expected to read and write to prepare for the club discussions. The teacher or the club members have input on what to write.
Preparing for Book Clubs-When do you know the kids are ready?
Kids need to learn the following before starting book clubs:
How to choose just right books
How to talk about what they're reading
How to have conversations about books
Relating conversations to the text-how to choose topics that are central to the text
How to use sticky notes and prepare for a conversation about the book
How to reflect on a conversation and contribute to what other people say
Good idea is to show students videos or snippets of conversations from other book clubs
The teacher's role in book clubs- Conferrin and Coaching
- The teacher should move from group to group and spend between five to ten minutes observing and conferring
- The teacher takes notes of the observations and look for signs of engagment among the group members
- The teacher should give club members a strategy to impove their book clubs. For example, conversation moves or ways to work together
