I have a huge passion for books and reading. About 6 years ago I decided to start a book club collection. I order books off of my Scholastic Book Club every month for my collection. I order the 1 dollar books and then save up my coupons and order more expensive ones as well. I have over 100 titles in my book club selection. I have 6 copies of each title.
In the earlier grades many teachers do book clubs. Most have parents that come in to run to reading club time. Since my students are a little older I decided to try it without parents. I began by grouping my kids into fluency alike, and interest alike groups. This went very well.
In my selection, I have books from a 1st grade level up to 8th grade level. I allow the groups to pick a book with a little monitoring from me. I help pick books around their reading levels and offer selections that I think will be motivating.
One thing that I have changed this year is the size of my clubs. Previously I have had 3 - 5 students in a group. I have seen that they have a more difficult time agreeing on a book with a larger group. This year I made my groups with 2 - 4 students. The selection process is going better already.
During book club time I just have the kids read. Reading for pleasure is the main purpose of my clubs. I want the students to read great books for fun. I don't give them tests, worksheets, or any other thing that they have to do. Instead I just watch them enjoy books. Once in awhile I have them to an in class project that is related to a skill that we are working on. A recent example is a cause and effect assignment with their books.
The students value this time very much. They often ask if they can read extra. I currently have 2 groups of girls that go to the library during lunch to keep reading their books. It's a great thing for me to add to my day if we have an extra 10 minutes here and there. I love my book clubs!
