Second Lesson Plan for Week 8- Book Clubs

I will describe a lesson plan for conducting book clubs, or lit circles. Sometime after the first half of the year (January at least) I introduce book clubs to the students. If there are students from older grades that do book clubs, I try to arrange for a "fish bowl" so my students can see one being demonstrated. Once students are ready, they are given a list of 4 books to choose from and sign their name on the list for that book. There is a maximum of 6 students per club. If their first choice is full, they sign on their second choice. Once clubs are formed, each one meets with the teacher to decide on the job they will do. Some jobs include discussion director, connector director, art director, word finder, summarizer, or any that the teacher feels worthwhile. The task of the student is to come up with a question to ask the other students pertaining to their topic. (Asking questions allows for better discussions rather than just sharing their own thoughts with the group.) After the jobs are decided on, the students read the book independently, with a buddy, or with another adult. Towards the end of the week (2-4 days later) groups get together to discuss their books. The teacher needs to give the students a great deal of support at the beginning to get them started. After participating in few book clubs, the students can handle more of the discussions themselves. For at least the first few meetings, I like to bring in a snack for the children so they can eat while the "visit" about their book. (I'm trying to make a correlation of something they like (snack) with books. I say "whatever works" to get them to love books.)Most students end up loving to do book clubs and are disappointed when they are done for the year.