The benefits of being in a book club are exactly why I love using book clubs in my classroom. It know that book clubs might seem a bit daunting if you’ve never used them in your classroom. Let me share with you why I think book clubs are exactly what our older students need as part of their learning process.
Increased Enjoyment From Being in a Book Club
One of the benefits of being in a book club is that students are getting the chance to read with their friends. Reading with our friends is fun! I don’t know about you, but when the other teachers and I start talking about books we are reading, I am happy. Why not give that same experience to our students?
Book clubs are perfect for a wide range of ages because the shared experience is something all humans enjoy. My students tell me every year that their favorite books they have read all come from our book club units. I think that is because they are much more engaged in the reading and conversations than if they read those books on their own.
The Power of Student Choice
Another benefit of being in a book club is that there is an element of student choice. When I begin a book club unit I introduce 4-6 books to students that they can choose to read during the unit. When students have choice, student motivation and engagement increase.
One question I often hear is: What do I do if a student wants to read a book that is much higher than their reading level? That is a valid concern and I think a solution to that issue is to offer students the opportunity to listen to the audiobook. Restricting student options for books based on reading level detracts from the benefits of a book club, and can be a real bummer for students. One tip I have is to do a little research to see if there is easy access to the audio versions of your possible book club books and use that to help in text selection.
Student Led Discussions
The buzz of the classroom when students are having book club meetings is one of my favorite benefits of book clubs. But student led academic discussion do not happen overnight.
Strong student discussions happen as a result of practice and feedback from the teacher. I start setting expectations for student discussions through explicit lessons and by offering many opportunities for students to talk. At the beginning of the year it looks like low stakes conversations as part of our relationship and community building.
As I start teaching content, I narrow in on how I expect student discussions to go by coaching students and giving feedback. Expectations for student discussion that benefits students in book clubs include using text evidence, staying on topic, transitioning when everyone is ready, valuing others’ perspectives, and listen to understand.
Hearing Others Perspectives
Lastly, a benefit of using book clubs is that your students have the opportunity to practice listening and understanding others’ perspectives. An aspect that book clubs provide that is missing from whole class texts is the engagement of all students in the conversation. A book club generally will have 4 or 5 students, so it is small enough that everyone has a chance to participate.
One strategy I use during book clubs to encourage each student to share is to have a meeting structure. In the first 5 minutes of the meeting, each student shares about one aspect of their reading that stuck out to them. They do this part round robin style. I give students a few minutes to plan what they are going to say so that no one is caught off guard or unsure of what to share. I check in with my reserved students during that time to coach them on how they can contribute to the club meeting. When each student gets to share their voice, they are building a community and trust with one another-even more benefits of a book club.
Let’s Get Started
There are many more benefits of being in a book club for our students, not to mention the benefits for teachers to have a classroom of students who are motivated and excited. If you are ready to give book clubs a try in your classroom, or if you want some new ideas for how you can use book clubs, I have a free email challenge that will help you get book clubs started without taking a ton of time or energy.
The Book Club Boost Challenge is just what you need to start seeing the benefits of a book club in your classroom.
You might also enjoy reading previous posts about independent reading in middle school and how to get reading routines going at the beginning of the school year and after a long break.
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