Book clubs

One section of the book club reading that caught my attention today is the part on grouping students together. this caught my attention because this week we paired our students in our reading groups based on interests and reading levels into groups. The students filled out a survey to inform us what kind of books they liked. For this paired reading activity only two kids are grouped together. We are starting with paired reading before moving to book clubs, so that the students have an idea of how to talk deeply about a book. Another similarity I saw between the book club plus book and my classroom is reading logs. The student's write letters in their logs to their teachers explaining what they are doing in their reading and a brief summary of what their book is about. This is a way that reading and writing are integrated together. Another aspect of the Book club plus that I see in my classroom is the read aloud. Right now we are reading Stone Fox aloud. During this time the teacher models different strategies that the students are supposed to use in their writing. Not only do the students enjoy this time that they are being read to but they are learning at the same time. The students are also able to talk about this book. This is now a common knowledge that the entire class has. Some of the students are low, they are reading picture books that most 1st graders would read. This read aloud exposes them to book that are at their level. The book club processes that are used in my classroom have been effective so far. There are more that will be implemented throughout the year.