Here is part 2 on my series on books clubs. Part 1 you can find here. 🙂

Part 2: Tips for Launching Successful Book Clubs

1. Observe & Model Book Club Discussions– I do a fishbowl activity, where one book club sits in the middle and has their discussion. The rest of the class sits on the outside and makes a circle around them. They sit silently and take notes on what they notice about the discussion. After a few minutes of the discussion, they stop talking and we share what noticed.

2. Book Club Constitution– Have students come up with a constitution that has expectations and roles on how their book club will work. Some of my groups came up with a set order that the kids will share when they first start their discussion.

3. Book Club Chart- This something new I’m doing this year. I got this idea from Lucy Calkin’s unit of study book, Tackling Complex Texts. It is a chart where each group has a row where they write down the book they are reading and the assignment they have until their next meeting day. It’s nice to have it hanging up so I can see it and it helps them as well.

4. Schedule- Try to have a consistent schedule on when book clubs meet. I have students meet every other day in their book clubs. On days that they don’t meet, they are doing independent reading of book club books or their other books they are reading.

What things do you do to get your book clubs running smoothly?