Morning Book Club with Students

I was looking for a way to connect with more of students and to continue to grow my students love of reading. I decided to try a morning book club, and it was the best idea ever! I was hoping I would have at least 5-10 students and over 20 showed up the first time! It has continued to grow.

This has easily become my favorite day of the week. Students and I look forward to it all week.

I'm sharing the steps I took to get my book club up and running in case you're interested in starting one too!

1. Introduce the idea-

I started with a poll (using menitmeter) to see if students were even introduced. I didn't share a lot of information at first, I used this poll as a way to get them interested and want to know more.

2. Pump up the idea-

After the poll, I talked up book club and how awesome it was going to be. :) I shared that we would meet before school, discuss the book, play some games, and just have a bunch of fun together!

3. Pick a book-

I wanted our first book to be a short read, so we could get through it fairly quickly. I didn't want book club with one book to drag on forever. I chose a book that was available on Scholastic. That way parents would be able to easily purchase the book for a reasonable price. Also, think about a book that would be appealing to most of your students.

3. Share information with parents-

I sent an introduction letter and permission slip to parents both with a physical copy and emailed them a copy. I also shared about our upcoming Book Club via my weekly video newsletter. I wanted to make sure I got the information out via many channels.  Click here to view my letter and make a copy if you want to tweak it.

4. Buy books-

I ordered the books on Scholastic for the students that placed that way. I also let students know they could check the book out at the library or buy on Amazon. If money was an issue, I worked with students to help them get the book.

5. Student Bookmarks and dates-

I created bookmarks for each student that was going to be in Book Club. The bookmark included our meeting dates and chapters to read for each meeting.

Click here to grab a copy to edit:

6. Email parents-

Then, I emailed just the parents with students in Book Club sharing the dates and times for our meetings.

7. Meet UP-

Finally, we met for our first meeting. We circled up and discussed the book. I went way BETTER than I could have imagined. Students were so engaged with the book and each other. I was so proud of their questions, discussion, and engagement. We ended each meeting with a game, usually Kahoot!

8. CELEBRATE-

After our first book club, the students asked if we could celebrate. Parents contributed, and we were able to have the best time. We even created a life motto, like one we learned from the book!

We are ready for book #2!! 

Let me know if you have any questions. 

First Chapter Friday

First Chapter Friday is a big deal in my classroom! It happens every Friday, and students come in looking forward to seeing what book we will be reading. 

First Chapter Friday is exactly what it sounds like. You read the first chapter of a book aloud to your students. But, what makes it fun is the hype and excitement for the book and who gets to read the rest of it. 

Click here if you want to grab a copy of my display slide.

I have six easy steps to help your students want First Chapter Friday every week.

1. Decide on a book and talk it up before Friday without giving the title away.

2. Share the title. Then share information about author and talk about other books he/she has written.

3. Read the blurb and let students share thoughts and questions.

4. Read the FIRST chapter (and sometimes the 2nd and 3rd, and maybe 4th)! I love when they talk me into reading another chapter.

5. Let students share thoughts about the book via Padlet (QR code on my slide) and read each other's ideas.

6. Place an "I WANNA READ" sheet for students to sign their name if they are interested in reading it. 

And that's it, but my students absolutely LOVE First Chapter Friday!

Click here to grab a copy of my list. I put the list in our classroom library, and we pass the book to the next person. I love when they all try to be the first one to get the book from the school library. :) 

This is a great time to highlight new books, authors, different genres, series, etc. I also let students submit titles of books to me for recommendations for our First Chapter Friday reads. First Chapter Friday has brought even more excitement to our classroom for my readers! 

What do you do to grow the love of reading in your classroom?