The Book Club Resource Sets use chapter books as a springboard for instruction.
Every Book Club has been thoughtfully developed to provide readers with plenty of opportunities to practice using a specific comprehension skill. Through practicing with authentic text, students learn to become strategic, expand their knowledge of genre, develop author preferences, and begin to establish themselves as reading experts.
Here's how the Book Club Resource Sets Work:
Each resource set focuses on a specific comprehension skill. Here are some examples of the skills:
- Making Inferences (e.g. drawing conclusions, citing the text)
- Determining Theme (e.g. identifying main ideas and supporting details)
- Exploring Story Elements (e.g. character development, character traits, plot development)
- Exploring Figurative Language
- Examining an Author's Use of Text Structures to Tell a Story (e.g. problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast)
- Examining Points of View
- Exploring the use of Visual Elements to Tell a Story
Each resource set includes the following:
- Book Club Meetings (discussion questions, key vocabulary, mini lesson, instructional resources)
- Management Resources available in both English and Spanish (calendar, expectations for Book Club, reading response board, self assessment)
- Assessment Resources (focus assessment, CCSS aligned comprehension assessment, running record)
- Optional Activities (vocabulary development activities, culminating activity)
- Standards Alignment (CCSS and TEKS)
You'll find that each Book Club Resource Set has been carefully designed to encourage deeper comprehension through the use of literature discussion groups. Each meeting provides opportunities for the students to absorb new concepts, discuss their thoughts and findings, work collaboratively with peers, and reflect on their learning and how it can be applied to their future independent reading.
Each Book Club Resource Set includes detailed mini lessons and resources for each meeting.
The number of meetings in each resource set varies based on the level and length of the book. For example, a shorter book may have 4 meetings, while a longer, more sophisticated novel may have 8 meetings.
Regardless of the number of meetings, all of the book clubs follow the same format and include a
first meeting, a
set of middle meetings, and a
final meeting.
The first meeting has 2 objectives:- To introduce the rules and expectations involved with Book Club participation, and
- To introduce the instructional focus.
As a result,
the first meeting takes longer than the rest. It is recommended that you allow 20 minutes for the first meeting.
The middle meetings all follow the same format. As a result, the lesson plans indicate suggested time allowances for each stage of the meeting. Depending on your pacing and the needs of the students, you may have to adjust your scheduling.
The final meeting includes an opportunity for students to reflect on the work they did while in Book Club, to discuss any lingering questions they might have about the book, and to identify how they can use what they learned in Book Club during independent reading. This meeting also includes an optional assessment.
Each Meeting contains the following parts:
PART 1: Kick Off the Book Club
PART 2: Time to Teach
PART 3: Model How to Respond to Reading
PART 4: Take Time to Reflect
PART 5: Wrap Up the Book Club Meeting
Each Book Club Resource Set includes the following assessment tools:
- Running Record
- Focus Assessment
- Common Core Assessment
RUNNING RECORD
The Running Record can be used to assess whether or not the text is a good fit for the readers in your classroom. By evaluating each student’s oral reading fluency and miscue patterns, you will be able to identify which students are a good fit for each Book Club. To learn more about running records, click here.
FOCUS ASSESSMENT
The Focus Assessment is a combination of six short-answer and multiple-choice questions. The purpose of these questions is to determine whether or not the students understood the key concepts associated with the instructional focus of the Book Club. A scoring rubric is also included with the Focus Assessment. Based on their responses to the Focus Assessment, students are rated from beginning through secure. For students less than secure, a checklist of areas for improvement is available.
COMMON CORE ASSESSMENT The Common Core Assessment is a combination of nine short-answer and multiple-choice questions. The purpose of these questions is to gauge students’ overall comprehension of the text and his/her mastery of the Common Core State Standards.
Each Book Club Resource Set includes the following management resources, all of which are available in Spanish:
- Book Club Calendar and Conversation Prompts
- Self Assessment
- Reading Response Option Board (with optional Common Core alignment)
- Expectations for Book Club Reference Sheet (not pictured)
BOOK CLUB CALENDAR AND CONVERSATION PROMPTS
Keep everyone on the same page with this calendar. Students can number the days of the month and keep track of their reading assignments. Plus, it comes with a list of conversation prompts to support reluctant students and help you avoid lulls during discussion time.
SELF ASSESSMENT
Self evaluation can be a really powerful tool for students. By making your expectations clear, students will always know what they should be doing during Book Club. This self assessment will help students reflect on the work they do before and after book club as well as the ways they contribute during the meetings.
READING RESPONSE OPTION BOARD
Option boards hold students accountable during independent reading time. They also give students ownership over the work they do as readers. Invite students to choose the option they like best and use it to respond to their reading.
Note: This option board can be printed with or without the Common Core State Standards.