Have you ever been part of a book club? For kids, being part of classroom book clubs is exciting, engaging and fun. For some students, these clubs are the first time they really start to experience the joy of reading and talking about their thinking.
Our school is located right in the middle of a big city, but we are fortunate to have a park nearby.
We are a K-8 school housed in an old, drafty middle school building built in the 1930s. We do our best to make these old rooms seem warm and inviting, like an elementary classroom should!
I teach a class of 25 third grade students (10 girls and 15 boys) who are funny, kind, silly and excited to learn. We have a very diverse classroom community. Students in my classroom speak over 8 different languages! We also have advanced learners and special education students. My students this year especially LOVE reading and are very excited at the prospect of being "members" in book clubs. They are a very social class and really love sharing their ideas.
So far, we have been working hard to try and turn our classroom into a real community of friends. The additional time spent in clubs to learn and practice social and interpersonal skills will really benefit this group.
My Project
Students in third grade are the perfect age for introducing and holding book clubs. The idea of being in a club and getting to work with other students is fun and very motivating. The students in my class are very social learners and have already started practicing in partnerships the interpersonal skills and words used in deep, meaningful discussions. They are ready to start learning and practicing advanced discussion skills surrounding theme, inference and character but need to be reading the same book as the rest of their group to have really meaningful discussions. Also, book clubs teach students how to take on the responsibility of setting reading goals, being accountable to a group and self-managing their time. My students are very excited at the idea that they will get to be in charge of holding "club" meetings, setting reading goals and having discussions about their books. We just need multiple copies of the same books so they can start!
If students are not reading the same book at the same time, it is very difficult to hold discussions and work on the same activities together.
These books will be used for book clubs by my class, two other third grade classes and future students for years to come. Please helps us make our dream of book clubs a reality!
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Kranich and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.