Brought to you by Kathleen DiGennaro
June 1, 2010
A Fun Way to Read and Share
What is Book Talk Club?
• Book Talk Club can provide an opportunity
beyond the regular classroom reading
lessons for students to read and share books
in a social setting.
How does Book Talk Club
support curricular goals?
• Book Talk Club can enhance the opportunities
for students to attain the goals set forth in the
beliefs reflected in the NYS ELA Core
Curriculum.
– English language arts learners must be exposed to regular and varied
opportunities to read
– Students to read a minimum of 25 books or the equivalent, per year,
across all content areas and all standards
– Students to listen and to speak on a daily basis.
– Students as active learners, responsible for and knowledgeable about
their own learning.
Background and Supporting Research
Book Club Plus: A Conceptual Framework to Organize Literacy Instruction
Taffy E. Raphael, Oakland University
Susan Florio-Ruane, Michigan State University
MariAnne George, Rochester Community Schools
http://www.ciera.org/library/reports/inquiry-3/3-015/3-015.htm - 82864
Book Talk Club: Cape Elizabeth High School Library
345 Ocean House Rd.; Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107;(207) 799-3309
http://www.cape.k12.me.us/cehslibrary/Library%20Web/Booktalk/booktalk_club.htm
Literature Circles
Compiled By: Pat Elliott, Resource Teacher & Dale Mays, Grade 4 Teacher
Simcoe County District School Board Ontario Canada
http://www.edselect.com/Docs/Litcir.pdf
Background and Supporting Research
Literature Circles Revisited: Learning from Experience
By Christine Boardman Moen Book Links May 2005 pp 52-53
http://www.chrismoen.com/webdata/LiteratureCircles.pdf
Literature Circles Structure: Grades 2-3
By Mary Lou Laprade John Hay Elementary Seattle, Washington
http://fac-staff.seattleu.edu/kschlnoe/web/LitCircles/Structure/struct23.html
Literary Lessons: Literature Circle Models
By Laura Candler Milken Educator 2000 Fayetteville, NC
http://home.att.net/~teaching/litcircles.htm#Flexible%20Literature%20Circles
Literature Circles Build Excitement For Books!
Mary Daniels Brown Education World Copyright 2004 Education World
http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr259.shtm
How to Implement
Book Talk Club?
Day(s)
Students
Time
Supervisors
Books
Rooms for
each club
Activities
Divide the number of students in the class
by 6 – 7 to determine how many book club
groups will be needed.
Classroom Teachers
Principal
Select an adult staff
supervisor for each book club
group needed.
AIS Reading Teachers
Special Ed. Teachers
Librarian
Literacy Coaches
Speech Teachers
Select book titles to
equal the number of
book club group
needed.
Design or find an activity
for each book that
features the book’s
genre, topic or story line.
Book titles should
represent the readers’
independent level of
reading.
Activities should be
appropriate for 20
minutes of play and
4-8 players.
Select book titles to
equal the number of
book club group
needed.
Schedule a weekly
meeting day and time
of 45 minutes that fits
all participants.
Model Book Talk Club
Meeting and review
club roles and rules
with the class.
Keep a log of book titles
assigned to each student.
Make a Student Roster Sheet of
each Book Club Group to
include book copy number,
group supervisor, book title and
student classroom (if more than
one class is involved.
Prepare a Bookmark for
each student that includes
the teacher-facilitator, the
book title, book copy
number, classroom teacher
and meeting date.
The bookmark is a reminder to
As you read,
make a sticky note
about 3 of these ideas.
Seating Arrangement
Students sit in semi-circle of chairs
with discussion chart and agenda
at the head of the circle.
Teacher/facilitator may choose to
stand outside of circle and guide
the students through the agenda.
(encourage students to direct their
contribution to the group)
Agenda
Discussion
Chart
Jobs
Rules
BOOK TALK CLUB
Meeting Agenda
1. Read the club rules. (3 minutes)
2. Announce meeting jobs and responsibilities. (3 minutes)
3. Share story summary- Next/Before. (6 minutes)
4. Share ideas on sticky notes – on discussion chart. (8 minutes)
5. Book activity- the teacher will explain. (23 minutes)
6. Clean up (2 minutes)
Roles and Responsibilities
1. Announce meeting jobs and responsibilities (3 minutes)
Teacher may choose a Manager (eg. pick name tag
from “hat”, select volunteer)
Place Manager’s name card on job chart.
Manager reads his role and then chooses names of
others: each selects their job, affixes their name on
the Jobs Chart and reads their role.
With 7 club members, the seventh person may
choose any of the 6 jobs to be shared.
Timer or Recorder can easily be shared, or two
Encouragers can work cooperatively.
Provide Timekeeper with the timer and Encourager
with a sheet of stickers.
Taskmaster reads the Agenda Item #2
Summary Share – BEFORE/AFTER
Share story summary- Before/After. (6 minutes)
Timekeeper sets timer.
You may want to have students close the books
for this activity to encourage recall of the story
rather than describing an illustration they look at.
Gate Keeper: Begins, “One thing that happened
in the (beginning, middle, end) of the story is . . “
Then pass the After/Before card to the next
student who says “And before/after that (shows
the Before or After on card) . . . “ adding a main
event recalled from the story.
Then pass the After/Before card to the next
student and continue until each has had a turn or
Timekeeper calls time.
Discussion Chart of Idea Sticky Notes
Share ideas on sticky notes on discussion chart.
(8 minutes)
Timekeeper sets timer.
Students contribute ideas to Discussion Chart.
Gatekeeper gives each student a turn to read one of
his/her ideas prepared on sticky-notes.
The student reads their idea; then Recorder places it
on the chart.
Each student gets 3 turns to read each of their ideas.
Remind students, contributing 3 sticky-notes each
meeting is their responsibility to the club.
After all have shared their sticky notes; Encourager
gives a sticker to each member who has contributed
3 ideas to the Discussion Chart.
Encourager may also give an extra sticker to 1-2
students who did an extra good job during
Discussion
Book Activity
Book activity- the teacher will explain.
(23 minutes)
Timekeeper sets timer.
See activity in Book Talk Club basket.
Manager helps hand out supplies.
There are two sets of materials for the
students to do the activity in groups of 3-4.