Fountas & Pinnell Literacy™ Blog | Classroom Instruction, Intervention & More

Start a Book Club

Written by Fountas and Pinnell Team | Mon, May 18, '20

Start a Book Club

If a small group of students has access to the same book, you can form a "virtual" book club. Usually, students select for themselves the books they read for a book club, although you guide the process. Make a few different selections available, give a brief book talk to introduce students to each book, and then form small groups based on book choice. 

Set up a schedule for meeting and discussing the book, and agree on how much will be read by the meeting date. As students read, they may mark, note, draw , or write in preparation for the discussion. Meet to discuss the book. Students may meet online and post comments and observations, or answer prompts. While you play an important role, students should learn to listen and address each other, while you demonstrate and promote effective discussion techniques. Following the discussion, students may want to share their new understanding of the book with classmates through a response or cooperative project.