Primary School Book Clubs

[MaryPlain59]

I would like to start a Book Club at my school next year and wondered if anyone could give me any tips or advice please? I already run some lunchtime groups so had originally thought of doing it during the lunch break but would half an hour be enough time?

[LockedOutOfMN]

Hi MaryPlain59 I'm a secondary school teacher so apologies if my thoughts aren't quite right for your students and set up.

I think half an hour is long enough. How many students are you hoping to involve? How will you give them the "set" reading, and what will it be, a section of a book per week, or a short story? How will you choose the books or stories?

[MaryPlain59]

Thanks for replying Locked, I am not sure about the set up and numbers yet as I am not sure what thecbest way forward would be and was hoping for any pointers to what works well in running a group. Our school focus for next year is going to be Reading and that is what made me think about starting the Book Club as I already run Lego Clubs etc at lunchtime and thought a Book Club might be new and interesting and something the children might enjoy.

[LockedOutOfMN]

I guess it would be helpful to decide whether it's a Book Club for children who already love reading or a Book Club to try to encourage children to read more? The former would be easier, I expect, to recruit, but the latter might earn you more plaudits especially if the school has a reading focus.

The books themselves would be a cost so I suppose you'd also have to ask the relevant person or people at your school what kind of budget you have. Or maybe your school already has a set of "class readers" of a book that would be suitable and isn't being taught anymore.

[MaryPlain59]

Yes I also thought a club for pupils who love reading would be good, the children who usually attend my clubs are the vulnerable children and I did wonder if the books we would use could be bought out of PP money as I know we have a very tight school budget again this year. I think I will have to ask my Head what she would prefer, I would have liked to have been able to take a proposal to her with it all planned out like I usually do! Thanks so much for all your help.

[ceebie]

I'm utterly unqualified to answer.

I just wondered whether you could make it a broader 'words' club. In addition to books, you would make wordsearches (including learning new words and their meanings), play scrabble, read poems, etc. It would make it cheaper too.

[TheSolitaryBoojum]

Ask parents to donate books, but be specific eg Roald Dahl, Harry Potter, Wimpy Kid etc.
I also think ceebie's idea of broadening it from just reading and discussing books is a great one, a club should be different to what is already offered in the curriculum.

[MaryPlain59]

Great ideas, thank you so much.