M O T I VAT I N G R E A D I N G

THROUGH
BOOK CLUBS
C A S S I E KO I N Z A N
TE 869
DESCRIPTION:
MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES
• If students are only ever motivated by extrinsic motivation when it comes to reading, they will
have no desire to read if there is not some sort of a reward. Book clubs teach students the
reward is “a LOVE for reading”. Creating book clubs that encourage intrinsic motivation will
teach children to read “by simple interest or by mere pleasure or satisfaction of doing the
task” (Crow & Small, 2011, p. 6).

• In a Book Club students come together with their peers to

discuss various books. They openly share their thoughts
while discussing what they’ve read. Cedar, a student from
an article by ABC Premium News (2017) explains “reading
together encourages you to read more because you get to
discuss it with your friends” (n.p.). Students are excited to
read the book and collaboratively discuss it with their
classmates.
DESCRIPTION:
MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES (CONTINUED)
• According to ABC Premium News (2017, n.p.), some examples of literature that students
found as good choices for their book club were:
– Ruby Redfort by Lauren Child
– Wonder by Raquel J. Palacio
– Anything by Tom Gates, Roald Dahl and David Walliams.
– “They also described Diary of a Wimpy Kid as a 'gateway book' that most kids enjoyed
reading” (ABC Premium News, 2017) by Jeff Kinney.

• Jil’Lana Heards (2015, p. 67) suggestions include:

– Divergent by Veronica Roth
– The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
– Fallen by Lauren Kate
DESCRIPTION:
COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIP
• Book clubs can be a great collaborative opportunity for the teacher and
librarian. The librarian can choose books for the book club corresponding to
certain themes the students are learning in the classroom.
• The Librarian and teachers could even create an adult book club as a way to
encourage collaboration and sharing resources. Baumann (2014) explains how
her school started “Teachers Under Cover,” a teacher-only book club. In this
book club, “Science and Social Studies teachers wanted ideas for novels for a
collaborative unit with their teams” while other teachers “wanted some good
read-alouds for their classes” (n.p.).
DESCRIPTION:
DIGITAL TOOLS
• Many digital tools can be used within the Book Club to foster engagement:
– iPads and tablets can be used for discussion.
• There are apps and websites available for virtual book clubs where students
can communicate with other students around the world. How awesome
would it be for the students to not only be collaborating with their peers, but
with students in another school, state, or even country!!
– Discussions can also take place on a computer in a Google Doc format.
– If there is a video format of the book, students can get together after reading the
book to watch the movie. It is always fun to compare and contrast books and
movies.
 DESCRIPTION:
RESOURCES NEEDED
• What you need…
– Readers
• Students and a teacher
– Books
• Choose a book that sparks the readers’ interest
– Decide what book to read. When choosing books “try to select a variety of genres, with both
male and female protagonists, take student requests, and try to appeal to a broad range of
readers” (Heard, 2015, p. 68).
• Get enough copies of the book for each student
– A Meeting Place
• A certain time or class period
– “Organize the meetings” (Heard, 2015, p. 68) and facilitate book discussion.
DESCRIPTION:
RESOURCES NEEDED (CONTINUED)
Other Helpful Resources (Optional):

• A packet of questions to guide discussion that include a calendar of the

weeks you’ll be reading, including how many pages to read and the due dates.

• You can use a “stopwatch to limit each speaker to two minutes. It’s helpful as
it gave everyone a chance to talk. Kids can easily run the stopwatch and
gently remind the speakers when their time is up” (Baumann, 2014, n.p.).

• Discussion questions, games, and activities related to the book to achieve the
goal of making reading fun (Heard, 2015).
READING ROLE BASE:
ROLE OF THE LIBRARIAN

• “Classroom teachers, reading specialists, and school librarians select materials, promote the
curricular and independent use of resources, including traditional and alternative materials, and
plan learning experiences that offer whole classes, small groups, and individual learners an
interdisciplinary approach to literacy learning” (AALS, 2010, n.p.).
MOTIVATIONAL BASE
• Research shows that Book Clubs foster intrinsic motivation. They focus “on
reintroducing the idea of reading for pleasure and not just for academic
purposes” (Heard, 2015, p. 65).

• There are many benefits to a Book Club:

– “The book clubs have had a broader, social impact, a lot of the kids didn’t know each other
when they first started and now they are friends” (ABC Premium News, 2017, n.d.).
– “Hosting book clubs is a great way to build recreational reading habits, assisting students
to become confident in discussions and public speaking, and becoming part of a
community that values reading” (Baumann, 2014, n.p.).
– Ms. Rakich explains, “I find the discussion can get quite philosophical, and that’s what I like,
that it is not just about that reading comprehension of discussing the plot, it is about those
deeper thoughts that they’ve had around the book” (ABC Premium News, 2017, n.d.).
– Olivia said, “It opens up new categories and authors to read, and you would read
something you wouldn’t normally” (ABC Premium News, 2017, n.d.).
 REFERENCE:
ABC Premium News. (2017). Children’s book club encouraging
kids to read more with their mates. A ustralian
Broadcasting Cooperation, Retrieved f rom http://0-
e d s . A . E b s c o h ost.Com.Rosi.Unk.Edu/eds/ detail/detail?Vid=1
2 & s i d = 4 2 2 f c d b7-9617-4f54-a4b8-
e 9 1 4 5 6 c 9 d e 6 6 %40sessionmgr4006&bdata=j nnpdgu9zwrzlwxpdmum
c 2 n v c g u 9 c 2 l 0 zq%3d%3d#an=p6s1120260624 17&db=pwh

AASL (2010). Position statement on the school Librarian's role in

reading, Retrieved from:
Http://www.Ala.org/aasl/advocacy/resources/statements/reading -
role

Baumann, N. (2014). Let’s talk about books, baby: The

beauty
of b ook clubs. Intern ational Literacy Association,
Retr iev ed from
http s:/ /literacyworld wide.org/blog%2Fliteracy-
dail y%2 F2014%2F04%2F3 0%2Flet%27s-talk-about-books-baby-
the- bea uty-of-book-cl ubs

Crow, S. & Small, R. (2011). Developing the motivation

within: Using praise and reward effectively. School
Library, 27(5), 5-7.

Heard, J. L. (2015). Engaging teens in reactional reading