Rounding Numbers to the Nearest 10 and 100 for Mastery and Fun

Rounding to the Nearest 10 and 100  is one of the most basic skills presented to students-honestly, kinda boring too!  What if I presented to you the idea that it can be a lot of fun and kids can master it too!  No, really, it can be FUN and mastery can be done in just one week!  

How to Make it FUN!  

Find a good theme and go with it!  Seriously, rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 needs a theme!  That's how you make it FUN!  Luckily, a theme has been made!  May I present to you...Knights of the Rounding Table!

This fun rounding unit is set to the idea that the King needs help-and the queen steps in to save the day with an idea-an idea that defeats the Digits Dragon!!  So fun, right!  

How to Make it MORE Fun!

When I do this Rounding to the Nearest 10 and 100 unit, I accompany it with some fun information about knights and dragons!  Read a great book about Medieval times (I have an oldie but a goodie that is so old, I can't even find it on Amazon to show you the book!)  Or, even better, about King Arthur!  Or Saint George and the Dragon which is an amazing knight story!  (Grab this freebie from Scholastic!) 

This literature tie in makes it even more fun because students can dive into the topic in a different way-tying in this new information to apply to the math concept!  It builds a fun new experience all around!  Plus, you could even have them create a fun Digits Dragon on their own!  This adorable craft would make a great tie in to this unit!  

What about the Rounding?

Students get the opportunity to learn rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 from simple steps to the practice of mental math!  Students start with learning the Rounding Poem.  This poem helps them to remember the concept of rounding down for under 4 and rounding up for 5 and over.  Plus, the posters have clues to help them remember too!

Students will first practice rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 by identifying the ten or hundred before and after the original number.  Then, students must decide, based on the rounding rules, which number it is rounding to.  This allows students to build the foundations of the mental math to come.  Next, student step into the mental math realm to round to the nearest number.  Both rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 is taught on separate pages.  

Once the skills are mastered individually, then students are presented with rounding to the nearest 10 OR 100 on one page!  This way, students can practice this skill in tandem with one another, switching their brains back and forth!  Plus, they can play a fun game! 

 This super fun game presents the students with the opportunity to defeat the Digits Dragon!  And, then, students can prove their mastery with a quiz!  

Best of all, then they are KNIGHTED!  Imagine their excitement to receive their official Knighthood after learning both rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 AND Medieval Knights!  It is just so exciting to them!  

So, as you can see, rounding to the nearest 10 and 100 can be both a learning opportunity and fun!  And, everything you need can be found in this product!  Your students will love it and so will you!  I'd love to hear what you have to say or your ideas about rounding to the nearest 10 and 100! And, if you would like to learn more about what I do in my classroom, I'd love for you to join me on my Instagram journey and over at Facebook too!  


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The Error You are Making with Flat Stanley's Original Adventure

Everyone loves Flat Stanley!  He is so much fun to make and send off in an envelope to parts unknown!  People take pictures with him and send him back so that you can see all the amazing things he got to do-just like when Flat Stanley went on his adventure to California!  Great learning, right!  What if I told you that there was something you totally missed?  What if I told you that you made a major teaching error by just reading this book and sending Flat Stanley on his way.  Because you did, you missed something really remarkable in this tale! You made a teaching error...

Flat Stanley is much more than a paper doll you are sending out.  Teachers have missed a key opportunity to teach some amazing things through this book because we use it as a Social Studies opportunity and it is, well, fun! There is an entire world of literary wonder at just the right level for late first graders, second graders, and early third graders to learn about.  This book is written at a level that allows students to critically examine a text for elements they need to know about.  It is also written for them to have fun!  Why not combine the two and have a great book study!  Let's look at how! 

Comprehension

Although it doesn't look like there are opportunities for great comprehension, there is!  Each chapter packs a little bit of an opportunity to think about and comprehend what is in the chapter.  For instance, in the first chapter, (Grab the freebie here!) there are some interesting parent interactions!  There is also a chance to look at how this story is a fantasy.  And, it even has a chance for some fun measuring in your classroom to get kids ready for the deeper stuff.  

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Today we had so much fun finding things that measured the same as Flat Stanley! What kind of fun things do you do to integrate other subjects into reading? • • • #secondgradeteacher #secondgrade #secondgradefollowloop #secondgradetribe #secondgradeteachers #secondgradefun #secondgradesquad #secondgradeshenanigans #2ndgradeteacher #2ndgraderocks #2ndgradeclassroom #2ndgradeswag #2ndgradefun #iteachsecond #iteach2ndgrade #iteachsecondgrade #iteach2nd #flatstanley

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This continues throughout the rest of the book, building deeper and deeper meaning and thoughts expressed by the author.  All of this can be assessed through comprehension questions that help students build true understanding of the text.

Character Reactions

Students can have a different kind of experience with Flat Stanley by examining character reactions.  This can be done with a Wants and Needs Chart.  This chart is not the typical wants and needs we complete in the Social Studies Standards.  This looks at what character want and what they need to do to accomplish that want.  What happens when we examine characters in this way, we can look deeper at what the author's purpose is.  This, ultimately, leads the students to discover themes for each character and the book overall!  This is a priceless way to use Flat Stanley, because it exposes sibling rivalry to students who are always amazed at how much Stanley and Arthur have in common with their lives!  

Vocabulary

Although Flat Stanley doesn't jump to mind as a great vocabulary teaching opportunity, it is in there!  This story was written at a time period where different words were used.  Fragile, jostle, and rummage are examples of the strong words used by Jeff Brown in his authorship of this book.  

And More!  

There are even more opportunities packed into this text.  Looking at dialogue, character feelings, and more can be done with Flat Stanley.  Don't miss out on the opportunity to boost your students' skills with this great book AND this great product!  Everything you need for a great novel study is found inside!  

I'd love to hear what you have to say about Flat Stanley!  What have you done to get the BEST out of this study!  Drop me a comment or follow me over on Facebook or Instagram to share on a post!  I'd love to hear from you!  

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Book Clubs for Kids: 5 Tips for Grading Student Book Clubs

Book Clubs for Kids is one of the BEST ways to use real literature to build comprehension in students. Student choice and student jobs, or roles, are key components to success in Book Clubs.  But there is the question that teachers who want to start Book Clubs ask the most-How do I grade Book Clubs for kids?  Let's take a Look at some tips to grading Book Clubs!

Tip #1:  Use a Well Developed Rubric to Grade

Honestly, this is the BEST way to grade.  I spent years examining what my students were doing in Book Clubs for kids to adapt and change to meet their needs.  Once I created an area, I would try it out and see how it worked for a diverse number of students.  It was adapted and changed over and over again until I found the perfect combination of social interactions and academics.  I used this grading rubric with groups I sat through and groups I observed as I walked around.  It is a life-saver when it comes to scoring students.  

Tip #2:  Grade their Meetings

Document everything!  It is key to keep track of what was said in Book Clubs beyond what the students provide.  When I first start Book Clubs for kids, I sit in on their meetings.  I also ask Higher-Order Thinking Questions. I take the time to write down what each child is saying.  What do I do with this?  I keep the papers so that I can tract their progress over the year.  I also examine these pages for strengths and weaknesses in students and to readjust groupings.  This also leads me to lessons I can teach to build our Book Club skills.  

Tip #3:  Grade their Book Club Jobs

In addition to using the rubric, I also grade the Book Club for kids jobs.  This is where I gain valuable grades, as you can either grade these separately or all together, depending on the level of skill your students have.  In the primary grades, I grade them as one grade.  In intermediate, I tend to grade these as stand-alone grades because of the amount of work it takes to prepare them.  You can also apply point values to each job and, then, add those up as one score in the end.  There are plenty of variations along the way to play with.  Try some out and pick what works best for you!  This is key!  

Tip #4:  Grade for Specific Skills

Book Clubs for kids can also be adapted for specific skills.  On top of the Book Club jobs, you can add open ended pages to the Book Club to target a specific skill you want to assess.  Be thoughtful about the amount of extra work though.   You don't want to add too much to their plate, as reading and completing the main tasks can fill a student's time.  

Tip #5: Grade with Expectations

Sometime teachers look at Book Clubs for kids as "fun work".  It is important to grade with the same expectations you would on any class assignment.  This is NOT "fun work".  Yes, kids have fun in Book Clubs, but their work should be taken as seriously as any classwork is.  Look at content, conventions, and anything else you would normally look for in student work.  This can take their work level to the next realm of learning!  Expect and they shall achieve!  

Need a great rubric for Book Clubs for kids?  Check out my two levels of Differentiated Book Clubs!  They have a variety of assessment pieces built in for you to use!  I'd also love to hear about your tips for assessing kids in Book Clubs!  Drop a comment and share your ideas!  Or, ask a question!  I'd love to hear them!  

Other Book club for Kids Posts to Read: 

Why I Don't Do Guided Reading:  Book Clubs Exposed

Student Choice in Book Clubs

The Secret of Getting the Best out of Student Jobs

5 Things You Should Look for During Book Clubs


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Book Clubs for Kids: 5 Things You Should Look For During Book Clubs

As teachers, we are constantly looking at our teaching and evaluating what we are doing.  With Book Club for Kids, we are doing the same things.  It is very important to "read" what is going on in the groups and responding to what we "read".  Here are 5 Things You Should Look for During Book Clubs!  

1.  Behavior Concerns

Yes, this is the number one thing you need to watch for!  Kids are kids, and they will try to take advantage of this!  Stand firm, monitor this group more closely.  Use proximity.  You can also pull students away as a consequence.  Students love Book Clubs but if their behavior gets in the way, they need to be removed.  Watch also for the opposite-using behavior to get out of Book Clubs.  Students who don't finish work don't participate.  Students are quick to figure this out and will try and use it to their advantage.  Be one step ahead and have a plan.  I usually provide additional class time to that student-especially if you have centers or "free time" that can be used.  It won't take them long to see their theory of less work doesn't work.  Always be on the look-out for behavior!  

2.  Struggling Students

Struggling doesn't always mean that just the low students struggle.  Struggling can come in many forms.  The idea that it is just the reading who causes a student to struggle is not true in Book Clubs for Kids.  The work itself can be a struggle.  Coming up with questions for a student who has not mastered questioning in reading is a struggle.  Creating a summary can cause a high student a lot of stress if they have not practice creating a summary.  Some kids can't make a strong connection because they lack some emotional skills to do so.  This is when you can differentiate your student's tasks.  Watch for what they need, instead of what you need.  Providing the perfect balance can lead to success for all your students!  

3.  Weaknesses of the Class

Weaknesses of the class in Book Club for Kids is key to watch for.  This can give you an overview of what concepts and ideas your students are lacking.  Teaching a skill in isolation and expecting them to apply it in Book Club can be a surprise when they fail at being able to do it.  Isolation is just that-students are looking for that skill and they do it for the grade, just like spelling tests or other rote skills.  Then when they are confronted with something in Book Clubs we are shocked when they fail at it.  WHY?  It is now in context.  Book Clubs are the perfect opportunity to see what your class really knows and make a plan to correct their path, whether it be the whole class or small groups of kids.  Watch for the weaknesses, they are there!  

4.  Lessons to Teach

It never fails that I have to teach two core lessons when we get started, no matter what grade level I teach.  The first one is how to write a summary!  Summaries are key to Book Club with Kids.  Summaries are also key to classroom experiences and State Testing skills.  Yet, kids are always weak at it because we teach it in isolation!  And, what do we hear over and over - your kids can't summarize.  With Book Club, it is a required element that makes them practice in context, again making the skill come alive!  So, take the time to teach it as you want to see it.  This could be done pre-Book Club or even during Book Club.  

Another weakness in students, no matter what grade I've taught, is good, quality questioning.  Students will start out looking for knowledge level questions, including yes/no answer questions.  Make it clear from the beginning that these questions are NOT acceptable.  Work in lessons on how to build stronger questions for your Book Club discussions.  Tie in Author's Purpose as a way to challenge students to ask other students questions.  Even better, build in questions stems through Anchor Charts that students can access over and over again.  Don't give up.  This skill takes time and with your constant help, students will be developing "teacher quality" questions.  Trust me, I have a whole notebook full of questions I've made enhanced with questions students have asked to match my ever growing collection of Book Club books!  

So, what are you looking for to discover lessons-the first place to look is at #2- weaknesses.  What continues to be your class' weakness?  The second place to look is your Standards, whether it is Common Core or specific State Standards.  Search to discover what your students need.  You will not be disappointed!  

This is an example of how you can take a Standard and 

turn it into a Book Club!  

5.  Enjoyment!  

This is a key component of Book Clubs for Kids.  If they are not enjoying it, they are probably not learning.  There are always books that students won't enjoy.  It is key to keep this in mind as you select books.  Just because you enjoy may not mean that they do. Be responsive to student need even before you start.  Then, monitor for this.  There are times you may just need to abandon a book, just like real readers do.  This needs to be an open discussion among your group and be agreed upon by all, so that they hear they are valued and respected.  In general though, students enjoy this process and want to engage in this process.  Always be watching for their level of enjoyment though, just to be sure.  


How do you accomplish all this?  In a carefully crafted way!  Differentiation is the very best way to meet all students needs and you can find that in these Book Club for Kids products!  Grab what you need by clicking on the picture below!  

I'd love to hear what you think!  Leave me a comment and let me know what works for you or what you are still wondering about  Book Clubs for Kids!  Or, join me on Facebook or Instagram to follow my journey, including what I do with Book Clubs!  

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Read More in this Series of Blog Posts

Book Clubs Exposed:  Why I Don't Do Guided Reading

Student Choice in Book Clubs

The Secret of Getting the BEST out of Student Jobs in Book Clubs

Book Club for Kids: The Secret of Getting the BEST out of Student Jobs

Book Clubs for kids are a primary tool of reading instruction in my classroom!  They are used in place of Guided Reading instruction and are much more informative than the actual practice of Guided Reading.  One of the secrets to Book Clubs for kids is picking roles, or jobs, that provide the most value to the students and the teacher!  

Your Purpose Might Just Be Hiding!  

Before we dive into jobs, let's talk a minute about purpose!  Everything we do as teachers should have a purpose.  I have honestly read other teachers share that their Book Clubs for kids have no purpose besides being a Book Club.  This, my friends, has a deeper purpose!  You are using the skill of talking about REAL LITERATURE in a real world setting!  That means you should be diving into researching this topic to build a structure for this talk, a structure to teach real literature without the kids knowing it!  Higher order thinking is your real goal-learn how to utilize it in this setting!  Because everything we do HAS A PURPOSE!  Look for it, it is there!  

The Best Book Club for Kids Jobs!

There are so many ways you can utilize Literature Circle Roles.  These roles were shared by Harvey Daniels in Voice and Choice in Literature Circles.  It was simple then to utilize these roles to teach within Book Clubs for kids.  I used these roles, or jobs as we now call them, with my first real experiences back when I first learned about Literature Circles.  However, times have changed.  The demand of testing and the new Standards that most of us teach under, has really called to us about how to build skills and understanding within the texts students read.  That means we need to have jobs that have the most bang for our buck!  Above all, students need to be practicing skills that can be bridged back to the Standards and meet the demand of testing.  These five jobs do just that!  

Job #1:  Summarizer

This job is just what it is named.  Students write a summary of their reading.  This could be a chapter or even multiple chapters.  This process is key to many smaller parts of a variety of standards.  Determining key details, sequencing, and critically examining the text are ways that students use reading to build a summary!  Plus, students strengthen their vocabulary and writing skills, as they cannot just copy sentences from the text.  This is not a skill to take lightly.  Writing summaries together, giving feedback on summaries written, and reteaching to your class will all be part of this job.  In the end, it is worth the time to do this.  Your students will boost so many reading skills just through learning how to properly write a summary!  Take the time to use this valuable job in Books Clubs for kids!  

Job #2 Questioner

This job is so much more than asking questions.  But, let's start with the obvious!  When you are looking at the basics of the new standards, you will find that many of the foundations start in asking questions about a text.  And, yet, kids struggle with doing this!  They struggle with finding questions with real meat to them.  This can be developed through Book Clubs for kids.  The job of Questioner is about asking quality questions and, also, providing an answer.  As a teacher, this gives me insight into what students are questioning as they read.  When you look at this deeper, you an clearly develop an understanding of their higher-order thinking.  If students are stuck on obvious questions, they are lacking higher-order thinking.  It is my job to begin to cultivate this through lessons.  If students still struggle, it is time for some one-on-one help to build this area up.  Their answer are just as insightful.  A student can ask a great question, but totally miss the mark that their answer can have multiple answers.  It is when students open up to the idea that a question can have many answers that debate occurs-and it does, naturally, in Book Clubs for kids.  

In addition to developing question to ask the group, the Questioner is responsible for running the group.  This starts very early on when I still sit with the groups, especially in the younger grades.  I try to act as a silent witness, offering as little guidance as possible.  This helps in the gradual release to student-led Book Clubs.  I have my students use the Questioner form to work through their Book Club leading.  Soon, students are leading, no matter what their ability is!  

Job #3:  Plot Picker

This job in Book Clubs for kids is another way for students to meet specific Standards that you need to assess.  They need to critically analyze the text to determine the climax of the chapter or section they are reading.  Students must wade through key details to pick the moment that impacts the story the most.  This can be difficult for students since there may be a variety of opinions based on what they are reading. This job, more than any of the others, can lead to a real debate among students-and that is what you are looking for.  Students can strengthen their skills of talking correctly and building debate naturally within the Book Club structure.  Be sure to be watching for it and guiding it along.  I have used good group debates as "fishbowl" moments.  I have the students recreate their debate and have others watch.  This way, we can talk about successful debates and how you correctly talk and react within them.  This words for any grade (I have even done this with First Graders!) 

Job #4:  Character Sketcher

Character Sketcher is 100% looking at Character Traits.  Students must choose a moment from their reading and explain this character through traits that they see in their reading.  This is a key moment to assess the difference between actions and reactions.  This one is difficult for students when it really comes down to it.  They think the characters actions cause the trait, when in reality it is their reactions that are the trait.  Continued practice in Book Clubs for kids is a simple way to build and grow this skill to mastery.  Kids are looking at their character across a WHOLE story, across many events and many interactions with others.  This is what is missing in those guided reading books. (Read more here!) There is not enough depth to characters in these texts to get what students need!  That is why real literature in Book Clubs just does amazing things with students.  And this is a job that proves that fact!  

Job #5:  Connector

Emotions play a huge role in who we are as readers.  This is why this job is important.  It takes the time to dive into the feelings of the reader and to dig into their schema.  I will never forget when one of my toughest fifth graders ever was reading Old Yeller'.  We were in the middle of Book Club and I was monitoring their group.  I was standing behind him when he started.  All of a sudden he broke down in tears.  He explained that when he was younger one of his dogs died and how this story brought him right to that moment and how he just knew how Travis had to have felt.  He just knew it  because it was exactly how he felt.  It was powerful and moving.  We were a tight knit group, so it didn't go anywhere past our classroom-and all the kids hugged hime sometime in the day.  It was real, it was powerful, it was real literature in action!  It was also 15 years ago for me-and it has stayed with me all that time.  That is the power of connecting in Book Clubs for kids!  

Other Jobs

Yes, there are other jobs.  Here is what I have to say about that!  I have tried all of the other jobs and have personally found that they lack the depth of the jobs I have shared here.  These can (and are included in my Book Club products) Word Nerd, Visualizer, Passage Picker, and Travel Tracer.  The problem with these is not found in the job itself.  All have their value.  The problem lies in the sharing of the job.  With Word Nerd, students loose interest hearing words and their definitions.  This can cause off-task behaviors to jump up and disrupt your groups.  I find that if I let kids pick words across the text and do this job as an individual product, I get better results.  Visualizer is a weak job in general.  Students must show a picture and discuss their picture.  I find this amount of drawing, especially with older kids, is not a good use of classroom time.  Again, this one can be used at the end to share "the moment" that stuck with them!  The two that have some traction are Passage Picker and Travel Tracer.  Both look more closely at the reading, but both can be somewhat boring to listeners and frustrating to the student completing the task.  What if they reading only has one setting (Travel Tracer) or too many settings?!  What if the student doesn't like this part of the reading and finds no value in the passages they have read?  All of these are areas I've had students struggle with.  These struggles are an important part of understanding the Book Club jobs presented here!  

Differentiation!  

The good news is that ALL of these Book Club roles can be differentiated to meet the needs of your students.  You will find value in all the jobs presented when you are differentiating.  Each and every one of these jobs becomes important to students if you look at what they need in that moment.  A struggling reader just may need that Visualizing job when they are completing a Book Club.  It's easy to differentiate by having leveled pages representing each job.  

Advanced Book Club Pages

Basic Book Club Pages

Students can easily be assigned what they need, even when reading the same text.  Each of the sets come with their own leveling.  The Basic Set leveling includes a story level and a chapter level that support a larger area of drawing.  Then they move into limited drawing on the page and no drawing, focusing on the written element alone.  This allows for an easy transition into completely written work.  

The Advanced Set includes the first page offered as the limited drawing. Some students in grades 3-5 will benefit from drawing, but I find it is key to keep the written work as the most important element on the pages.  The goal with Book Clubs for Kids in the intermediate grades should always be about what they are presenting to the group in written form, not the drawings that accompany the work.  I think this can get lost sometimes in Book Clubs!  But, just like with the Basic Level of Book Clubs, this set can easily be differentiated to meet the needs of each of the students in your classroom!  

What do you think about these jobs, or roles for Book Clubs for kids?  I'd love to know what works for you, what doesn't work for you, or what you are interested in hearing more of?!  Leave me a comment or hit me up on Facebook or Instagram!  (Be sure to follow to get all the most recent information about my classroom!) 

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Read other Book Club for Kids Posts

Book Clubs Exposed

Student Choice in Book Clubs

Book Clubs for Kids: Why Student Choice is NOT that Hard to Do!

Book Clubs for kids, also known as Literature Circles, have been around for a very long time.  However,  Book Clubs for kids is one of the most underutilized tools in the teacher's tool chest of skills.  When you look at Balanced Reading's fundamental truths, it screams Book Clubs for kids, especially for older elementary students.  Yet, we continue to follow the guidelines of Big Business in our classrooms and go with the readers provided by these book companies than to provide real literature with a purpose.  Book Clubs for kids do just that!  So, how do we pick books and how do we allow students a choice in book picks without them being unrealistic their reading levels.  Here's how!  

First of all, it is key to understand that student accountability and responsibility is the fundamental element of Book Clubs for kids!  Without it, you will be chasing students down and all around your classroom trying to get them to complete this work.  Starting with the basics of how to do Book Clubs for kids must come from you, but the rest is based on their ability to be a member of a group that is counting on them.  This is why Book Club book choice is so key to the success of the Clubs themselves.  I will state, for the record, that I DO CHOOSE THE BOOKS IN THE END for each student-just in case you want to give up because this seems too far fetched for you!  It's all in how you manipulate the choice that gets the group to be cohesive and complete!  Let's take a look!  

Purpose

First, target your groups needs.  This can be as simple as reading level to as complex as character development through deep analysis.  You must decide what the purpose of the group is.  You will also be looking at what children you want to put in this group!  Have a flexible list, because this is where the fine manipulation comes into play-having that general list.  Here's an example of where I am going with my class:

• Advance Reading Level and Comprehension - 2 groups
• Character Development - 2 groups
• Continue Basic Comprehension and Growth - 1 group

Book Selection

Next, I select the books I want to use.  This step, at times, can come first.  I usually work together within these steps, as I know what books I have sets of.  I target the books and what kids I want to have in each groups.  Again, I keep a flexible list, because I know I can change groups around based on their interest too!  This year I'm in Second Grade, so here's what I'm looking at for book choice next:

• Tornado by Betsy Byard - 2 groups
• Frog and Toad - 2 groups for Character Development
• Henry and Mudge - 1 group, Basic Comprehension 

Student Book Choice

Now comes the next step, student choice.  Label the books you are planning to use.  I put post-its on the books numbered 1-4.  I allow students to examine the books, including reading the back, looking inside,  and checking out anything else they may want to do.  I do this in smaller groups, over the course of one or two days.  Students want to see and examine the books to make good choices.  This should become an important step to the selection process.  Plus, it gives you time to prep folders and papers as they are doing this.  

Next, I print out post-its for book selection.  Each student gets a book selection post-it.  They write their name and their book choices-1st, 2nd, and 3rd-on the post-it.  They turn it into me so that I have their choices.  It's as easy as this!  Again, it's a fine game of manipulation after this, but you have done one of the most important steps to student buy-in!  

Assigning Books

It is time for the grand manipulation.  Here's how this goes down!  First, sort all the groups by who picked what for their first choices.  You can then pull those kids that you have picked earlier for those books.  This one is easy.  Next, examine where your second book picks fall.  Usually, I can place all of my kids by the first or second choice.  They really do pick the right books.  When I get a student who has not picked the book I need for them to be in, I look at the following:

1. Is there room in the Book Club they want this time!  If it isn't too far of a stretch, I will usually look at this as a choice.  
2. Did the child at least pick their "book" as third choice.  
3. If the child did not pick their "book", I pull them and I conference with them.  I explain that their book choice was filled and that ________ is the only spot I have.  (The next part is KEY!!!)  Then I promise them FIRST CHOICE next time-and I make sure I write it down and STICK TO IT! 

They are usually thrilled with this idea, because they know their valued in the process.  All the while, you are winning at getting them in their proper Book Club books!  

I do believe that this is all a very gentle balance.  It is always key to remember that student choice is one of the key components in Book Clubs with kids!  If you over use play this balance, they get onto your game and you will have some difficulty completing that fine art of manipulation.  Value their choices and balance it with your needs-it works every time!  Any other tricks and idea, drop me a comment!  

Differentiated Book Clubs:  These products contain all you need to accomplish amazing Book Club moments in your classroom!  

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Read more about Book Clubs for Kids here too!  

Why I Don't Do Guided Reading! Book Clubs Exposed!!!

I have lucky to be in on many innovative educational ideas.  I have seen the rise and fall of educational concepts.  It has been an interesting time.  One of the best ideas I have seen, and practiced, is the use of Literature Circles, or Book Clubs for kids.  It is also one of the most under utilized strategies with teachers.  Let's take a look at why!  

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This is how I survived my ELA block for the last few weeks before break!! I LOVE Book Clubs (Literature Circles) and so do my students!! It strengthens their understanding of character development and plot! Have you used Book Clubs in your class! Let’s hear about it!! #studentbookclubs #bookclubsforkids #literaturecircles #iteachela #iteachprimary #iteach123 #iteach234 #iteachgifted #teachingprimary #Igteachersrock #iteach2nd #iteach3rd #elementaryteacher #primaryteacher #teacherteam #teachersfollowingteachers #elementaryteacher #secondgradeteacher

A post shared by Julie from The Best Days (@thebestdaysclassroom) on Dec 26, 2018 at 9:09am PST

Book Clubs for Kids

Literature Circles, or Book Clubs for kids,  have probably been around longer than we can imagine.  I can retrace my experience back to my first year of teaching.  I taught Fifth Grade and had this great idea from college to try out.  My peer teacher was extremely innovative and agreed to let me try them out.  She was a steady novel user herself-in fact, she still is a novel user! (More on that in other posts!) I had used novels right along with her, mainly to get the most band for the buck!  My Brother Sam is Dead is a great example of this most bang moment!  This amazing novel teaches the American Revolution from an amazing view point - that of a Revolutionist who also put his life on the line for his family, all told by his young brother who was not fighting in the War.  Great stuff - but I digress!  So, I gather the texts I wanted to use - The Secret Garden, Alice in Wonderland, The Jungle Book, and Huckleberry Finn.  These books were not a huge jump for my students - in fact, because of what we were reading, they fit right into our class.  I created a project too - they had to write a summary for each chapter and draw a picture to create a Big Book for a younger grade!  All was great - but I had NO IDEA what I was doing!  This was totally unstructured talk with a random project.  I would rotate and listen to them.  They would all write a summary!  Great, but with no real results.  No real ability to "see" what I needed to see from them.  And, so, like so many others, I gave up this very "innovative" idea and stuck to what I was learning from others - the use of really great literature with the whole class.   Until...

Balanced Literacy!

Yes, about ten years into my teaching career, Balanced Literacy was launched.  It was during this time that "Guided Reading" was introduced to us and it was quickly pushed aside by those that I taught with.  In fact, it was a somewhat verbal assault on the instructor of the course.  But, she would not be pushes aside so easy.  Over the course of our year's worth of classes, she began to make headway - with BOOK CLUBS for kids!  She quickly moved from the idea that small readers were for all students into reading novels with older kids.   This brought buy-in!  In fact, she brought us to the point that students in 2nd grade and beyond SHOULD be reading real literature in the form of NOVELS!  And that's where she found acceptance and understanding!  And that's why I don't do Guided Reading in my classroom - in ANY grade I've taught!  Instead, I do...

Book Clubs!!

Literature Circles, or Book Clubs for kids, soon became a big hit with my students!  Why??  Well, there are a number of reasons!  Here's some:

1. They offer student choice!  We all know that it is hard for teachers to give up the idea that students can choose their own books.  However, that is part of what Book Clubs for kids offer.  Choice gives a student more buy-in.  That means more time on task, a connection to social-emotional learning, a willingness to have cooperative behaviors, and just a better chance to have fun with their reading.  
2. They provide a chance for differentiation!  That's right!  You can offer a variety of reading levels and topics in one Book Club for kids.  Or, you can go with a theme and offer a variety of levels of reading opportunity!  The opportunities are endless!  
3. It provides a purpose for reading beyond the idea of taking a test!  YES!  It is real, it is engaging, it is opportunity!  Real literature is used.  Kids want to read when the book engages them-so pick quality with PURPOSE!  Understand what and why you have picked that text to use with them!  And, opportunity is present.  Opportunity to get students involved and loving a book for what it is and what it does for them as a reader! 

What Book Clubs for Kids are NOT! 

I shutter when I hear Guided Reading- for real, I do.  Because it has become what it should not be.  It is, in it's current form, Round-Robin Reading Groups.  Student groupings don't change, they are stuck in a cycle of boredom (and so is the teacher), and we are assessing everyone for fluency OVER AND OVER! (Why?? WHY?? If they are fluent-move ON!)  We don't boost their reading past what we "think" they should be doing!  Reading is NOT A LEVEL!  Therefore, Book Clubs are NOT Guided Reading!  

Book Clubs for kids are NOT a free-for-all either!  There is structure and planning in Book Clubs.  Students have roles and expectations- all of which they must be ready for.  It takes practice and work, but students can quickly learn the hows and whys when presented with opportunities to lead!  

Book Clubs for kids are NOT ungraded!  There are many ways to grade Book Clubs.  Be open to ideas for grading, even from the students.  They know what should and should not be going on in their groups and will be honest about their behaviors and reading.

Book Clubs for kids are NOT unguided.  I carefully scaffold my Book Club instruction.  I start the same for every grade, no matter what grade I have taught Book Clubs in, 1st through 5th.  When they learn the ropes, they learn quality Book Clubs!   

So, now that you are intrigued, I'd love for you to join me in learning more!  I'll be posting some Blog Posts and sharing some over on my Facebook Page!  Stop by and follow me there for my live discussions about Book Clubs!  And, let me know more about what you'd like to learn by leaving me a comment below!  

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