With School Library month upon us in April, what better way to celebrate than by energizing your book club with these simple, fun activities?
1. Connect Books to Film
Several popular books are getting ready to be made into movies, including the hot young adult mystery, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Choose a popular book for your age range, read it as a club, and then compare it to the film version. Kids love catching what’s missing, what has been added, and discussing why the directors made different choices than the author. Remember that critical film viewing connects stories to stories.
2. Book Share with Your School or Group
There’s no more authentic way to share a book you’ve loved than by talking about it with people around you. Let your kids vote on their favorite from this year and present the book on the morning announcements, to classrooms, or to members of your local youth or homeschool group. Ask kids to focus on telling just enough of the story to get other readers hooked, share favorite characters, or even read aloud an excerpt.
3. Arrange an Author Talk or Author Visit
Many authors are available for hire to come visit schools and give talks about their books, being an author, or about growing up and facing challenges. While this can cost some funding, many school advisory groups and business partners are willing to chip in for this worthwhile activity. For a less expensive option, consider local authors, authors that will visit with a book purchase, or Skype or online chats with authors.
4. One School, One Book
Choose a popular book and get the whole school on board with related activities and all homerooms or language arts classes reading the same book. You’ll be surprised by how many students engage with a book their friends are reading! Sharing some simple discussion questions and activities with other teachers can turn a single class literature study into a school wide phenomenon. Consider popular young-adult reads and action packed books for more buy-in.
5. Let Teachers Spotlight Their Favorites
We all had our favorites growing up – so share those with students! Have a classic book week where teachers, staff, and parents share some of their childhood favorites with your school or club. From childhood classics to popular fiction, your students will love hearing about your favorite stories and characters just as much as you love sharing them.
If you have more ideas on how to make a book club shine, please share them with us!
