digging deeper with nonfiction reading clubs part one

after finishing the unit, learning about the world: reading nonfiction, the first grade lucy calkins' unit, one of our classes needed a change of pace from the routine of the workshop so we decided to explore nonfiction book clubs.

inspired by kathy collins' reading for real and jennifer seravallo's the reading strategies book, we mapped out lessons introducing students to how book clubs can work. we considered the classroom library for appropriate books levels and a variety of topics. we assembled baskets of books on dogs, frogs, cats, transportation and ladybugs.

kathy's book gives tips on reading clubs for grades k-3

reading partners chose their three favorite topics and were guaranteed one of their three topics for their book clubs. we then assigned groupings based on available text levels. students "discovered" their club on monday morning and embarked on a week long adventure with their baskets of books. our first lesson was to teach students to make a plan with their partners (see below). once they had a plan, the fun began! we teachers made the rounds of the groups to hear their plans and to encourage them to use post its to jot notes about ideas, noticings, and wonderings.



we were surprised that many student pairs decided to read independently first rather than reading with their partner first and our reading workshop had a new shot of excitement to it! in the next post, we will tell you what happened during the rest of the week.

laura's anchor chart for launching reading clubs

happy reading clubs! 

 laura & jessica & melissa