Reflecting on Book Clubs

This school year I began experimenting with book clubs in my AP Literature and Composition courses, and we are about to begin our final book club of the year. After the first book club, I asked my students to provide some feedback on the experience, and I hope that the modifications I've made to the process will help the second book club run smoother.

"Book Club Logo" from Changing Hands Book Store

During the last book club, students chose from a variety of 20th century American Novels. They could select Slaughterhouse-Five, Catch-22, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, or Invisible Man. I chose these titles because they all meet the criteria of "literary merit" for the AP Exam but also because they offered students a wide variety of styles and topics to choose from.

Our second book club will focus on dystopian novels: 1984, Brave New World, and The Handmaid's Tale. Like the previous book club, I chose these titles because I wanted to provide a range of options for my students.

What have I learned so far?

1. Sell the Books. When I introduce the books, I like to provide some background on the author, the subject of the book, and the style of writing. I've been doing book talks all year, so my students are familiar with me getting excited about books. My excitement for the titles rubs off on the students as they begin reading.

2. Provide Structure. I hoped my students would gather together every few days and discuss at length the characters, plot, setting, literary elements, and the meaning of the work. I soon realized I was wrong. Each group needed a different amount of structure, so I started with more supports in place and allowed groups to veer from my plan for their meetings as they became more comfortable. I try my best not to commit readicide, but I do ask that each group take notes and complete an exit ticket reflecting on their group and their individual progress.

3. Be Available to Help. My students expressed an almost universal positive attitude toward book clubs, but many expressed a suspicion that they could have gotten more from their book. Several students wrote during the reflection over the book club that their discussions lacked the depth of teacher-led discussions. As I read the essays they wrote after their reading, I could notice certain areas of the books they did not consider fully or they may have misinterpreted. During the next book club, I'm going to be even more present to assist students deepen their understanding.

4.  Give Up Control. I'm not too proud to admit that I love the attention I command as a teacher. But if I'm doing all the talking, I can't tell if my students are doing any learning until the end of a unit. And at that point I can't help those students who are struggling or faking their way through. As I give control of discussions to the book clubs, I can begin to observe which students are truly understanding what they've read and those who aren't.

5. Snacks Make Everything Better. I didn't think about this before, but my students loved making snacks for their book club days. Some groups even created a rotating schedule. Those students did not want to leave book club snacks to chance. The relaxed and intimate atmosphere of the book club helped students open up more and share their thoughts.

What will I change next time?

"Change" by Susan Ackeridge (CC BY-ND 2.0)

1. Offer Even More Choices. I limited my students to books I felt comfortable with, and I shouldn't have. Most of my students have enjoyed participating in book club this year, but I want them to have even more options in the future. As the spring progresses and summer returns, I will continue to find books that I can add to the rotation for book clubs next year and into the future.

2. Ask Students to Pick Their Top Three. This year I gave everyone their top choice of book. I was lucky we wound up with relatively similar size groups and with a good mixture of students in each group. Next year I plan to have each student list their top three choices and then create the groups to ensure even group sizes and composition. I can only do this if I offer more choices, so this depends on the previous addition to my administration of book clubs.

3. Allow Students to Choose The Final Assessment. In my AP Lit classes, I have my students write essays about the books they read as practice for the AP Literature exam in May. In my other classes and as an additional assignment in AP, I want to give students the freedom to demonstrate their understanding of the book they read. If I am giving up control, I should be giving up control over the final assessment as well.

What have you learned about book clubs? What do plan to do next time? Have you been in a really good book club (in school or out of school)? Have you been in a really bad book club? Share your thoughts in the comments.