Book club ideas needed! Running a ks2 book club after school- where to start?

[dottytablecloth]

I've been told that I have to run an after school book club from September. I don't mind doing it but I'm not really sure where to start!

Our after school clubs are open for y3-y6 so I'm not sure how I'll be able to cater for the different interest and ability ranges

I'm not really sure how a school book club would actually be run even. It's definitely not like there are lots of copies of particular books around school that teachers won't be using with their particular class.

We've never had a book club in school so I don't know how to approach it.

Any advice from anyone?

[mrz]

Do you have enough copies of books for each year group to have suitable reading groups? Is there money to buy books if not?

If so you could ask each group to "report" to the others about the book they have read and whether they think it would appeal to older younger children etc?

We are starting a reading cafe but only for Y5/6 and have bought in enough copies so every child can have one.

[SeagullsAndSand]

My dc go to the a Waterstones one and it's fab.

They often have a particular book title as the main focus but include the author's other titles too and you can all bring in ones you've enjoyed to discuss eg Iva Ibbotson.I think it's a good way of introducing kids to other books by an author they've enjoyed and cuts out the need for multiple copies.

All focusing on the same book may be a bit like literacy lessons and a tad restricting.Showing kids the huge amount out there and having their peers recommend books/genres/ authors they/you may not have thought of is very beneficial imvho.

[CookieTin]

Try the 'Starting a Book Group' resources at the CLPE website for starters:

www.clpe.org.uk/page/68

They also have a range of booklists, allowing you to have several different levels of reading on the same topic. You can doubtless find others elsewhere.

Don't be too worried about everyone reading all the time-this isn't a big guided reading session. Reading to children, showinjg them why reading is great is also important.

Don't be afraid to use picture books with KS2.

Give them squash and a biscuit, get nice chairs-make it special.

[mrz]

www.literacytrust.org.uk/assets/0000/0576/Handbook_primary.pdf

[FabulousFudge]

Would you be allowed to do a reading for pleasure club instead and just allow the children to bring in texts of their choice and read them quietly, whilst sitting on comfy cushions and munching on juice and biscuits?

[MrsCakesPrecognition]

My 10yo ran a book club at school last year. They mostly read books individually, then wrote up a short book review which they would present to the group and discuss recommendations. Sometimes they would read poems on a theme decided at a previous meeting. They never all sat and read the same book simultaneously.

[EskSmith]

Dotty I run a ks2 book club, only for children who want to attend.
I plan the books ahead and give lots of notice. However school also need several copies of the book for those who don't have it or can't get it from a library etc.

You can appeal to a fairly broad range and have good discussions with this age group, sometimes it needs as bit if thought.

If you would like I can email you my choices from last year and next, just pm me.

[dottytablecloth]

esk that would be really useful! I'll pm you now.

Thanks to everyone else for their ideas too!

[EskSmith]

Dotty I have your email and will send the lists across as soon as dh lets me on the PC!

Our club only runs every 3 weeks to give them time to read the book. If I was running it more often I'd choose a point to read to iyswim and discuss part of the book at the time.

I also let them know its not a problem if they haven't finished it. We often discuss why from didn't like it all the way through to no time. Best answer I ever had on this is that they were reading something better at home! :)

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

could you do it around a topic or style of book rather than the same book or author? so say fantasy books, non fiction books, books with a strong heroine and so on. I am not sure what level an average level yr3 is really to be honest.

[NerfHerder]

I would do it around topics too- so that there are enough books to go round, and it won't cost half the book budget for the year.

What about:
Friendship
Exploration
Self-discovery
Dragons
Dogs
Wizards & Witches
Detectives/Spies
Sport
Space

etc etc etc

[KERALA1]

I hold one for dds friends as she's an avid reader and wanted to come to mine. The girls are 8 I do a list of questions about the book which they work through. Usually goes well except when the book club members get distracted by dds rabbits she can get quite frustrated with them...

[DearOldBiddy]

I run a book club at school for yr5/6 children who are able readers. We read the same book together. I choose the books, and it takes us about a month to read a book together. Each book we read has first been read twice by me. I would guess it takes me about three hours of preparation for every hour of actual book club we have. I outline the books and write out questions based on comprehension, literary devices and vocabulary. I find that everyone is keen to answer questions and they need the structure all my questions provide. Also, despite being bright, they have all misunderstood some of the text every time. The comprehension questions are the toughest for them, the literary device questions the easiest.

I don't limit myself to books available in the library. If necessary, I source the books as cheaply as possible online and the children buy them from me. It's always been less than £4 for paper backs and no parents in our area object.

The success of the group is down to picking good books, doing the prep work and brining biscuits!