Booked For Lunch !!! School Library Book Club Where and When: In the school library during lunch and recess. Duration and Frequency: October – June. Meet every two weeks for a six week period. The first meeting includes an introduction to the club format and group discussion, a brief author study and an activity. The second meeting includes a brief update on the group’s progress but primarily a related activity. The book talk is be conducted during the third meeting. This will give students time to read without pressure, and experience a few extension activities while they are reading the book. It is expected that not all students will complete the book. Number of Participants: Approximately 6-8 students per session. Depending upon the response to the club, sessions may need to be alternated, perhaps to rotate every marking period to allow for the greatest amount of student participation. Budget: $300.00 for the year |
Budget:
$300.00 for the year
- Books: $ 40.00
BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is $4.54. ($5.00 X 8 = $40.00)
Recommendations for cost savings are as follows:
1. Contact the local libraries in your area and arrange for interlibrary loans. Plan ahead.
2. Collaborate with other school buildings. Perhaps they have copies to spare for a limited amount of time.
- Initial Material Supplies: $ 25.00 per session (once to quarterly, depending on number of sessions)
2. Students will decorate using decoupage during first meeting using an Elmer’s glue wash, tissue paper, etc.
3. Purchase a bin to keep club supplies, materials organized
- Meeting Supplies: $ 15.00 per meeting
2. Healthy snack items such as assorted fruits or vegetables with dip, nuts (allergies checked) etc.
Promotion:
In School
- If at all possible, in September, try to conduct a reading interest survey.
- Library club/booktalk should appear as a selection in the list of clubs available during the school year.
- Create half page announcements to give to students during library orientation
- Post flyers around the building: cafeteria, near gym entrance, exit to playground, teacher’s lounge, PTA bulletin board, copy room, auditorium, near student rest rooms, near key water fountains.
- Post a larger replica of the flyer on the library door
- TALK! TALK! TALK!
Home and Learning Community
- Feature article (front page) in the library newsletter
- Submit an announcement to the school newsletter
- Submit an announcement to the PTO/PTA for newsletter
- Ask for club/booktalk to be placed on agenda as an ongoing announcement at PTO/PTA meetings: submit periodic updates to PTO/PTA regarding participation, topics, and include photographs. This may also help with funding, volunteers and expansion efforts in the future.
- Invite a school administrator (ask principal first) to join the booktalk
- Always submit follow up articles to the above venues, with pictures
- Send a thank you note to the attending school administrator and issue an open invitation to other school administrators or staff
Process:
- Compose a proposal. Meet with the principal to express your willingness to facilitate a Book Club.
- Determine if there is funding available. If at all possible, submit the proposal to the principal prior to the following year. This may help with the attribution of funds once the budgets for extra curricular activities are determined. Some teachers wait until September to commit to club schedules. This could help give the plan a boost.
- If there is no funding available within the school budget, ask the principal if you can approach your PTO or PTA for funding. There should not be a tremendous amount of funding necessary if the meetings take place during the school day, as high end expenses like transportation would be avoided. Depending upon your contract, you may be required to earn a stipend. In most schools, these funds need to come from the school budget.
- Once the club/booktalk is approved, choose the novel for the first booktalk. Considerations when making the selection include: appeal, quality, novelty, fun factor (this is a club!), availability of stimulating extension activities, genre, and level appropriateness.
Note: If this were an ongoing club with the same group of students (or as the club became
more established) it would be preferable to allow students to conduct this process.
- Secure reading materials as soon as possible. If arrangements are being made to interlibrary loan, make the arrangements at least two months prior to first meeting. Confirm the month before. Order books if purchasing. Have the books in the library two weeks before the first meeting.
- Identify participants. If there are more than 8, hold a lottery. Ask the principal to make an announcement that there will be a lottery. Those whose names are chosen will participate in the first session. Those whose names are not chosen will participate in the next session (GREAT RESPONSE!)
- Send home permission slips. Be sure parents are aware that their children are willing and volunteering to opt out of recess. Create a simple permission/notification slip for the parents to sign and the student to return. (This also helps with promotion!)
- Begin developing and creating materials, displays, organizing location. Be ready three days before first meeting.
MEETING PLANS
Meeting 1
- Open meeting. Establish group routines.
Please remember to bring books and lunch to the meeting
Students will always eat lunch first
Attendance will be taken
Club members will have fun, respect each other and have more fun!
Review meeting dates and times
Students will need to remain with club for the entire period
2. Discuss book selection
For first meeting of club have a book selected
Determine options for book selection going forward (if same group will be ongoing)
Talk about the need to read the book
Conduct a think aloud to help students plan for allotting time to read this book
Students talk among themselves, sharing ideas for reading time, then share with group
3. Ask students to close their eyes and listen an the audio interview of Roald Dahl talking about his
work routine: http://www.roalddahl.com/
Ask students to create an image of the author in their heads, do a quick round robin to share responses
Create an “Author Scoop” and share interesting facts and trivia about the authors life (Gelman, Krupp 2007)
4. Hand out logs. Ask students to write the title of the book and authors name on the first page of the log. Students
can then glue the “Author Scoop” onto the next page of the log. Ask students to record thoughts, draw pictures,
doodle, whatever they want, about the book they are reading. Make sure they know this is not going to be graded.
Logs can be shared at the next meeting, but sharing is optional. This is a good activity during lunch, students can
pass their logs whiel they eat.
5. Distribute books when students are finished eating.
Give each student a tent card, ask them to write their names on the outside and think about the question in the
inside of the tent card. Allow a moment for quiet thought. Ask for sharing.
6. End with activity: Dream Jars. Explain that dreams play an important role in this book. Ask students to draw or
describe a bad dream. Then draw or describe a good dream. When they are finished ask them to place both of their
dreams in their jar. Ask the students to think about this activity as they read the book. Tell students should be able
to explain this the relevance of this activity to you by the next meeting.
7. Close the meeting!
Meeting 2
- Open meeting
- Conduct informal book discussion while students eat lunch. Remember optional log pass around. Ask about the Dream Jar begin a discussion about dreams. What have they learned about dreams so far from the story? What importance do dreams play in the story? Students are encouraged to discuss main character, setting, plot and make predictions about what happens next.
- Activity: BFG D.I.Y Dream Catchers (after lunch)
- Distribute laminated word strips containing words from The BFG. Ask students to write the meanings of the words: predict if they haven’t come across them yet, or define as used in the context of the story. Ask them to use the word strips as bookmarks and bring them to the next meeting.
- Close meeting
Meeting 3
- Open meeting.
- Today students will be greeted by a table set up with props specific to the book, as well as other books by the author on display. Prompt students to reflect on the props (dog bones which represent the bones of the “human beans” and bottles of FROBSCOTTLE. Promise to share the FROBSCOTTLE at the end of the meeting)
- Conduct informal discussion while students eat lunch. Ask students to share word strips with each other and discuss prediction and definitions they created for the words. Encourage them to site examples from the book that gave context to their meanings. Continue informally until students are finished with lunch.
- Ask students to move from the table and sit around the display. Conduct a formal book discussion with props serving as prompts and adding to interest. Students will be very excited to drink the FROBSCOTTLE!!!
Library of Discussion Questions
1. Let’s round robin a summary of the story. Who would like to begin?
2. What do we think about when we hear the word “giant”?
3. What makes the BFG special?
4. How did the other Giants treat the BFG? Why?
5. Imagine you were taken away by the BFG just like Sophie was in the beginning of the story. What would you be
thinking as you were held in the blanket? When you arrived at the cave?
6. Was Sophie brave? Why?
7. Was the BFG a hero? Why?
8. Let’s talk about fear. Why is Sophie afraid of the BFG? Is the BFG at all afraid of Sophie? Why or why not?
9. What scares you? How do you deal with your fears? Have you ever been afraid of something only to find out it
wasn’t really scary at all?
10. The Queen listened to Sophie, but she was skeptical at first. Have you ever tried to convince an adult about
something that was hard to believe? What did you do to convince them?
11. Who do you think is the narrator of this story?
12. How did Roald Dahl use his writing to develop his characters?
13. Would you recommend this book to a friend or family member?
14. Would you like to read another book written by Roald Dahl?
FROBSCOTTLE TOAST
- When the discussion has run its course or time is coming near to end the meeting, invite the group to create a “toast” from The Queen, to Sophie and The BFG, for saving the children. While they are brainstorming, pour the FROBSCOTTLE.
- Be dramatic! Offer a firm warning that its not every day that “human beans” get to drink FROBSCOTTLE and you’re quite sure they may need to WHIZZPOP! Ask them to be ladies and gentlemen about it if they must!
- Propose the toast and ask others to add on. Have them all drink together. When they put their glasses down, exclaim with a shock! Something has happened you knew nothing about! Their teeth have turned green!
- Close the meeting, sending your green toothed participants on their way, another great PR moment for