Research Summary

Research Summary

Linda McElroy

Book Clubs: Ideas from a Virtual Book Club with Fourth Graders and Preservice Teachers

Book Clubs are popular in schools, as well as in other literacy settings. Typically, the book clubs in schools are small groups of students, reading and discussing a chosen book, while other students participate in other book clubs with different books.

This column reviews a project implemented during the time when schools were impacted by the pandemic (Kelly & Likens, 2022). A university professor worked with an alum who was teaching fourth grade to design and implement virtual book clubs. The university classes were fully online with no in-person fieldwork in schools. The fourth graders attended school in person, with hybrid learning due to quarantines.

The preservice teachers in the university classes developed book trailers for books, the children watched the book trailers and chose the book they wanted to read and discuss, then the preservice teachers and fourth graders partnered for virtual book clubs. The book clubs were conducted in partially synchronous and partially asynchronous formats.

The project was guided by these Pause and Ponder questions:

● How do you cultivate a reading community (online and/or in person)? ● What books could foster engaging book club conversations in class? ● What are some benefits of virtual book clubs? ● How can you use technology to foster engaging book club discussions? ● How do you nurture and nudge students’ reading responses?

Virtual book clubs offered several benefits. They offer flexibility, as conversations can happen with varied times and locations. All students can participate, even when they aren’t in the actual classroom. Peer conversations offer low-stakes opportunities for peer response, providing support for students who are shy, or nervous, or need additional processing time. As previous research has noted, the virtual book club experience can strengthen communication skills, as well as a sense of community. On the other hand, online formats have limitations. The asynchronous discussions can be frustrating and may not keep children engaged. Online written communication can be less personal and lacks the support of facial expressions and tone. To address these difficulties, the project utilized several digital platforms, as described below:

● Google slide book trailers, using multimodalities such as images and videos, helped the children select a book to read. ● Edmodo was used to create small groups, and the preservice teachers could join the groups. Users can add GIFs, links to videos or websites, interactive Jamboards, etc.

● Flipgrid allowed students to create videos, so facial expressions and intonation could be observed, and to add written comments. Closed captions and translation can be available if needed. ● Zoom supported real-time interactions. Breakout groups and chat boxes added more flexibility. Children loved real time interaction with their college book-buddies. ● Jamboard was a way to share notes, images, drawing, links, and other resources.

An important part of the project was establishing a safe classroom community, based on choice and ownership, both for the college students and the children. The fourth-grade teacher started with a reflective activity to share concerns and used the responses to select books that addressed the participants’ concerns. Book options for the children included Brown Girl Dreaming by Woodson (concerns about judging other people based on race), Crenshaw by Applegate (concerns about homelessness, financial struggle, theft, and sadness), Bridge to Terabithia by Paterson (concerns about death and supporting friends through hard times), Esperanza Rising by Munoz Ryan (concerns about feeling sad, sickness, and death), Refugee by Gratz ( concerns about refugee experiences, wars, riots, fighting, and killing), One Crazy Summer by Williams-Garcia (lessons about racism, identities as Black girls, and how to advocate), Rules by Lord (concerns about bullying and judging people who seem different), Shouting at the Rain by Hunt (lessons about community building, similarities with others, and friendship), and Long Walk to Water by Park (concerns about war, fighting, and a safe place to call home).

The introductory activity with digital book trailers generated interest and enthusiasm. The preservice teachers created the book trailers, which gave them an opportunity to use technology to create engaging content. The book trailers were loaded on Google slides, so the children were exposed to all the books, then listed their top choices in rank order and provided reasons for their choices. Some of them chose books about characters that were similar to them. Others chose books that reminded them of books that they had enjoyed or books that were recommended by friends.

The fourth graders set up a schedule with a calendar for the four weeks of the book clubs, listing the plans for reading their books and for posting responses on Edmodo. The preservice teachers developed guidelines for the conversations, and they planned ways to model expectations for the children. Using a “fishbowl” strategy, the teachers and another adult (administrator, custodian, family or community member) sit facing each other (as the fish), and students sit in a circle around them (as the fishbowl) to observe and use a double entry journal (I See/I Hear) to take notes. The preservice teachers created an anchor chart with expectations:

● READ! (Keep up with dates on their calendar). ● Be respectful of peers’ opinions and thoughts. ● Take notes during your reading. ● Be open to constructive criticism and feedback. ● Encourage creative freedom when forming thoughts and ideas. ● Refrain from interrupting others.

The fourth graders were familiar with digital book clubs, and they were eager to participate with their college book-buddies. They talked about what good virtual conversations should be like, recorded their thoughts on sticky notes, added them to a class anchor chart of five “Book Club Words to Live, Read, and Talk By,” and signed the class anchor chart to pledge their commitment to the ideas:

● Be thoughtful in what you write and how you respond. ● Be positive. Have fun, but also be serious and on task. ● If we disagree, it’s okay! Don’t be negative or judge. ● Do your part and respond on time. Be responsible. ● Everyone’s voice matters.

The fourth graders participated in a mini-lesson about ways to respond to book club posts. An anchor chart was created to display in the classroom, and each student received a copy.

● Notice, Compliment, and Encourage: Purpose: to support others’ good thinking Sentence stems: I notice you said _______________. I like this because ____________. ● Agree or Disagree: Purpose: to share your opinion and different perspectives Sentence stems: You said _____________. I agree/disagree because ____________. ● Question: Purpose: dig deeper! Sentence stems: What do you mean by ________________? What do you think about ______________? Have you thought about _______________? Why ______________________________?

● Comment: Purpose: to put “puzzle pieces” together Sentence stems: This reminds me of___________________ (situation, something else you read, another person’s comment, something else in the book), which makes me think ______________

Students read on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then posted responses on Edmodo on Tuesday and Thursday. The preservice teachers posted guiding questions each Tuesday, adapting the questions and suggesting strategies to meet the needs of each group. Thursdays were open-ended response days, and the students replied to other posts in a threaded dialogic discussion. The preservice teachers also replied to the children’s posts. The teacher developed a “Four-N-Framework” with suggestions for each point for the preservice teachers to use in responding to the readers:

● Notice: Analyze the student response. What does the child offer? ● Note and Name: Maintain anecdotal records to monitor student progress. Use an assent lens; avoid deficient thinking.

● Nurture: Validate and honor students’ thinking by highlighting specific thoughts. Be genuine, individualized, and intentional. Limit “I” statements to center the student. ● Nudge: What support can be offered? (think-alouds, modeling, questioning).

Individualize and be specific. Challenge without frustration.

Over the following weeks, the groups added various digital tools. One group added a screencast and interactive Jamboard to provide background information related to the historical context of their book. Other groups used Flipgrid to record videos, while others held synchronous meetings via Zoom. For the final week, each group met synchronously on Zoom, waved at their book buddies, and enjoyed a Zoom party. The preservice teachers had brainstormed after-reading discussion questions. After the Zoom meetings, each group reflected on the book club experience. The preservice teachers learned ways to build students’ background knowledge, ways to differentiate instruction, how to deepen students’ thinking, and how to utilize events and themes in carefully selected literature. They reflected on the importance of inspiring children to find reading joy and develop their identities as lifelong readers. The fourth graders used “So What?/Now What?” T-charts to think about how the book clubs impacted them, both as a reader and as a human.

The success of the book club experience extended beyond the four weeks of the project. Because the teacher and the preservice teachers focused on targeted skills for individual learners, the teacher noted student growth in their abilities to think literally, analytically, and critically about texts read independently. The reading community was strengthened. In addition, most of the student responses were done through writing, and the teacher noted increased motivation and engagement in writing. Some of the children began to write stories with similar characters and themes, or sequels to their book club books.

These virtual book clubs provided effective learning opportunities for the preservice teachers and for the fourth graders. Similar experiences can continue to facilitate effective learning opportunities, whether they are provided digitally or back in face-to-face classrooms. Other participants could be invited to join. Careful planning by the teachers, along with use of effective strategies (anchor charts, discussions, modeling in the fishbowl strategy, student written responses, use of the Four-N-Framework for Responding to Readers, reflective activities, and others), gave these participants positive opportunities for growth. The authors provided one student’s comment at the end of book clubs: “Today was just perfect. I had a lot of fun today. And I’ve decided I want to be a teacher.”

Reference

Kelly, K. & Likens, A. C. (2022). A Pandemic Partnership: Preservice Teachers and Fourth Graders Engage in Virtual Book Clubs. The Reading Teacher, 76(3), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2173

Dr. Linda McElroy is a professor at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. She previously taught in Oklahoma schools as a classroom teacher and as a reading specialist.

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