The Book Club Companion: Fostering Strategic Readers in the Secondary Classroom

by Cindy O'Donnell-Allen

The Book Club Companion is a testament to what is possible when teachers think carefully about what they do. What we have here is not simply a guidebook to effective practice, but an experience in reflective practice. I hope that you find The Book Club Companion as powerful and provocative as I do.
Peter Smagorinsky Just because a book club meets during class time doesnt mean reading cant be fun. And just because reading is fun doesnt mean it cant help you meet curricular objectives. With The Book Club Companion youll find out how the for-pleasure concept of book clubs can help students enjoy reading during the school day, and how you can use book clubs to immerse adolescents in literate, real-world behaviors as you connect them to the English curriculum. Drawing on current literacy research and more than a decades experiences with student book clubs in secondary classrooms, Cindy ODonnell-Allen demonstrates how clubs can help adolescents become more willing, engaged, and strategic readers. Her comprehensive guide distinguishes book clubs from similar instructional techniques like literature circles and offers ideas for implementing clubs, using flexible grouping to meet student and curricular demands, and creating themed sets to offer students choice and you planning options. The Book Club Companion provides numerous resources to get in-class clubs started, keep them running, encourage student response, track discussion, and assess progress. It includes book lists arranged by grade level, reproducible assignment sheets, scoring guides, and tools for record keeping and teacher research. Get into in-class book clubs. Youll motivate students to read, help them enjoy the experience, and give them an opportunity to become more reflective and accomplished readers as they share in the excitement of connecting the real world to the classroom.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Professional Development

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2006

Reviews

[abbylee Oqueli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not since Kylene Beer's "When Kids Can't Read: What Teachers Can Do," have I read such an accessible, useful, or meaningful book on educational practices. I had the pleasure of being one of Cindy's students at CSU, which is what prompted me to pick this up in the first place, but I had no idea that it was going to be so rich with applicable information. I can't wait for summer to be over so I can start a book club with my 7th graders. Not only does this lay out how to successfully introduce book clubs into your curriculum, it gives a multitude of valuable and reproducible resources; things that, I not only intend to use for book clubs, but will integrate into all of my reading assignments. The "Top ten toolbox" alone is reason enough to go out and get this book. I sat down to skim through it and couldn't help but read the entire thing. Aside from how user-friendly it was, I have to say, my favorite part of the book is that it is so distinctly Cindy O'Donnell-Allen's voice . . . one that is personal, passionate, funny, and endearing . . . I have nothing but good things to say about this!!!!

[Melissapalmer404 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good resource about using book clubs in secondary classrooms.

[Tommy Buteau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I am using the techniques in my classroom. I love the activities and the final projects for the groups as well as the excellent directions for how to set up the groups. Very valuable for teaching literature in a new way.

[Edith Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting reference for utilizing book groups in the classroom. Very useful.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great practical ideas about reading, some of which I hope to modify for use in my college classes.